# 700x25-28 winter commute tyre recommendation.



## bully74uk (6 Nov 2012)

Hi
Apologies if this has been posted before but I am after some advice regarding tyres for my winter commute.
I have a Cube SL Cross Pro Hybrid that currently has Schwalbe Kojak slick tyres fitted, 700x28 I think.

I commuted using these tyres last winter in frost, snow etc and although I got through it, it was definitely a struggle at times.

Being a one car family with my other half using the car for work / kids during the day I have no choice but to commute meaning I cycle in all weathers.

With this in mind what tyres would you reccomend to make my commute in the rain, frost, and possibly snow a little easier ?

Ive seen the studded marathon winter tyres but I believe they only go down to a 700x35 and im not sure whether these will fit on my bike / rims ?

Are there any semi slick tyres for example that would be better suited for winter commuting than what im using now ?

My commute is probably 50/50 road and cycle path.

Thanks in advance.


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## ianjmcd (6 Nov 2012)

Conti gator skins

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=Continental Ultra Gatorskins&cid=8303205040791983121&ei=n52ZUP3vKs_N4waBsoCgDg&ved=0CBMQtRI

or 
*Schwalbe Marathon 700 X 25C*


http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004T0E2...de=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B004T0E2M4


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## gaz (6 Nov 2012)

Slick tyres are the best option in everything but snow.

I'm a fan of bontreager hardcases. easy to get on and off and have decent protection.


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## Moodyman (7 Nov 2012)

Bontrager Racelite Hardcase. Been using all year round for two years. One puncture which no tyre would have resisted. A bit nervous in the wet/near freezing temperatures due to the hard compound, but you can get round this by not running at max PSI.

Just replaced my worn out Bonty's with a pair of Vittoria Randonneurs cause I fancied a change. Too early to comment on Rando's performance.

Edit: both brands come up narrower than listed. I ordered 28mm in both - Bonty come out as 27mm whilst Vittoria's 25mm.


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## Maz (7 Nov 2012)

Ladies and Gents,
I have these tyres which have no tread on them at all (and never did have)- 23mm Specialized Turbo Comps. Is it better to have tyres with tread for winter? Does it make any difference? Thanks


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## cloggsy (7 Nov 2012)

I've just put Schwalbe Marathon Plus' on my CX; yes, they're heavy as hell, but pretty bomb proof and should be fine - Can be slippery in extremely cold conditions though, so care required!

Might look at some 700 x 25 Conti 'Gator Skins though...


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## fossyant (7 Nov 2012)

If you are wanting to ride in ice/frost, then Marathon Winters are your best choice. Best option would be spare wheels with these tyres fitted to swap out on bad days.

Your rims should take them, but if running 28's at the minute, you'll need a good 10mm either side and possibly 10 mm above the tyre to give adequate clearance (and still have some left). Being a hybrid you should have room.


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## fossyant (7 Nov 2012)

No tyre, other than studded, gives you any grip on ice. Studded tyres are remarkable, but you still have to take corners with care.


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## BSRU (7 Nov 2012)

Marathon Winters are best for icy conditions but they are 35's so lots of clearance needed.
I am fortunate that I replaced my main commuter bike this year, so my old commuter is fitted with the Winters, so I can just select which bike to use for the given weather conditions.


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## fossyant (7 Nov 2012)

I went the 'alternative bike' route. Just shoved Snow Studs on the MTB as these tyres are a jack of all trades - slow on road, but work well on ice, great in snow, and still work well in sloppy mud. My 'atlernative route' is off road though. If I was riding on road in ice, then it would be the Winters. That said, when it's not icy, the fixed with 23mm tyres is used mostly.


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## clarion (7 Nov 2012)

For 28s, Marathon Plus are the best commuting tyre. No one wants to be wasting time freezing beside the road in the dark trying to sort out a puncture, which _will_ be your experience if you fit anything by Continental (anecdata available).

For ice, i switch to Marathon Winters (narrowest available is 35). My partner has Ice Spikers, which are amazing, but a bit overkill for British winters, she says.


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## BSRU (7 Nov 2012)

Marathon Plus are the worst commuting tyre in my opinion, heavy, human energy absorbent, harsh ride, crap in the wet and can still be punctured(rarely).
After 1,000 miles commuting on them I saw the light and put some proper tyres on which save me at least an hour a week.


