Commuting Touring/tyre

[wongaga]

Unlike my previous Coninental Top Tourers which lasted many thousands of km's, the Continental Touring Plus is showing internal ply after only a few thousand km of not terribly demanding suburban use. My overall impression of Conti's is a reduction in quality in recent years, and I no longer feel they are worth paying a premium for.

Can anyone recommend a good value 700c 28 or 32mm robust tyre for suburban and occasional lightly loaded touring use?

Thanks, Graeme

[10speedsemiracer]

Unlike my previous Coninental Top Tourers which lasted many thousands of km's, the Continental Touring Plus is showing internal ply after only a few thousand km of not terribly demanding suburban use. My overall impression of Conti's is a reduction in quality in recent years, and I no longer feel they are worth paying a premium for.

Can anyone recommend a good value 700c 28 or 32mm robust tyre for suburban and occasional lightly loaded touring use?

Thanks, Graeme

Depends on how we define 'good value'. I've used various versions of the Schwalbe Marathons



but they're pricey and a little bit dead-feeling. These Marathon Green Guards are $50ea as a 700x32, or the Marathon Supreme


at $55ea in 700x32mm fitment. These are not a sporty tyre, but are tough and do the job.

[brumby33]

+1 on the Marathons, I have the 700 x 35's on my bike and they feel pretty good, but i'm not a rider that racey fast tyres would be of benefit anyway.....i need comfort

[DavidS]

I found the Marathon Supreme pretty sporty. Can't get them in 28mm any more so I now have Pirellis but the Marathon Supreme is a great tyre: quick, good grip, last well and few punctures.

DS

[wongaga]

Thanks for that, Schwalbes look good.

After repairing several flats in a few weeks in the Conti Ultrasport on my front wheel, I can declare I will never buy another Continental tyre. They're a bit like Duracell batteries - used to be the only choice, but now to be avoided at all costs.
The tubes still seem to be ok.

Cheers, Graeme

[10speedsemiracer]

Thanks for that, Schwalbes look good.

After repairing several flats in a few weeks in the Conti Ultrasport on my front wheel, I can declare I will never buy another Continental tyre. They're a bit like Duracell batteries - used to be the only choice, but now to be avoided at all costs.
The tubes still seem to be ok.

Cheers, Graeme

Actually I'm so-so with Conti tyres, but won't use their tubes.

[wongaga]

Actually I'm so-so with Conti tyres, but won't use their tubes.

Now you've got me interested - can you tell me why? I've had great service from the tubes over many years, including a few that were years old and plastered with old patches which I've tossed even though they were still serving me well. But the tyres have really gone downhill.

Cheers, Graeme

[10speedsemiracer]

Actually I'm so-so with Conti tyres, but won't use their tubes.

Now you've got me interested - can you tell me why?
(snip)

The only multiple failures I've ever had with tubes were with a series of three Conti tubes. All three failed on the same day, all failed at the base of the valve stem around the moulding. The first one failed while I was doing some hefty speed, the others failed on inflation. Nothing in the brand new Mavic Aksium rim, brand new Velox rim tape, and brand new 25mm Vittoria tyres). The replacement tube that I threw in there (I got ripped off at my LBS, lol $12 for a $5 tube) was just fine, and held 100-110psi perfectly well for the week it took to sell the bike.

I later learned, at around the same time, Continental shifted their tube production to China so maybe I got some early production models or I was just unlucky. Anyway they went back to the seller and I got a refund.

Have shifted to Schwalbe tubes, love 'em.

[wongaga]

Thanks for that. Interestingly I did have a conti tube valve-stem failure some time ago. The previous high quality conti tyres were made in Germany whilst they are now made in Thailand. Maybe teething problems, or maybe they just didn't do a good job of ensuring quality in the new production facility.

