turbozinke

We are looking for some new tires for our tandem. Light team of 275 lb regularly, but my stoker is pregnant and we're at 295 and going up. She's probably done riding until after the baby because she's just not comfortable riding anymore. Anyways we're looking for some new tires, probably bigger ones. We're currently on 700x23 tires at 120 PSI. I didn't want to have "big" "heavy" "burdensome" tires, but I think my wife would enjoy a smoother ride so I'm looking. I didn't see hardly any recent tire reviews for road tires. Most were 2 years old.

What are you riding? How many PSI? What do you suggest? We're in Arkansas with hills, on road only, and no racing. The more cost effective the better! Thanks

bwebel

Generically, I tend to get as big a tire as will fit the bike that's pretty supple and with a folding bead.

I like the Conti GP4000 in 700x28 and the Vittoria Voyager Hyper RFX for 700x35. But a lot is also going to depend on how you want to value flat resistance vs. performance.

Paul J

What bike are you guys riding? The Continental GP 4000S sounds like it would be a great tire for you. You could move up to a 25 or even a 28 and still have a great ride with more comfort. The Continental GP Four Seasons would be a little heaver but also a great tire. Below is a review of the GP 4000S.

Review: Continental Grand Prix 4000s II 28mm tyres | road.cc

turbozinke

Thanks Paul. We're on a Litespeed Taliani with 10 speed Campy Record, Spinergy wheels, and TRP disc brakes. Its a sweet ride.

OneIsAllYouNeed

For your team weight, I’d recommend 32mm (inflated width) tires at 100psi on smooth pavement or 40mm tires at 70psi for rough pavement. Anything in that spectrum should be good.
Favorite tires with approximate inflated widths:
700c
24mm: GP4000 23mm
28mm: GP4000 25mm
32mm: GP4000 28mm
37mm: Vittoria Hyper 35mm
40mm: Vittoria Hyper 40mm

650b
40mm: Panaracer Pari Moto 1.5
45mm: Panaracer Pari Moto 1.75
50mm: Panaracer Pari Moto 1.9
60mm: Schwalble Big One or G-One Speed

Panaracer Pasela used to be an affordable alternative to all of these, but the price has gone awry. Some of U.K. bike shops (Merlin, Chain Reaction, Pro Bike Kit) often have really good deals on Vittoria and Schwalbe tires.

akexpress 

I would check clearances before you buy new tires. Based on the age of the your tandem your fork may be the limiting factor. 28mm may be as big as you can ride on the front. We like GP4000 and GP 4 seasons ( better flat protection)

reburns

We use GP 4000 28 on the front, 4 seasons 32 on the back. Actual width on 23 mm Spinergy wheels is 32 front, 34 back. We are a 310 lb team and can run 80+ psi front, 90+ psi rear with no problems. Comfortable and fast.

turbozinke

I have a new carbon fork from House of Tandems with tons of clearance for a bigger tire on the front. The rear however may be my limiting factor

turbozinke

Also I don't enjoy flats at all, but I would choose performance over flat protection

Team Fab

We rode really late into my wife's pregnancy. As her belly grew I just mounted higher and higher bars (bmx style worked well). And added a suspension seatpost. By the end she was sitting almost straight up. Also, including a treat stop seemed to make the rides more enjoyable for her

due ruote 

+1 on going with wider tires. I bet your stoker will thank you.

p2berg

We’ve been riding schwalbe one 28 mm. We are quite a bit heavier but find these to be quite comfortable at 110 psi. We use schwalbe folding tires, 35 mm on our touring wheel which are very cushy. Also riding a TI tandem (Seven). If you a patient you can pick up some good deals on eBay...

Paul J

p2berg You need to share a picture of your bike when you get a chance on a new post. We would love to have a Seven one of these days and I love to see what bikes others are riding. :-)

Paul J

Great ride turbozinke, you don't see a lot of Litespeed tandems. Looks like you have a great set-up too. How long have you been riding tandem?

turbozinke

My wife just started riding as an adult summer 2016. She hadn't ridden since she was a 12. I grew up riding on the back of my dad's old Santana. We did HHH and several other centuries until I was old enough to ride my own and keep up (in the draft at least). I rode HHH on the old santana with several people until finally finding my wife! We then bought a Litespeed tandem I found on ebay and I built it up in my garage. Nothing better than getting to exercise with your wife together. She HATED exercising before she met me and mocked it. But now she loves the tandem and is a great sport about it.

turbozinke

What do you think about these? Only $20!

Continental-Ultra-Sport-II-Tire-700x32

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Continental...gAAOSwnVhaSuWg

TooMany

I have had good luck with this tire.

https://www.westernbikeworks.com/pro...-fondo-tricomp

Unfortunately, only up to a 25 mm, but has the casing of a performance tire with the rubber from an endurance tire. Since the tandem tends to go through tires, these seem to last a bit longer. On sale for $20 right now.

jnbrown

I used to use Conti GP4000S on our tandem and Michelin Pro series on my single. I switched to Schwalbe One on both bikes about 2 years ago and love them. Smoother ride than the Conti and durability has been really good, very seldom do we get a flat, the rear tire has racked up a lot of miles. We are similar in weight to you and I inflate to 100 PSI.

OneIsAllYouNeed

The Ultra Sport is a budget tire. They have a stiff ride, comparable with the Gatorskin. They’re not a fast or supple tire. They do have good puncture protection and last a while, but I think it’d be worth spending an extra $10/tire for something with a smoother ride. You could try Panaracer Paselas for a cheap option - I see they’re about $25/tire for the wire bead version in 32 or 35mm. They usually run true to size on 19mm internal width rims.

turbozinke

Hey what do you guys think about wire vs folding tires? I found some come Panaracer Pasela tires for $25 but they are steel bead tires. I guess it's one of those things where everybody has an opinion. Some people said the folding tires can slip. So for tandems does it matter? I would pay $10 more for easy mounting on the side of the road with a folding tire

OneIsAllYouNeed

In my experience, the wire bead versions of Pasela and many other tires are looser (easier to mount) than the folding bead versions. Generally, the toughest tires to mount by hand are tubeless-compatible or tubeless-ready tires.

dave s

We are a 330lb team using GP4000 28 in the front and a wire bead 28 Continental in the back (don't remember the model, not cheap) They measure out exactly 32 mm. 100psi frt, 110 back. No issues, roll great.
my .03