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## fossyant (7 Nov 2012)

BSRU said:


> Marathon Plus are the worst commuting tyre in my opinion, heavy, human energy absorbent, harsh ride, crap in the wet and can still be punctured(rarely).
> After 1,000 miles commuting on them I saw the light and put some proper tyres on which save me at least an hour a week.


 
+1

I commute on 23mm, 230g tyres all year. A couple of deflations each year are no big deal and changed in minutes with kevlar beaded tyres, pop off and on. M+ are about a kilo each - that's more than the wheel, and all that weight is on the outside where most rotational forces are. I know my snow studs weigh a tonne, and really wouldn't want to commute on something like that all year !


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## clarion (7 Nov 2012)

I don't tend to get left behind on CS7. I know M+ are heavy, but it's not a big deal. I've never found them the least bit harsh, and the grip is fine in the wet, though the Durano is better, I think.


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## BSRU (7 Nov 2012)

I ride GP 4 Seasons and for an experiment I put my Marathon Plus's back on, after three days I had had enough and vowed never to be so stupid again(with Marathon Plus's).


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## fossyant (7 Nov 2012)

It all depends about what you want out of a bike. I've got 3 road bikes, one is a fixed for commuting. Riding heavy duty tyres compared to lighter faster tyres makes a big difference - I can certainly tell by 'feel'. I like the instant 'response' you get from light tyres. Heavy ones need spinning up.

For commuting I go for a tyre as near as I can get to the Michelin Pro Race tyres I have on the other two bikes, but cheaper and slightly more robust. I hate any big change in 'feel' and tyres and wheels are about the number one performance enhancement you make to a bike.

As I spend most of my cycling time by commuting, I need to enjoy how the bike rides, so slow tyres are a no no for me. As are poor performing components.


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## potsy (7 Nov 2012)

I'd say something like the Durano+ in 25's are a good compromise between weight and puncture resistance, certainly my tyre of choice for all year round commuting.

I really likes my M+ when I had them on the hybrid, so much confidence in them, sure they are a little slower but when you work it out it's only a couple of minutes for the average length commute.

Got my Marathon Winters on standby to go on soon, now they are slow


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## dhd.evans (7 Nov 2012)

M+ on, two punctures this week (one snake-bite, one ungodly sized nail). That said, punctures are uncommon - this is the first lot in about 4-5 months of 100mile week commutes.

Regards grip, i've come off my bike twice in as many weeks with the M+ on. Once turning a corner with a wet patch of leaves and once turning a corner which was frosty.

I'm sore this week.


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## Wobblers (7 Nov 2012)

BSRU said:


> Marathon Plus are the worst commuting tyre in my opinion, heavy, human energy absorbent, harsh ride, crap in the wet and can still be punctured(rarely).
> After 1,000 miles commuting on them I saw the light and put some proper tyres on which save me at least an hour a week.


 
That's not my experience with M+'s. While they're heavy, certainly, they don't absorb energy: the difference in speed between my Galaxy with 32mm M+'s and the Van Nic with 25 mm Krylions (another good winter tyre) are down to geometry and lack of panniers, not tyres. Gripwise, I've found the Marathons fine - in fact, when I was running 28 mm Paselas on the back, I found it was the Pasela that lost grip rather than the Marathon. I'm glad I didn't have those tyres the other way round, the outcome would have been very different!



dhd.evans said:


> M+ on, two punctures this week (one snake-bite, one ungodly sized nail). That said, punctures are uncommon - this is the first lot in about 4-5 months of 100mile week commutes.
> 
> Regards grip, i've come off my bike twice in as many weeks with the M+ on. Once turning a corner with a wet patch of leaves and once turning a corner which was frosty.
> 
> I'm sore this week.


 
With ice, the only meaningful option are studded tyres. You're asking a lot of normal tyres to grip with wet leaves or ice on the road. I hope you feel better soon.


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## gaz (7 Nov 2012)

Maz said:


> Ladies and Gents,
> I have these tyres which have no tread on them at all (and never did have)- 23mm Specialized Turbo Comps. Is it better to have tyres with tread for winter? Does it make any difference? Thanks


That is a turbo tyre, you probably shouldn't be using that on the road. Mainly because it has no puncture protection and it wont last as long.

With regards to tread, road tyres don't need tread.