[10speedsemiracer]

Thanks for that. Interestingly I did have a conti tube valve-stem failure some time ago. The previous high quality conti tyres were made in Germany whilst they are now made in Thailand. Maybe teething problems, or maybe they just didn't do a good job of ensuring quality in the new production facility.

Thanks for the clarification re Thailand v China, Graeme. I think you're right, i.e. a Quality Control issue. Maybe I got unlucky and got three tubes out of a Monday morning or Friday afternoon batch.

They may have resolved the issue, I don't know, but I'm happy with my Schwalbe tubes. And they can be bought for reasonable $s at Pushys and Bike Bug .

[queequeg]

I found the Marathon Supreme pretty sporty. Can't get them in 28mm any more so I now have Pirellis but the Marathon Supreme is a great tyre: quick, good grip, last well and few punctures.

DS

The supremes have sidewalls made of tissue paper. I went through a brand new pair in 3 weeks. One tyre demalinated and the other tore a large gash in the sidewall. The tread was still so new it had all the little rubber spikes still attached! Will never buy those again.

[Prydey]

Thanks for that, Schwalbes look good.

After repairing several flats in a few weeks in the Conti Ultrasport on my front wheel, I can declare I will never buy another Continental tyre. They're a bit like Duracell batteries - used to be the only choice, but now to be avoided at all costs.
The tubes still seem to be ok.

Cheers, Graeme

That's a bit harsh.

I run these on my road bike but they do come in 28 & 32mm
https://www.bikebug.com/assets/full/CRE ... 2008:35:50

Hand made in Germany. Gatorhardshell. One lot I got over 10000km but on average they last around 7000km. Rarely puncture. The punctures I have had it wouldn't have mattered what tyres you were running. Nothing stops a rivet etc.

Have run conti tubes and tyres for nearly 10 years with zero failures due to quality.

[wongaga]

Not harsh really imho: after about 20 years of flawless service from Conti tyres, the drop off in durability in the ones I've used lately has been quite dramatic. I'm comparing their touring tyres before and after - apples with apples. But thanks for the info on the Hardshells, they might be the answer, especially if they're still German-made..

Fwiw, the Conti GP4000's on my road bike are pretty good, but they too are not quite as good as the previous German-made ones. But the decline is not as marked as for the tourers.

[Mike Ayling]

I am happy with my Supremes.

Mike

[gabe76]

3 years ago I built my first wheelset & wanted something decent even just for daily commuting. Spent $80 apiece for Zipp Course 30mm and had 3 years of nicest commuting ever without a single puncture - daily inner city Melbourne traffic. I would have gone with Sector32s but they wouldn't fit.
I learned the secret to tyres is to forget heavy stiff sidewall, thick tread tyres and buy the good supple stuff.
Don't worry about punctures, just accept them as the price of enjoyment for a nice ride.Tyres have probably been the greatest advancement in cycling since indexed shifting. Read an Heine's opinions, he's onto something. High quality supple tyres are the single biggest improvement you can make to your riding.
Re queequeg - did the sidewalls fail due to frame rub rather than any material fault?

[queequeg]

3 years ago I built my first wheelset & wanted something decent even just for daily commuting. Spent $80 apiece for Zipp Course 30mm and had 3 years of nicest commuting ever without a single puncture - daily inner city Melbourne traffic. I would have gone with Sector32s but they wouldn't fit.
I learned the secret to tyres is to forget heavy stiff sidewall, thick tread tyres and buy the good supple stuff.
Don't worry about punctures, just accept them as the price of enjoyment for a nice ride.Tyres have probably been the greatest advancement in cycling since indexed shifting. Read an Heine's opinions, he's onto something. High quality supple tyres are the single biggest improvement you can make to your riding.
Re queequeg - did the sidewalls fail due to frame rub rather than any material fault?

The sidewall failed because it was cut by a piece of debris on the road, either a piece of gravel or glass. It went through it like it was tissue paper. The other tyre had the outer casing delaminate from the inner casing, which resulted in the tyre going egg shaped, so every rotation there would be a "thunk" as the deformed part of the tyre contacted the road. I actually had the same thing happen on one of my car tyres late last year when driving back from the Snowy Mountains. Scary stuff.

