# What tyres do you use for touring?



## lulubel (2 Jan 2013)

Just trying to do some research to help with my future tyre choice.

Which tyre?
700c or 26" wheels?
Width of tyre?
Why do you choose it?

I've just gone from road tyres to wider "city" tyres on my cross bike (25mm up to 32mm) because I wanted more comfort from a wider, softer tyre, and I've realised I could use my experiments with tyres to try out some that might be good for touring in the future.

My first choice (Vittoria Randonneur Hyper) was made before I had that idea, and isn't suitable for touring because they're reported as not being very hard wearing, and I've also had one puncture already, and picked a piece of glass out of one of them today. I'm already thinking of giving this up as a bad job and going back to my "bomb proof" Vittoria Rubino Pros, which I had 4 happy, puncture free years with! (If they made them in anything wider than 25mm, my decision would be made,)

So, what works for you?


----------



## Yellow7 (2 Jan 2013)

Schwalbe 'Marathon Plus' (26X1.75) & 'Marathon Plus Tour' ((26x2.1).They both have the Pu***ure protection inner strip embedded with the moulding. The 'tour' version being better for rougher roads & trails, of which Schwalbe started making after persistent requests. I rode from Milton Keynes to Cape Town with just one (1) flat tyre, I used 2 pairs, chainging in the Gambia, so needles to say what I stick with.

26" wheels are better for third world / developing countries as buying 700c tyres is not so easy, if touring in Europe then no problems, but a 26" wheels is stronger, providing you've used a wheel builder who knows his trade.


----------



## Amanda P (2 Jan 2013)

I've done thousands of heavily-loaded miles on Marathon Pluses - in 700 by 32 or 35 on my tourer, and 26 by 32 and 20 by 32 on my recumbent. They're not quite bomb-proof, but not far off. In my opinion, that's more important than shaving a few grams of weight off if you're touring.

There's also a tandem version, but we haven't put enough miles on the tandem yet to really venture an opinion other than that they're there, they do the job, and we've only had one p... er, deflation event.


----------



## Ian H (2 Jan 2013)

I only do lightweight touring. Tyres of choice are Gatorskins or Paselas in 25mm. If I was traveling outside Europe I might rethink.


----------



## Moodyman (2 Jan 2013)

If you want to stick to the Vittoria theme, their Randonneur City/Pro are considered very good touring tyres. Durable, comfortable and puncture protection is on par with ordinary Marathons.

Long distance tourers swear by Marathons or Panaracer Paselas.


----------



## Crankarm (2 Jan 2013)

Moodyman said:


> If you want to stick to the Vittoria theme, their Randonneur City/Pro are considered very good touring tyres. Durable, comfortable and puncture protection is on par with ordinary Marathons.
> 
> Long distance tourers swear by Marathons or Panaracer Paselas.


 
And swear at other makes .

I use the same tyres I commute on currently Specialised Armadillo Nimbus 26" x 1.5 inch or ContinentalTravel Contact 700 x 35.


----------



## vernon (3 Jan 2013)

On 700c wheels I use Panaracer Pasela Tourguard tyres. They have proved to be very resilient and highly puncture resistant - three punctures in five years and around 8,000 miles.

I have Specialised Armadillo Nimbus tyres on my 26" x 1.5" wheeled tourer and have had one puncture in 1500 miles and 9 months.


----------



## mcshroom (3 Jan 2013)

I use Schwalbe Marathons, 700x32c for light touring or 700x35c for heavier touring. They are not the most exciting tyres in the world but they don't drag much on the road, can handle forest tracks as long as they are not too muddy, and puncture very infrequently so I like them.


On LonJOG I tried out using 32mm Continental Sport Contacts, but the front one had a lump taken out of it before I reached the Scottish Border and the rear was square by the end of the tour (about 900 miles, 250 of them with camping gear).


----------



## Aushiker (3 Jan 2013)

lulubel said:


> Just trying to do some research to help with my future tyre choice.


