Which road bike tyres - fed up of punctures....

[Maxf]

Another puncture today (I'm getting quite good at sorting them now), and my GP 4 seasons look fairly close to the end of their lives so time to swap them out.

I've tried marathon plus which were way too heavy and dead, but bulletproof. The 4 seasons feel great but don't offer much protection in the real world it seems.

I run 25s and most of my miles are in London unfortunately.

Are Continental GatorHardshell any good? Any alternatives?

[louiebaby]

I run Gatorskin Hardshells on my summer bike, mainly because like you, I am sick of punctures.

I'm massive though, so any issues of "lack of feel" or weight are slightly nullified, as I need to run at about 110psi to keep things working properly.

I get on fine with them.

[Scabutz]

I've used Vittoria Rubino Pros for years. I didn't used to have problems with punctures at all road riding, had hardly any in years. That was until I started riding to work and using the cycle paths I was getting the all the time.

Anyway still using the rubinos but I have put slime in my tubes and that has made a massive difference. Haven't had a puncture since.

[Maxf]

Scabutz said:

I've used Vittoria Rubino Pros for years. I didn't used to have problems with punctures at all road riding, had hardly any in years. That was until I started riding to work and using the cycle paths I was getting the all the time.

Anyway still using the rubinos but I have put slime in my tubes and that has made a massive difference. Haven't had a puncture since.

I hadn't considered 'slime' - I'll give a couple of the tubes a try for £8... it would be nice to be able to stick with the 4 seasons going into the autumn!

[biggiles]

Try the Durano tyres from Schwalbe? Same tech as Marathon, just more for road bikes. I very very rarely had punctures in London using them (commuting each day).

[jim3]

I had loads of punctures with GP 4 Seasons despite the reviews. Switched to Schwalbe Duranos and have been much better. Same bike, same route, 12 months now.

[ambuletz]

I bought 25c 700c wiggle's branded 'lifeline' armoured road tyres in early spring of last year. I'm yet to have a single puncture on my road bike. at the very most I probably don't ride more than 10 miles a week.

[HardtopManual]

I commute in all weathers on Michelin Lithions. They're cheap, ride nicely and I've had one front and one rear puncture in 5,000 km, both tiny pinpricks, patched up with a self-adhesive patch.

[Black can man]

Schwalbe Durano Plus's , bk ache getting them on but well worth the effort chap.

[Deanno1dad]

Black can man said:

Schwalbe Durano Plus's , bk ache getting them on but well worth the effort chap.

Agree with this..Durano Plus..slight pain to get on but bullet proof..You cant go wrong with these.

[Watchman]

louiebaby said:

I run Gatorskin Hardshells on my summer bike, mainly because like you, I am sick of punctures.

I'm massive though, so any issues of "lack of feel" or weight are slightly nullified, as I need to run at about 110psi to keep things working properly.

I get on fine with them.

I used to run gatorskin hardshells (25mm) a but even at 100Kg (me) and 100psi (the tyres) I found I couldn't trust them to lean over into corners when the road was wet. No feel, and limited grip overall.

But... Not one puncture in about 5,000 miles.

I only ride a hardtail these days but to provide some puncture protection I use Panaracer Flataway inside each tyre. This means I can choose whatever tyre I want and it doesn't spoil the feel of them at any pressure.

[Paul Drawmer]

I'm pleased with these.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-pave-cg-open-clin...

320 tpi casing and isogrip compound

[BeirutTaxi]

Black can man said:

Schwalbe Durano Plus's , bk ache getting them on but well worth the effort chap.

Good shout but possibly a bit overkill. I ran the Schwalbe Double Defence version for a year whilst commuting around Southampton and they coped with everything - glass, stones, plastic debris etc. Only complaint is that they felt sluggish.

[BeirutTaxi]

louiebaby said:

I run Gatorskin Hardshells on my summer bike

Are the Gatorskins any better these days? I never found older versions great in any way at all. Slow, expensive, heavy and not particularly puncture resistant.

Edited by BeirutTaxi on Sunday 26th August 21:42

[PorkRind]

Black can man said:

Schwalbe Durano Plus's , bk ache getting them on but well worth the effort chap.

these, but the folding versions, easier to get on

[uncinqsix]

BeirutTaxi said:

Are the Gatorskins any better these days?

No.

[HardtopManual]

Gatorskins are awful. Zero grip in the wet and make the whole bike feel dead and wooden to ride.

[WinstonWolf]

HardtopManual said:

Gatorskins are awful. Zero grip in the wet and make the whole bike feel dead and wooden to ride.

And they rattle your fillings out.

[SVS]

Deanno1dad said:

Agree with this..Durano Plus..slight pain to get on but bullet proof.

Does anyone know if the Durano Plus is still available in the version with reflective sidewalls?

[BoRED S2upid]

WinstonWolf said:

HardtopManual said:

Gatorskins are awful. Zero grip in the wet and make the whole bike feel dead and wooden to ride.

And they rattle your fillings out.

But you won’t get a puncture. I remember my first outing on gatorskins in the wet holy cow I nearly ended up on the deck a couple of times.