# Best Touring Tyres?



## roops70 (13 Oct 2010)

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.


----------



## rich p (13 Oct 2010)

I started this thread some time ago and it may be worth skimming through it

https://www.cyclechat.net/


----------



## willem (13 Oct 2010)

With your weight on a tourer you should really consider something wider than 32 mm. If not, you would need to inflate the tyres terribly hard. What is the widest that will fit your frame? Remember, narrow tyres are no faster than wider ones. In fact, on anything but a perfect road surface, narrow tyres are slower (see one of the latest issues of Bicycle Quarterly).
Willem


----------



## Rebel Ian (13 Oct 2010)

After encountering puncture issues I switched to Specialized Armadillos. Not had one puncture since. Not massively expensive either. They're what's going on my wheels when I do LEJoG next year.


----------



## Ivan Ardon (13 Oct 2010)

I've ridden the Vittorias, although in 37mm rather than 32s. 

They last well and don't suffer from punctures too much, but they don't roll very well at all. Their maximum inflation pressure is rather low for us big fellas. For loaded touring, you're going to be exceeding the max pressures if you want to avaoid pinch flats. Overall not a brilliant touring tyre.

I've also run the Sport Contacts in 32mm. They didn't make much of an impression either way, TBH.

I've toured on a pair of very cheap (£6 each) Michelin World Tour in 35mm, and they impressed me more than both of the above. They look unworn and haven't punctured in over 2000 miles.


----------



## andym (13 Oct 2010)

I really liked riding with Conti Sport Contacts,but I've never tried any of the others. I can't see any reason why they shouldn't work for touring - they'll be rubbish in mud mind you. the traditional image of the touring tyres is something with tread on it - now maybe tread is useful on unsurfaced roads (although I'm not convinced) tbut you don't need it for tarmac. I suspect any quality tyre from a reputable maker will work fine.

Maybe this statement is just showing my ignorance, but, provided you maintain the tyres at the recommended pressures I can't see any reason why you should have problems with the sidewalls.


----------



## Gerry Attrick (13 Oct 2010)

Go with the Panaracer Paselas. Mrs A and I have used them on our tourers for a couple of years with good mileage and two p******s. One of them was the result of a sharp flint slicing the sidewall. The tyre didn't deflate, but I replaced it for safety's sake.

They are fast rolling and most importantly, comfortable. They are also incredibly easy to remove and fit.


----------



## Kirstie (13 Oct 2010)

I have toured on the original Contintental Contacts, which were good but heavy and there was a lot of rolling resistance. I think the sport contacts are lighter so you could give them a go. I have also toured on Schwalbe marathon racer, which are fast and light - I really love these tyres. I have 24" paselas on my Airnimal and they are also excellent. So you've selected a really good range of tyres, and any of those would be OK.


----------



## HJ (13 Oct 2010)

Schwalbe Marathon


----------



## willem (13 Oct 2010)

If you want a fast and comfortable tyre, I think the Pasela is the best tyre that I know. If you want a reasonably fast and very sturdy tyre, get the current Schwalbe Marathon HS 368. It is faster and more comfortable than the older Marathons (though perhaps not as ueber sturdy), but also nicer than the new 2011 Marathon with its extra thick layer of anti puncture rubber. With luck you can now get a set of HS 368's cheaply. I never liked the Sportcontacts very much. They were only fast if you inflated them to high pressures, they were pretty puncture prone, and the sidewalls were underwhelming.
To follow up on my earlier remark on size, here is a graph that shows ideal pressures for various sizes and loads. With your perhaps 130 kg for yourself, your bike, and your luggage, and two thirds of the weight at the rear, you would need to inflate a 32 mm tyre to more than 5 bar at the front, and more than 7 bar at the rear. That will not be comfortable. Look here: http://www.vintagebi...es/TireDrop.pdf
Willem


----------



## John the Monkey (13 Oct 2010)

Have City Contacts on the LHT - 42c. For commuting I run the rear at 65psi, front at 60. I drop that to 50 all round for a plusher ride. The tyres do a daily 30 mile round trip in and out Manchester, and some weekend stuff on towpaths & gravelly roads. They seem fine.