 
Which tyre? Currently Schwalbe Marathon Mondial HS428 28 x 1.75 are fitted to my Surly Long Haul Trucker and Extrawheel Voyager trailer
700c or 26" wheels? 700c
Width of tyre? 1.75"
Why do you choose it? Chasing the Dirt tour required the widest tyres I could fit that where suitable for dirt and bitumen riding.

Andrew


----------



## xilios (3 Jan 2013)

We only use Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700 35c for touring. A bit heavy but handle good in most surfaces, they are very reliable and the size 35c (+ Brooks Champion Flyer sprung saddle) makes for a very comfortable ride.


----------



## lulubel (3 Jan 2013)

Thanks, guys. It seems like the marathons (in their various guises) are a popular choice. I suspected that would be the case, and I may well try them out when touring time is closer - I don't particularly want to put them on the bike for normal riding beceause there doesn't seem much point in adding that much weight to an unloaded bike.



Moodyman said:


> If you want to stick to the Vittoria theme, their Randonneur City/Pro are considered very good touring tyres. Durable, comfortable and puncture protection is on par with ordinary Marathons.


 
This is why I decided to try the Randonneur Hypers. They're the same TPI as the City/Pros, but are described as having Triple Shielding rather than Speed Shielding, which I assumed was probably better, and was one of my reasons for choosing them. The other reason was that they have less tread, which I don't need for riding on road. I went for Vittoria again because my experience of the Rubino Pros has been so good. But, to be honest, the Randonneurs I've got seem to have a much softer outer casing than the Rubinos, which is resulting in them picking up road debris rather than pushing it away.


----------



## MarkF (3 Jan 2013)

Another one for Marathon Plus's, I use 700c x 35mm, I like to be able to take to varied terrain and found a big difference in comfort on rough surfaces over the 32 mm's I used to use.

Puncture resistance is everything to me, I don't care about the extra tyre weight. Another M+ benefit is that I have found them extremely long lasting, I used a pair of Continental Touring + tyres this summer and after 800 miles had to switch them around, at the same distance the M+'s appear totally unworn.


----------



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (4 Jan 2013)

It depends on what type of touring you are wanting to do. camping tour or credit card tour, completely tarred roads all the way or dirt tracks...

We used Schwalbe Marathon Extremes (26x2.0) on our 12 month tour getting 7,000km from my OH's rear before a side wall failure, 9,500 km from the front which was swapped to the rear at 7,000km, 14,500km out of my rear tyre and the front is still going strong...
We wanted something that would allow us off-tarmac capability because about 1/2 our route through Scandinavia & the Baltic States was on dirt roads and we were then due to head off to the Pamir highway which is largely unpaved.

EDIT: my OH had 4 fairy visits (all on the same tyre as it was dying), I only had the 1 in 14,500km of use.


----------



## CopperBrompton (4 Jan 2013)

Yet another vote for Marathon Plus. One visit from the fairy in over 5000 miles, and they last for well over 3000 miles.


----------



## Amanda P (4 Jan 2013)

We sometimes tour on our Moultons. Schwalbe Kojaks are the only tyres you can get for their 17" wheels. Kojaks are fine in Europe, but in South Africa... not so much. 

Throwing beer bottles out of car windows is something of a national pastime in South Africa, so there's a lot of broken glass about. There's also a special thorn, the Devil's thorn, which has little caltrop-like spikes and likes to grow near, and shed thorns on, road shoulders. In those circumstances, Kojaks aren't really adequate!


----------



## stumpy66 (4 Jan 2013)

I use conti touring plus reflex 32mm, no p*******s on fully laden tourer, back one needed replacing after 2500 miles


----------



## andrew_s (5 Jan 2013)

I used to use 28mm Gatorskins with an Audax style bike, but have now switched to a bike that allows fatter tyres in order to make rough stuff easier (and allow studded tyres for the winter). Now I use 700x35, either Pasela if I don't anticipate rough stuff, or Marathon Racer if I do.


----------



## ankaradan (5 Jan 2013)

I recently replaced the knobbly tyres on my old mountain bike with 1.75" Continental Travel Contacts. These are fast but grippy (and very quiet) on tarmac, but can also cope with the gravel tracks and mud, found everywhere here but the best quality main road. So far I've been very impressed, but can't comment as to mileage for a long tour.


