A Few Questions About Tires

[Crevice]

I want to upgrade the tires on my bike with a bit of an all-arounder tire but stick with a 42C. I want really good puncture protection, the ability to ride pretty much anywhere but I am not looking to do mountain bike stuff, I'm not an endurance rider or looking for the fastest possible speed I can get. I actually would be happy if the bike never left the ground . I do want to ride fairly tame forest paths/trails, around the neighborhood or running errands in town. I would like the reflective sidewall as well.

I'm currently looking at the:
CONTACT Plus (SL 7, 1050 g)
CONTACT Plus Travel (SL 7, 930 g)
Top CONTACT II (SL 6, 760 g)
RIDE Tour (SL 5, 790 g)

I'm not 100% clear on what the Continental Safety Level really means, I assume resistance to punctures.

The info on my current tires say 44-622 (700x42C). I'm curious why that first part doesn't say 42-622. I measured with my calipers and they are 42mm.

There's 580 grams seperating a set of these tires I have listed and given my needs I'm guessing I don't need to be concerned with that. If that's the case the CONTACT Plus looks pretty awesome. This video kinda sold me on them but I would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!

 

[Cycleops]

Can only go on experience so can recommend the Conti TourRides. I'm sure all the others from the same maker would perform well too.
Schwalbe Marathons would also be worth trying in one of their flavours with the Plus offering best puncture resistance but increased weight.

 

[Crevice]

Continental does say the Top CONTACT II are a "Premium-allrounder" but the SL rating is a 6 not 7... curious.

 

[Oldhippy]

Marathons tyres all day long.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Marathon Mondial are worth a look as well.

 

[the snail]

I've used the contact II before, they're good tyres, similar to schwalbe marathon, good puncture resistance and durability, good choice for utility/touring/commuting. I'm not familiar with contact plus, but I'm guessing they are similar to marathon plus - more resistant to punctures, but you pay for it with added weight and a less forgiving ride. Personally I found I got very few punctures with the contact II, so I wouldn't bother with the plus, it really depends on how worried you are about the occasional puncture.

 

[slowmotion]

I've used Marathon Plus tyres in the past but I think the maximum width is 38 mm. Any puncture-resistant tyre tends to be a bit of a nightmare to fit because they are not very supple, especially when new. Here's an old clip from Spa Cycles showing you how to do it.....

[media]
]View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUFVrl0UT4[/media]

 

[Crevice]

It's looking like the Continental Top Contact II. More than I thought they would be but what is the advantage or disadvantage of a folding bead vs a wire bead. I only see this in a folding bead.

 

[Crevice]

Done, thanks for the feedback.

 

[silva]

Did Schwalbe ever mention any reason for designing that Marathon Plus model to such a tight fitting?

 

[andrew_s]

The problem with fitting Plus tyres isn't so much that they are made tight and undersized, but that the thick layer of puncture protection rubber makes the tyre want to have it's left and right beads quite far apart.
When fitting a tyre, you want to have all of the bead in the well of the rim except the last bit you are trying to get over the top of the rim. With the Plus tyres, the problem is that the bit of the 2nd bead you just pushed into the well pops back out again as soon as you move your hand along to push the next bit in, hence all the toe straps in 531Colin's video above.

 

[cougie uk]

Marathon plus all the way. I'd not worry about the width too much.

 

[Crevice]

I'm a bit puzzled. The Continental Top CONTACT II is what I bought. I mounted them today. The maximum pressure is 85 PSI. There is no minimum or range listed anywhere on the tire, the box or their website. The website states "We usually recommend choosing a pressure level somewhere between the recommended and the maximum pressure." There is no recommendation listed. It's not rocket science and I can go by feel or use an online calculator but I would like to know the minimum pressure for the tire. I used 2 different online calculators and they both say around 40 PSI which seemed low. Given that 85 is the maximum I would think 40 could be below the minimum for the tire... whatever that is.

 

[Ajax Bay]

How heavy are you plus bike together and how wide is the tyre (when at 50psi (say))? Is it actually 42mm wide?
Without that info, 40spi sounds fine. The max 85 is there to stop people blowing the tyre off the rim, stupidly. There is no specified minimum pressure. Run it too low (it's a tyre needing a tube) and you'll suffer snakebites.

 

[Crevice]

How heavy are you plus bike together and how wide is the tyre (when at 50psi (say))? Is it actually 42mm wide?
Without that info, 40spi sounds fine. The max 85 is there to stop people blowing the tyre off the rim, stupidly. There is no specified minimum pressure. Run it too low (it's a tyre needing a tube) and you'll suffer snakebites.

At 49.5psi it measures 42mm. The front tire is measuring about .5mm less than the rear but I would think that's not an issue. Small variables in mounting maybe. They seem well fitted though. Even, all around the tire... and they do say they're handmade. I'm guessing total weight for me and the bike is around 230-240lbs. By the feel of the tires I'm thinking 47-48psi in the rear and 45-46psi in the front.

I would still like to know what the minimum is for the tire. I'll email Continental this week and see if they respond back to me.