----------



## Gerry Attrick (13 Oct 2010)

Choice of tyre? Simples eh?


----------



## Joe (13 Oct 2010)

Marathon Supreme

Edit - just reread the OP, didn't notice the budget bit, oops!


----------



## jay clock (13 Oct 2010)

On my 700c tourer I had 28mm with no problems. I am 90kg+ and had 15kg or so of baggage

They were conti Top Touring, now replaced with these http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti topcontact.shtml


----------



## JackE (13 Oct 2010)

Spa Cycles have Marathon 308's for £11 each. I would highly recommend them.


----------



## roops70 (14 Oct 2010)

Thank you everyone. I love the help and information everyone is prepared to share so freely.

Richp - TY for the thread - useful
Willem - I understand the principle of going for widest tyre. I tried the wheel off my city bike Claude Butler with Bontrager Satellite 37c and the tyre jammed. I reckon the gap between mudguard and rim to be 37mm, and the width and depth/height seem to be the same. The tyre also had to be squeezed through the gap between cantilever bodies. So to be safe I think 32 is max width.
Rebel Ian - looked at Armadillos, but favourite was All Condition, and too narrow.
Ivan - World Tour 32C is certainly cheap, but I am put off by some very negative reviews
Gerry - Pasela is certainly there
Kirstie - TY for comments about the selection
John the monkey - I like the City Contacts on the ATB - but 40c certainly won't fit
Jay the Clock - yup maybe 28C would be fine but I do find the 24's at present very skinny

NEW PROBLEM - in trying the Bontragers on my wheel, I find again I have real 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 - about15mm 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


----------



## P.H (14 Oct 2010)

roops70 said:


> 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.


There are recommendations, people do exceed them without problem, though using too big/small affects profile so for that reason it's probably best to stick to them.  Sheldon Brown has a table, 23 - 32mm for 15mm rims;


http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

My preference would be 30mm Marathon racers if you're looking at a good compromise and money isn't too high a priority.  28mm Conti GP All Season if you just want the fastest touring tyre (fastest I've tried anyway) not that long lasting, but a lot of fun, transformed my tourer.  On a budget I'd get Paselas, not that far behind the M Racers, just weaker sidewalls.


----------



## John the Monkey (15 Oct 2010)

roops70 said:


> Thank you everyone. I love the help and information everyone is prepared to share so freely.
> 
> John the monkey - I like the City Contacts on the ATB - but 40c certainly won't fit


They do make them in smaller sizes, don't worry! 

Mine were £20 or so for the pair on eBay, so you won't have wasted a fortune if you don't like them.

Notice others have mentioned the marathon racer - I've heard good things about those on the Surly LHT/CC google group.

I have ridden Paselas (albeit in 25c) and liked them a lot - they stayed on a bike I sold though, so I can't speak knowledgably on their longevity.


----------



## roops70 (15 Oct 2010)

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 RiBMOs, but the Paselas 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. 

I was also told that folding tyres are hardly if at all easier to fit than wire rimmed. 

The reason as I see it why my rims are tricky is that they have shallow sides/low profiles. I haven't seen this addressed as a problem anywhere else, but the modern deep-sided Mach! rims I have on another bike mean the beads can drop into the well and and I can put the tyre on without any tyre levers, while on the Mavic 3 CDs here I need three and a lot of brute force> Have I missed a vital skill? It means I reaaly fear a flat somewhere out on the road.

Thank you everyone for your advice.


----------



## Crankarm (15 Oct 2010)

My 2ps worth. Speicalised Armodillo All Conditions - 28C at the back 115-120psi, All Condition Pros 23C at the front 120psi. Never had a puncture with them. The back tyre is due for change as taking the wheel off last weekend to clean it I saw quite a few patches where the tyre has worn down to reveal the puncture resistant belt beneath. I reckon this tyre is about 3-4 years old and has done about 12,000 miles maybe more as I used to ride far more than 3-4k miles a year. I bought a couple of pairs of cheap Michelin Lithions 25C and Vittoria Pro Tech 25C tyres last year in anticipation as the Armadillo All Conditions had shot up in price, unfortunately now too pricey for my liking.