----------



## willem (6 Jan 2013)

I prefer wide 26 inch tyres for loaded touring. They are comfortable, give good grip on bad roads and trails, and with the right tyre choice, can be as fast or faster than narrow 700 c tyres. So my favourites right now are the 26x1.75 Pasela and the luxury version of this, the Compass 26x1.75. They are a bit fragile, but they have held up fine for the last few years (the Pasela's, or the last 2000 kms for the Compass). They are very fast and comfortable, and the tread is big enough for mild trails. I have had one puncture with them over a number of years, and that was from a screw, next to a building site. I would prefer them to be a bit wider still. If you want a more robust tyre, my all round touring choice for almost all of Europe would be the 50 mm Schwalbe Big Apple. It is fast, comfortable, and pretty robust. We have a number of them in the family, and I cannot remember a single puncture over the last few years. Anything more robust and with more tread is great for expedition tours, but overkill elsewhere.
The problem is that more puncture proof and longer lasting tyres such as the Schwalbe Mondial exact a heavy price: they are slow, heavy, and much less comfortable. The Marathon Plus is even worse from this point of view (and the new 20111 ordinary Marathon is equally horrible). In my experience the modern choice is to get as wide as possible tyres with flexible sidewalls and some but not too much tread. Wider tyres are not only more comfortable, but they also get far fewer punctures because they can be run at lower pressures so the tyres flexes over the debris. In 26 inch I think 50 mm (usually 45-47 mm in reality) is ideal, with a wide choice of types, including the superb Conti Topcontact Winter II for the colder season. In 700 c much depends on your frame's clearance, but I would go for the widest that will fit, and see what you can get in that size. If it is indeed, like many 700 c tourers, a bike for fastish tarmac rides, I would suggest something like the 37 mm Pasela (Pasela's are quite true to size, unlike many other tyres).
Willem


----------



## CopperBrompton (6 Jan 2013)

Remember, though, that a heavy tyre takes longer to accelerate but maintains momentum better. For touring, even in pure efficiency terms a heavier tyre can be better than a light one.


----------



## lulubel (6 Jan 2013)

willem said:


> Wider tyres are not only more comfortable, but *they also get far fewer punctures because they can be run at lower pressures so the tyres flexes over the debris*.


 
I'm sure we've had this discussion before, and my experience contradicts this.

Narrow (25mm) tyres run at 110psi - 4 years, 0 punctures.
Wider (35mm) tyres run at 70 psi - 2 months, 2 punctures.

Both sets of tyres from same manufacturer and marketed as high puncture protection.


----------



## willem (6 Jan 2013)

Which only proves that your sample size is too small. That is the problem with punctures: they do not happen often enough for much serious statistical analysis. On a more cheerful note: punctures are normally not much of a problem either, as long as you buy good quality tyres, and don't ride them into the ground.
Willem


----------



## Crankarm (6 Jan 2013)

willem said:


> I prefer wide 26 inch tyres for loaded touring. They are comfortable, give good grip on bad roads and trails, and with the right tyre choice, can be as fast or faster than narrow 700 c tyres. So my favourites right now are the 26x1.75 Pasela and the luxury version of this, the Compass 26x1.75. They are a bit fragile, but they have held up fine for the last few years (the Pasela's, or the last 2000 kms for the Compass). They are very fast and comfortable, and the tread is big enough for mild trails. I have had one puncture with them over a number of years, and that was from a screw, next to a building site. I would prefer them to be a bit wider still. If you want a more robust tyre, my all round touring choice for almost all of Europe would be the 50 mm Schwalbe Big Apple. It is fast, comfortable, and pretty robust. We have a number of them in the family, and I cannot remember a single puncture over the last few years. Anything more robust and with more tread is great for expedition tours, but overkill elsewhere.
> The problem is that more puncture proof and longer lasting tyres such as the Schwalbe Mondial exact a heavy price: they are slow, heavy, and much less comfortable. The Marathon Plus is even worse from this point of view (and the new 20111 ordinary Marathon is equally horrible). In my experience the modern choice is to get as wide as possible tyres with flexible sidewalls and some but not too much tread. Wider tyres are not only more comfortable, but they also get far fewer punctures because they can be run at lower pressures so the tyres flexes over the debris. In 26 inch I think 50 mm (usually 45-47 mm in reality) is ideal, with a wide choice of types, including the superb Conti Topcontact Winter II for the colder season. In 700 c much depends on your frame's clearance, but I would go for the widest that will fit, and see what you can get in that size. If it is indeed, like many 700 c tourers, a bike for fastish tarmac rides, I would suggest something like the 37 mm Pasela (Pasela's are quite true to size, unlike many other tyres).
> Willem


