Best Touring Tyres

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Yesterday, 17:11:37

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I'm looking for a decent touring tyre, with good puncture resistance and low rolling resistance. I've got a Condor/Nigel Dean tourer with Mavic rims, and will be riding on tarmac almost entirely. I've decided that 32C is the best width for comfort v. speed, and the tyres that I've come up with (on a budget) are as follows, per pair and INCLUDING inner tubes:-
Vittoria Randonneurs £32
Schwalbe Marathons (not Pluses) £36
Continental Sport Contact £38
Panaracer Pasela TG £38.50
I'm particularly taken by the Continental Sport Contact, but haven't seen them much recommended for touring. I have City Contact 26x1.75 on my ATB/city bike and like them, and the fact they are slicks. I am quite heavy (100kg) and with the panniers and a fairly upright position am concerned the the side walls on the Paselas won't be up to it (I have 24C paselas at present - very worn).
Appreciate any input.

I wore a pair of Marathons down without any punctures - tough but not the fastest-rolling. It depends on whether you're prepared to make compromises regarding speed vs weight vs durability

Touring Tyres

I agree with monty dog's view wrt weight v durability; however, my personal preference for touring and commuting is Continental City Contact. A key advantage is that they should be available as a tyre and tube combination guaranteed for a year without a puncture. If you get a puncture and have proof of purchase the supplier should replace the damaged tyre and tube.

I have been through 2 sets and Wiggle honoured the 1 year guarantee when one of the tyres from my second set developed a slight distortion (bulge) on the sidewall resulting in the inner tube being pinched and getting a pinprick slow puncture.

That was the only puncture I had in 4 years of commuting 60-70 miles a week and often picking up needlw like shards of flint that can be plucked from the tyre with tweezers.

Since the replacement about a year ago my averaging commuting distance has come down but I have done a number of long rides with no further punctures.

ff

New problem - shallow rims!

I tried out a wheel from another bike to check the maximum width that will fit the frame (32 I think), and I also swapped around the tyres, when I came across a NEW PROBLEM. In trying the Bontrager on my wheel, I find again I have REALl problems with getting the tyres on and off THE RIM.

The bike has very low profile/shallow rims - Mavic 3 CD (hard anodized rims). On the Claude Butler I have Mach1 19x622, which are quite deep. On these I can put the tyres on without tyre levers, while on the Mavic I really struggle both off and on, using all three.

Do I need to go for folding tyres - are they a lot easier? I hate the idea of being stranded unable to change an inner tube in the middle of nowhere.

Also the Mavic rims are a great deal narrower - about 15mm internal width against the Mach1's 19mm. Does this limit the width of tyre I can put on? I see no real discussion of this in relation to buying tyres.

Conclusion - do I have to go for a folding tyre, and if so is Marathon Racer 30c the best? Will Kevlar instead of wire rim make all the difference, or are new wheels the real answer - and if so what size?

Thanks everyone

Tyre size wrt rim

If your Mavic is a 15 you are right at the maximum with a 32 tyre but it is not size that is causing the problem with fitting. There are a number of websites covering wheel and tyre sizes but I tend to use that collated by Sheldon Brown (RIP), and also refer to many of his other information pages - particularly wrt Shimano gears.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html

This probably will not help, but I experienced the same sort of difficulty you are describing fitting Bontrager Hardcase tyres (which I use on my racer); however, with careful positioning and perhaps some guiding by levers they can be put on. On the odd rare occasion I managed it without levers but nearly dislocated my thumbs in the process! I believe the clue is in the name, when they say hardcase it includes the fact that the sidewall is much stiffer and the band also then becomes less flexible.

Objectively, once you have them on, hopefully the puncture resistance will preclude constant removal and refitting.

ff

Continental gatorskins in 28 would be perfect, I lug myself (100kg) plus around 10-15kg on 25's regularly and whilst I have them at a pretty high psi and can be a bit bouncy I would think a 28 would be just fine. At 320g they are a LOT lighter than the others, give far better rolling resistance & the gatorskin is a really good puncture resistant tyre.

The other option is the gatorskin hardshell for maximum puncture resitance without gaining lots of weight/loss of RR.

Also the older contact(available in 28s & 32's) are good. I've seen some on ebay at £36 for a pair delivered. We had some fitted on my sons commuter bike for 4 years without any issue. The Contact was rebranded & is called the touring plus now rather than the completely different top contact.
As for tyre sizing, you can in theory fit any 622 tyre to any 622 rim but too wide a tyre on too narrow a rim is just asking for trouble & is awful in the corners.

Good luck

I'm a big fan of Panaracer Paselas - even if they don't look quite as good value for money as they once did. They roll very well, and they're a good compromise between lightness and toughness for regular use.

MAVIC rims of the eighties and early nineties (MA40, Mod3 etc) were notorious for being oversized, and tyres can be very hard to mount and remove. I've generally found Paselas quite an easy fit on most rims, so that might be another reason to favour them. In terms of width, the Module 3 (if that's what you have) was designed for heavy touring and tandem use, and will take a 37mm tyre without problems.

I tend to find Schwalbe Marathons a bit sluggish, but the Kojak in 700x35c is an excellent tyre.

I used vittoria randonneurs (26*1.75 version) on both our tourers - simply because they were £10 each at Decathlon! I was dead chuffed when both our bikes made it around 2700 miles of europe this summer without a single fairy visit or any other such damage - they basically just look 'worn in'. Normally I'm the 'buy the bestest/most expensive' type for things like tyres but in this case I'm glad I just picked up the cheaper option.

G-bitch":2rtpzrkh said:

I used vittoria randonneurs (26*1.75 version) on both our tourers - simply because they were £10 each at Decathlon! I was dead chuffed when both our bikes made it around 2700 miles of europe this summer without a single fairy visit or any other such damage - they basically just look 'worn in'. Normally I'm the 'buy the bestest/most expensive' type for things like tyres but in this case I'm glad I just picked up the cheaper option.

Click to expand...

I haven't used the randonneurs but only heard good things about them. Certainly vittoria know how to put a bloody good tyre together for a very decent price. End of line tyres are always a great source of cheap rubber

and the winner is...........Pasela TG 32C

and the winner is...........Pasela TG 32C

Eventually I've gone for Pasela TG 32's, at £19.25 including free inner tubes.

I liked the idea of many others, especially the RiBMO's, but the pasela's promise a comfortable ride with the flexible side walls (not too fragile I hope), and adequate puncture protection.

I was told that Conti's are particularly hard to fit, and that Vittoria's are not quite what they used to be. Marathons were the closed contender.

Thank you everyone for your advice.