----------



## andym (16 Oct 2010)

roops70 said:


> I liked the idea of many others, especially the RiBMOs, but the Paselas 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.
> 
> I was also told that folding tyres are hardly if at all easier to fit than wire rimmed.



Hmm. 

Lots of people ride and rate Paselas so no doubt they will deliver a comfortable ride with adequate puncture protection. so I'd stick with your choice.

But as for the other stuff it sounds more like prejudices,.

Conti's in my experience aren't difficult to fit - although I suspect particular _rims _may be more difficult to fit. Advantage of foldable tyre is that you can fold them (and also make the tyre lighter) so they aren't necessarily any easier to fit than others.

Schwalbe produce an extremely useful document about tyres:

http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/shopdata/files/TechInfo2-GB.pdf

I'd strongly recommend it to anyone wanting to make an informed decision about tyre and inner tube selection - including what size tyre to fit on what size rims.


----------



## roops70 (17 Oct 2010)

OK so the Paselas are coming, the problem now is preparing to get them onto the Mavic Module 3 CD. I think the problem here is the shallow wells. 

I've seen some tools on the net and was wondering if anyone has any experience of them. 

Simson Tyre Mate (look identical to Kool-Stop Bead Jack in the States) @ £11.24. Look great but too big for touring? 

Easyhand Tool from Australia. Only good for tyres up to 23mm? 

VAR Tyre Lever, about £10 inc postage. Looks very clever, but a little light-weight? 

I will try the talc and thumbs first, but want to be prepared in case....


----------



## willem (17 Oct 2010)

Dishwashing liquid will do it.
Willem


----------



## roops70 (21 Oct 2010)

Tyres arrived and are now on the bike. It was a struggle, and I tried the VAR levers, but they flexed so much I gave up fearing to break them. 

The answer was in a tip I was given. 
1) use talc generously (I came out smelling like a baby) 
2) get tyre on as far as it will go using thumbs, starting at valve 
3) rest wheel vertically on ground with valve at top and push down sides 
4) turn wheel other way up, with yet-to-be-mounted section at top and facing away from you 
5) grip tyre and rim together in both hands and simultaneously push top of wheel away from you and twist your wrists down so your knuckles rise. The rotational force should pull the bead over the rim with a satisfying pop. 

I hope the tyres get easier to mount and dismount as I don't carry talc with me regularly. Do you think it worthwhile to take the tyres off and on a few times before a tour?


----------



## lowrider73 (22 Oct 2010)

I have the Schwalbe Cross tyres and found pretty decent, although on the work bike at the mo, I may swap them over to the tour bike. At the mo, on tour bike, I have the Spec Nimbus and not happy with them


----------



## Barbelier (22 Oct 2010)

I know they aren't on your list but I used Marathon Plus tyres on my recent JOGLE. Not a single puncture during the trip or since after 1,200+ miles. They roll beautifully, are very quiet and comfortable and not much heavier that some of the others mentioned here. Tried several other tyres before these and none come close.


----------



## willem (23 Oct 2010)

It all depends on your priorities. For me puncture resistance matters a lot on my commuting bike, but less on my tourer. The Marathon Plus 622-32 is 800 gram. The Pasela TG (steel belt) in the same size is 380 gram. Unlike you, I think that is a big difference. It also rolls a lot sweeter (faster and more comfortable).
Willem


----------



## Crankarm (25 Oct 2010)

Today I compared the weights of Armadillo All Condition 700-28C tyre against the SMP+ 28C and 32C tyres. Christ the SMP+ tyres are heavy!!!!! I would say in 28C size the SMP+ weighs 50-75% more than the Armadillo AC. When you consider SMP+ 32C the weight is at least double the AAC 28C I'd say, maybe more. The SMP+ 32C is significantly heavier than the SMP+ 28C. The 35C and above SMP+ tyres must be like making a tyre with the weight of lead.

I'm keen to look at some Paella TG 28 or 32C touring tyres for the favourable views above, but don't know any LBS in Cambridge that stocks them.


----------



## willem (26 Oct 2010)

When I was living in Cambridge I bought mine over the web. I never tried to get them locally. On the tandem they suffered quite a few punctures in town from all the glass and other litter. A solo bike will suffer fewer, of course, and hopefully the city is cleaner now.
Willem


----------