 
Do you work for the people who make Pasela tyres as you mention them an awful lot?


----------



## willem (6 Jan 2013)

No, who do you think I am? That would be very indecent indeed. I am an economic historian by profession, without any commercial connections in the bike trade, but an interest in optimum solutions in compromise situations. I also recommended the Big Apple, by the way. And in earlier posts the Conti Topcontact WInter II for winter riding. 
Willem


----------



## lulubel (7 Jan 2013)

willem said:


> Which only proves that your sample size is too small. That is the problem with punctures: they do not happen often enough for much serious statistical analysis. On a more cheerful note: punctures are normally not much of a problem either, as long as you buy good quality tyres, and don't ride them into the ground.
> Willem


 
Please can you provide me with a link to some research based on a large sample size? I'd be interested to read it.


----------



## Bodhbh (7 Jan 2013)

lulubel said:


> Which tyre?
> 700c or 26" wheels?
> Width of tyre?
> Why do you choose it?


 
I've done most of my touring on 26 x 2.0 Marathon XRs. In honesty, they are way over the top for road riding in Europe - both in terms of the aggressive tread and hardwearing compound - but I made the call when I started and have stuck with it...no choice, as they're so bloody bombproof. On the otherhand, I've had maybe 3 flats in at least 10k miles and if there's an option of an off-road route - where they come into their own - I'll nearly always take it.

For next year I'll change to 26 x 2.0 Marathon Duremes and try and wear the XRs out on the commute. The Duremes roll much better on the road, are probably 300-400g each lighter, and are grippy enuff for off-road excursions.

I use a MTB, so 26" is what fits and I use fat tyres cos I can and I like the comfort!


----------



## BigonaBianchi (7 Jan 2013)

Another vote for schwalbe marathon plus 28's for me...no flats across Europe or America.


----------



## Crankarm (8 Jan 2013)

Bodhbh said:


> I've done most of my touring on 26 x 2.0 Marathon XRs. In honesty, they are way over the top for road riding in Europe - both in terms of the aggressive tread and hardwearing compound - but I made the call when I started and have stuck with it...no choice, as they're so bloody bombproof. On the otherhand, I've had maybe 3 flats in at least 10k miles and if there's an option of an off-road route - where they come into their own - I'll nearly always take it.
> 
> For next year I'll change to 26 x 2.0 Marathon Duremes and try and wear the XRs out on the commute. The Duremes roll much better on the road, are probably 300-400g each lighter, and are grippy enuff for off-road excursions.
> 
> I use a MTB, so 26" is what fits and I use fat tyres cos I can and I like the comfort!


 
I agree they are total over kill for road use although if heavily loaded they make your bike handle like a super tanker. I used the 1.5 inch versions for a while but then switched to Specialised Armadillo Nimbus tyres which roll a lot more easily and are a lot lighter.


