28mm touring tyres

[Brandane]

Continental Touring Plus are available in 28mm.. I have them fitted to my Genesis Croix de Fer and have no complaints about them. Good puncture resistance (100% - so far!), roll well, and comfortable ride over our poor road surfaces.

 

[mcshroom]

I would have recommended the normal Marathons in the past, but Schwalbe seems to have changed the design to make them more e-Bike friendly and as such have made the ride much harsher. I guess they've beefed up the sidewalls.

I'm currently trying some (ok 32mm) Bontrager R3 Hard Case Lites at the moment on my tourer. They are slick, so more road oriented, but the ride is pretty supple and they feel quite planted on the road so far. There's a tougher AW3 which has the puncture protection across the whole tyre and a little bit of tread.

I also had a 25mm Rubino Pro Control G+ on the back of my old Raleigh for the last year (broke the frame, the tyre is still fine). I bought it as a distress purchase after killing a tyre on holiday in Ireland, but it has been fine to ride on road and through the farmyards of my commute and still looks ok now. That tyre also comes in 28. I've not punctured it yet, though to be fair I don't get many of them (that's me cursed!)

I like the Michelin Pro4 Endurance, which I've found to be similar to Marathon Supremes in performance terms (ie speed and puncture protection), though I'm not sure you can get them any more as the Pro4 range has been superseded by the Power range.

A quick Google shows they're still listed as available on CRC, and in 28mm:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/michelin-pro4-endurance-v2-road-bike-tyre/rp-prod134225

ETA: I've not used the Power tyres, but some reports suggest they're even better than the Pro4.

I like those too, though I find that the 25mm version is actually about 27mm on 17mm rims, so the 28s might be a bit to wide for TMN's frame.

 

[smutchin]

I'm really confused now!

Sorry!

A summary of the headline figures for rolling resistance might help - or maybe it will just make matters even more confusing...

Marathon Supreme 37mm - 19.1W
Michelin Pro 4 Endurance 25mm - 14.2W
Michelin Power Endurance 25mm - 14.5W
Conti GP 4 Season 25mm - 17.2W (another one worth considering IMO)
Durano 25mm - 18.0W
Durano Plus 25mm - 19.7W
Michelin Power All Season 25mm - 21.3W

Quite a big difference between the Michelin Power Endurance and All Season. The Endurance is the one I would go for myself.

Hard to make an accurate comparison with the Marathon Supreme though, since they tested it in 37mm, which is obviously going to behave quite differently to the 28mm version. However, they do note in the Supreme review that it performs better at higher pressures - being a very flexible tyre, this means lower rolling resistance without a detrimental effect on comfort.

Shame you can't get the Pro 4 Endurance in 28mm any more as their test seems to back up my subjective experience that it's an exceptionally good tyre. The Power Endurance has reduced the weight slightly but also reduced the puncture resistance and increased rolling resistance, according to their figures.

 

[mcshroom]

You do still seem to be able to get them for now. CRC have them for example, though £38 each is a bit steep IMHO
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/michelin-pro4-endurance-v2-road-bike-tyre/rp-prod134225

 

[Edgy Dee]

I would have recommended the normal Marathons in the past, but Schwalbe seems to have changed the design to make them more e-Bike friendly and as such have made the ride much harsher. I guess they've beefed up the sidewalls.

I'm currently trying some (ok 32mm) Bontrager R3 Hard Case Lites at the moment on my tourer. They are slick, so more road oriented, but the ride is pretty supple and they feel quite planted on the road so far. There's a tougher AW3 which has the puncture protection across the whole tyre and a little bit of tread.

I also had a 25mm Rubino Pro Control G+ on the back of my old Raleigh for the last year (broke the frame, the tyre is still fine). I bought it as a distress purchase after killing a tyre on holiday in Ireland, but it has been fine to ride on road and through the farmyards of my commute and still looks ok now. That tyre also comes in 28. I've not punctured it yet, though to be fair I don't get many of them (that's me cursed!)



I like those too, though I find that the 25mm version is actually about 27mm on 17mm rims, so the 28s might be a bit to wide for TMN's frame.

I'm currently testing options for LEJoG later this summer and agree the Michelin Pro4 25s actually pump up to 27. I'm finding them a bit harsh on poor surfaces though. What about Conti 4 season? That would be my first choice if my frame would take the 28s. 25s pump up too skinny.

 

[smutchin]

I find that the 25mm version is actually about 27mm on 17mm rims

agree the Michelin Pro4 25s actually pump up to 27

How odd! I've just been out to the garage to measure mine. I'm using the 28mm version and according to my calipers, the width is 27mm and the height is 26mm.

I guess there will be some variation depending on the wheel rims. Mine are on Mavic Open Elite, which have a relatively narrow internal width at 14.3mm. Not too surprising that they come up wider on 17mm rims.