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## BSRU (7 Nov 2012)

McWobble said:


> That's not my experience with M+'s. While they're heavy, certainly, they don't absorb energy: the difference in speed between my Galaxy with 32mm M+'s and the Van Nic with 25 mm Krylions (another good winter tyre) are down to geometry and lack of panniers, not tyres. Gripwise, I've found the Marathons fine - in fact, when I was running 28 mm Paselas on the back, I found it was the Pasela that lost grip rather than the Marathon. I'm glad I didn't have those tyres the other way round, the outcome would have been very different!


Using exactly the same bike(apart from tyres), same conditions, same routes and same rider, and since I keep a log of all my commutes I was able to directly compare tyre performance and hence know they make a noticeable difference. Then of course I can compare how they felt whilst riding, which is terrible when compared to GP 4 Seasons.


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## mcshroom (7 Nov 2012)

The smallest studded tyre is the Nokian A32 that Jezton was organising a group buy for last year. It's 32mm so may be an option if you want to go studded and don't have the space for Marathon winters. I don't think 35mm tyres would be a problem with most hybrid frames but you really need to check. The rims on that bike should be able to take anything that would fit between the frame, running over sized isn't normally a problem - though the steering can get a bit sluggish if they are too big and baloon-like.

I use normal Marathons or Michelin krylion carbon tyres all year round on my bikes unless it's icy/snowy, when I get the big heavy treadded Schwalbe Snow Studs out.


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## womblechops (7 Nov 2012)

I also use Schwalbe Marathon 700 X 25C having had them on my tourer for years without a puncture. I recently put them on the singlspeed for winter riding after I had one puncture and one complete wear out in a fortnight. They were an absolute pig to get on the rims though as they are so chunky.

I hadn't thought much about it, but they are definitely slower and a bit heavier. I am obviously a sucker for peer pressure and reading this thread makes me want to replace them with something lighter and faster but I think that to get my money's worth I will run them for a few more weeks and put new tyres in my letter to Father Christmas. I have been good, honest.


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## tincaman (7 Nov 2012)

How about these spiked tyres as a budget option, never seen them this cheap before
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k1041/a84965/winter-120-spikes-28-x-135-wire.html

£43 a pair delivered


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## Maz (7 Nov 2012)

gaz said:


> That is a turbo tyre, you probably shouldn't be using that on the road.


Oh. I thought 'Turbo' meant it made you go faster.


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## slowmotion (7 Nov 2012)

BSRU said:


> I ride GP 4 Seasons and for an experiment I put my Marathon Plus's back on, after three days I had had enough and vowed never to be so stupid again(with Marathon Plus's).


 I changed to Continental GP 4 Seasons too and I like them. I get the odd puncture (unlike when using M+) but the ride is worth that sacrifice.


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## cloggsy (7 Nov 2012)

gaz said:


> That is a turbo tyre, you probably shouldn't be using that on the road. Mainly because it has no puncture protection and it wont last as long.
> 
> With regards to tread, road tyres don't need tread.


I was going to say that, but didn't want to look a prat


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## Tynan (7 Nov 2012)

ooo a tyre thread

conti super sports plus for me, very durable and seem quick enough etc for me

I don't ride if I expect ice, one tiny patch is enough to have you on the floor and under a car, in London at least a few days off over crimbo/new year makes a nice change of pace


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## GrumpyGregry (7 Nov 2012)

clarion said:


> For 28s, Marathon Plus are the best commuting tyre. No one wants to be wasting time freezing beside the road in the dark trying to sort out a puncture, *which will be your experience if you fit anything by Continental (anecdata available)*.
> 
> For ice, i switch to Marathon Winters (narrowest available is 35). My partner has Ice Spikers, which are amazing, but a bit overkill for British winters, she says.


Not mine. Gatorskin Hardshells are a splendid all year round tyre. Except on ice when I break out the nokian jobbies with studs which live on my other spare wheels.


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## GrumpyGregry (7 Nov 2012)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the Arab-Israeli conflict will be resolved long before any group of cyclists can reach a consensus on any sort of tyre.


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## clarion (7 Nov 2012)

Or saddles. Or Shimano/Campag...


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## cloggsy (8 Nov 2012)

clarion said:


> Or saddles. Or Shimano/Campag...


SRAM!


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## clarion (8 Nov 2012)

Well, Sturmey Archer, actually


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## chewy (8 Nov 2012)

clarion said:


> Or saddles. Or Shimano/Campag...


 

...but should you be wearing a helmet....


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