[Thoglette]

The sidewall failed because it was cut by a piece of debris on the road, either a piece of gravel or glass. It went through it like it was tissue paper.

I used to work in an industrial area and this would happen every few years - razor sharp scrap metal on the shoulder. Didn’t seem to matter what sort of tyre I used. Got better at spotting it after a while.

These days I’m riding on “normal” roads and have joined The Cult of The Supple Tyre. Panaracer Paselas mostly because I run an obsolete wheel size. But they are still made in Japan so the quality has remained unchanged.

Note that “The Path Less Pedalled“ (look them up) found them too lightweight for loaded touring. Commuting though is fine.

[Prydey]

I have pirelli cinturato velo on my bike at the moment and can't wait to wear them out to go back to the continental gator hardshell. while puncture resistance has been ok, they are far too soft for my liking. Sure, they are grippy, and great if you want to be a downhill demon and have a good level of protection from debris, but i'm actually a person who prefers the harder feel of the continental. softer tyres just feel too unstable/squirmy.

hardshells feel solid, even with slightly less pressure, and i like this feeling. many paths and roads i ride are not super smooth so it just inspires more confidence over the bumps. Softer may be 'comfier' but i prefer not to feel like i've punctured over every bump.

tyre life is also pathetic on softer tyres. hardshells will get me upwards of 7000km where the pirelli are getting close to worn after 3000. I rotated rear to front as the rear had already worn a flat profile after about 2000km.

gator hardshells are still handmade in germany.

[Mike Ayling]

The sidewall failed because it was cut by a piece of debris on the road, either a piece of gravel or glass. It went through it like it was tissue paper. The other tyre had the outer casing delaminate from the inner casing, which resulted in the tyre going egg shaped, so every rotation there would be a "thunk" as the deformed part of the tyre contacted the road. I

I had exactly the same experience about ten years ago with a set of Bontrager slicks.
Cut the sidewall on a broken bottle and a similar delamination with the other tyre.

Mike

[rkelsen]

Schwalbe Marathon every day of the week. Best commuting tyre hands down. They're heavy and not the liveliest feeling, but you can set 'em and forget 'em. They hold pressure well and have great puncture resistance. I can honestly say that they're the least punctured (and longest lasting) set of tyres I've ever owned.

I've also had good success with Vittoria Randonneurs in the past, but they've changed the design a bit recently.

[wongaga]

Ended up with a Hardshell, very happy with how it rides, now to wait and see how it lasts.................

[Andy01]

Schwalbe Marathon every day of the week. Best commuting tyre hands down. They're heavy and not the liveliest feeling, but you can set 'em and forget 'em. They hold pressure well and have great puncture resistance. I can honestly say that they're the least punctured (and longest lasting) set of tyres I've ever owned.

I've also had good success with Vittoria Randonneurs in the past, but they've changed the design a bit recently.

I was looking for a pair of more "road-worthy" wide tyres for my MTB because my daily ride includes a fair bit of on-road riding and the original WTB MTB tyres (lots of very small knobbles on a 27.5" x 2.25" tyre) only lasted about 1860km (at least the rear tyre anyway). I didn't want fully road tyres because I do ride on some gravel tracks and through a (usually) dry creek bed as well, so I wanted some tread.

I ended up buying some Continental Contact Plus City 27.5" x 2.2 touring tyres. I think they are designed for ebikes (rated to 50km/h) and probably quite similar to the Marathons - quite heavy, very solid puncture protection, pretty close to bullet proof it seems. I have only done 1500km on them so far but they don't look like they have worn at all - they still have most of the tiny mould nibs on them. My guess is that I should get several thousand kms (maybe 8-10k ?) on them compared with the under-2000km on the original tyres.