----------



## willem (8 Jan 2013)

I do not know of any research on punctures from a large real life sample. Tyre companies only do mechanical tests with machines that puncture tyres with given force. That procedure does not necessarily mean much in real life. The problem with a real life statistical project would be to control the variables enough, and to record things uniformly. If I were to do it, something like PBP would be a good event to do this. There are many riders, and they ride quite a lot in a controlled situation. The problem would be that most riders would be using tyres at the fragile and narrow end of the spectrum. And conditions would not necessarily be representative, in that a rainy event would probably favour other tyres than a dry one, for example.
My general view is that people worry too much about punctures. I only very rarely have them. The only exceptions were when we were living in the UK, with its debris covered and rarely cleaned roads, and with the tandem, where more weight was being pressed onto the debris. In both cases, Pasela's were not robust enough, and had to be replaced by Marathons. We are a family of four, and we all use our bikes to go to work or school. During the last decade the kids have never had a puncture (mostly ordinary Schwalbe Marathons), and my wife once, from a big nail. No punctures yet with the Big Apples or the Topcontact Winter II, nor with the Pasela TG that I now have on my commuter bike. Mind you, I replace tyres well before they are completely worn. On tours, I have had two in recent years, one from a sharp piece of steel that cut through an ordinary Marathon and the other from a big screw near a building site that was too much for a Pasela. And I have had one tube failure at the valve stem. I think other more puncture resistant tyres would not have helped much in either case. Fortunately our commutes are on regularly cleaned roads, and as it so happens the same applied to much of our touring. But the statistician in me says: the sample is far too small for this to mean much.
Willem


----------



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (8 Jan 2013)

willem said:


> ...
> My general view is that people worry too much about punctures. I only very rarely have them. The only exceptions were when we were living in the UK, with its debris covered and rarely cleaned roads...


 
Yes & no. Our first tour in Denmark was punctuated by punctures constantly. Over the course of 2 weeks we had at least 1 puncture every day and that is no fun, sometimes we were seeing 2 or 3 punctures a day. We also had a slashed tyre from debris on a cycle path than was across rutted grass. Regretfully it did detract from the enjoyment of the tour.

My old commute was a nightmare, but not because of debris on the roads, but because of where I worked, in a school. For some reason drawing pins get everywhere and it was only when I went over to puncture resistant tyres (armadillo tyres) that I finally stopped having punctures. It took several years before my next flat tyre commuting to work - and when I took the tyre off, it was the inner tube that had perished.

Over our last 12 month tour, Stuart had a total of 5 punctures in 12 months of 8,700 miles, I had 1 in the same distance.

They make a difference, but it is each to their own. We actually really like the Marathon Extremes and I prefer their handling to the XR's which are currently on my tourer.


----------



## psmiffy (8 Jan 2013)

Except for one occasion I've never found punctures on tour to be a significant problem - however, if you are out in the open and it is 40° or it is raining heavily then it can be not that pleasant - plus a puncture at the end of the day can make the difference between getting to where you want to be in daylight or the dark.

I started off using the old conti -top touring - good tyre which wore reasonably well and I never never really had that many punctures when they were reasonably new -but tended as the F1 chappies say go over the cliff
then Pasela _-_which I found wore too quickly - both the tread and the side wall - only tyres I have ever had to change because the side walls had failed
replaced on tour with some Kenda touring tyres - did what it said on the tin but the only set of tyres that I have owned that i noticed the weight
replaced with standard kevler marathons - both tyres rendered unusable for future tours in the single incident with the thorns 
replaced with Marathon plus - never really noticed they were heavy and did the thick end of 10k on them in a single tour without a single puncture - and still a lot of life left in them


----------



## sollophonic (20 Mar 2014)

I recently fitted some Schwalbe Mondials to my bike, to replace the 28mm GatorSkins, that rode like garden hoses, jarring, harsh, and with skittery grip round the corners, especially while braking.

Sure the Mondials are bigger, but I would argue that I now ride faster and smoother. I can descend faster, without worrying about loss of traction, I ride over rough patches and potholes rather than round them, they bounce over bumps rather than hit them head on, and I don't think I'll be going back to skinny tyres again anytime soon. 

I can also choose to take the odd bridlepath or towpath too!!


----------



## hoopdriver (20 Mar 2014)

Marathon Plusses for me, although on my lightweight tourer i have Panaracer Paselas - another excellent tyre.


----------



## Andrew_Culture (20 Mar 2014)

Transit van tyres. But having not read the entire thread there's a chance I'm talking about a different type of touring.

Up the punks!


----------