 

[Andrew_P]

I do not know if mine were V2 but my pro4 endurance did exactly this and took me off the bike. Another on this forum and a smattering around on others and in reviews, needless to say put me off them.

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/1053203-michelin-pro-4-endurance-bead-separation.html

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Bontrager AW 1 (or AW 3 if you want folding).

 

[Edgy Dee]

How odd! I've just been out to the garage to measure mine. I'm using the 28mm version and according to my calipers, the width is 27mm and the height is 26mm.

I guess there will be some variation depending on the wheel rims. Mine are on Mavic Open Elite, which have a relatively narrow internal width at 14.3mm. Not too surprising that they come up wider on 17mm rims.

It's the same with the Conti 4 seasons. The 28s pump up a bit big, which is nice if you have clearance, but the 25s pump up a bit skinny. Other than that they are a good compromise of weight, rolling resistance, grip and puncture resistance. They also ride quite nicely I think. I had 28s on a couple of bikes for touring and winter training and found them to be super reliable. Also got a pair on my summer city commuter, and they soak up the appalling road surfaces. Zero punctures so far

 

[potsy]

Recommendations please, as Schwalbe no longer make the lovely Marathon Supremes in 28mm

Shame that, they've been my tyre of choice for a while now.

Only use other tyres where 25c is the widest they'll take, then it's the Durano+

 

[Fab Foodie]

Conti 4 Seasons 28c as used on the Rourke seem a good compromise of weight, speed, comfort amd durability for lightish touring and I’m fairly weighty at 95kg.

 

[Andrew Br]

As another former, happy user of 28mm Supremes I'd recommend GP 4 Seasons for their combination of resistance, weight, speed and ease of removal/fitting. I did most of my RRTY on them and, according to my spreadsheet, they lasted 8600 miles with 2 punctures each. One tyre had to be replaced when a huge piece of toughened glass took a chunk out of the tread. The glass would probably have done in a Marathon Plus ....
I'm currently rocking a pair of 32mm Gravelking SKs on my go to bike (On One Dirty Disco) and I can't praise them enough. The rear has done 1750 miles and I haven't had to remove it yet (IYSWIM). The front tyre replaced my last 28mm Supreme; it's only done 350 miles but I love them for being good on road and off. Despite their pronounced tread, they don't feel any slower on road than Supremes.
Another alternative is the standard Gravelking in 26mm (they seem to come up a little bigger): 3300 miles so far and 1 puncture, that on a thorn strewn ride that saw six out of eight of us succumb either on the day or the next morning. Luckily for me, my Supreme/GK SK combo came through unscathed. Affected tyres included an M+, a Marathon Supreme, a Schwalbe One, a GP4 Seasons and a Clement USH. We fixed the Gravelking in the pub at the lunch stop, it resisted that far; lever to get off, thumbs to replace.

tl;dr GP4 Seasons or Gravelking 26 or 28mm but don't rule out Gravelking SK.

As ever, ask 10 cyclists about tyres and you'll get 11 opinions ...........

 

[Crankarm]

As another former, happy user of 28mm Supremes I'd recommend GP 4 Seasons for their combination of resistance, weight, speed and ease of removal/fitting. I did most of my RRTY on them and, according to my spreadsheet, they lasted 8600 miles with 2 punctures each. One tyre had to be replaced when a huge piece of toughened glass took a chunk out of the tread. The glass would probably have done in a Marathon Plus ....
I'm currently rocking a pair of 32mm Gravelking SKs on my go to bike (On One Dirty Disco) and I can't praise them enough. The rear has done 1750 miles and I haven't had to remove it yet (IYSWIM). The front tyre replaced my last 28mm Supreme; it's only done 350 miles but I love them for being good on road and off. Despite their pronounced tread, they don't feel any slower on road than Supremes.
Another alternative is the standard Gravelking in 26mm (they seem to come up a little bigger): 3300 miles so far and 1 puncture, that on a thorn strewn ride that saw six out of eight of us succumb either on the day or the next morning. Luckily for me, my Supreme/GK SK combo came through unscathed. Affected tyres included an M+, a Marathon Supreme, a Schwalbe One, a GP4 Seasons and a Clement USH. We fixed the Gravelking in the pub at the lunch stop, it resisted that far; lever to get off, thumbs to replace.

tl;dr GP4 Seasons or Gravelking 26 or 28mm but don't rule out Gravelking SK.

As ever, ask 10 cyclists about tyres and you'll get 11 opinions ...........

RRTY?
IYSWIM??

 

[mcshroom]

RRTY?
IYSWIM??

Randonneur Round The Year - a 200km+ Audax every month for 12 months

If you see what I mean

 

[smutchin]

RRTY?
IYSWIM??

GAFC