Comfort and handing in tyres

[CharlesF]

For the last 5,000 miles I have ridden on Marathon Plus tyres on my Ridgeback Flight 02 and for puncture protection they have proved faultless. But and it’s a big but, they do not inspire confidence in damp or wet conditions, even if I slow right down.

As I am about to replace them, I also want something more comfortable as Glasgow’s streets are more pothole than tar.

To provide more comfort I intend moving from 700x25 to 700x28.

My question is will a Continental GatorHardshell be sticky and comfortable or is Schwable Durano Plus the way to go.

 

[fossala]

I've road hardshells, gatorskins and marathon. I find marathon the best for grip, hardshells are crap for grip. You have wheelspin going up hills in the wet.

 

[CharlesF]

that's really interesting, Fassala, what size were your Marathons, and were they a Plus or the standard ones? I like to hear that you reckon they are the best for grip as that means plenty of protection as well.

 

[fossala]

Marathon "normal" are 32c. I have rode 23/25/28 gatorskins and 25 hardshell. I normally always go for gatorskins and I think I will do again as I find the a lot quicker than the marathons and I didn't really ever get puctures with them anyway. I won't touch hardshell with a bargepole, I ended up giving mine away after a month as I found them that slippery. I think I will be staying with 32c though, they are so much more comfy than anything else and I'm not trying to kid myself that I'm a pro racer.

 

[Andrew Br]

My favourite tyres are Marathon Supremes. Or GP 4 Seasons....
IME the Supremes are extremely grippy (except in mud or on wet grass, they're great on gravel), comfy, fast rolling, puncture resistant (two punctures in ~4000 miles for me, one puncture in ~3500 miles on my GF's bike) and very easy to get on and off. They're also very long-lasting; the 4000/3500 mile pairs still have lots of life left in them
I've used the 28mm version for audax and I use 35mm for touring and general hacking about.

Before I fitted the 28mm Supremes, I used 24mm Vittoria Paves.
They were great (grip, comfort, weight, rolling) except that they weren't durable enough for what I was doing and they cut up badly after only ~2000 miles. And they were green.....
The Paves replaced 25mm Gatorskins; no punctures in 3000+ miles, fast enough, light and very hard wearing but I replaced them after a very scary wet-weather moment. They are the worst tyres I've ever ridden in the rain.

I got a new set of wheels for the audax bike earlier on this year and I went for 28mm Continental GP4 Seasons on those.
Again I'm very pleased with them.
I've had two punctures (a metal staple and a very large piece of glass, either of which would have done for most tyres; the glass did so much damage that it wrote the tyre off) in ~ 2700 miles.

When I come to choose my next road tyres it'll be a toss up between the Supremes and the 4 Seasons; they're both excellent IMO/IME.
Unless I go tubeless..........

As a durable alternative to Marathon Plus, I'd pick the Supremes.


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[Foghat]

My question is will a Continental GatorHardshell be sticky and comfortable or is Schwable Durano Plus the way to go.

In my experience, they have similar levels of grip (average, although Durano Plus perhaps very slightly better), but the Hardshells are much more comfortable, much lighter and still very robust - having used both, I'd now only consider the Schwalbes in situations where puncture resistance is the overriding priority, as comfort is my main concern given the atrocious state of roads in southern England.

 

[CharlesF]

Thanks Andrew, a very comprehensive review. As always you get what you pay for and it seems it is definitely worth forking out a bit more for the Supremes or 4 Seasons. I reckon which ever I can get at the best price I will go for. Of course Fossala has complicated things by adding in the Gatorskins

 

[fossala]

Thanks Andrew, a very comprehensive review. As always you get what you pay for and it seems it is definitely worth forking out a bit more for the Supremes or 4 Seasons. I reckon which ever I can get at the best price I will go for. Of course Fossala has complicated things by adding in the Gatorskins

Gatorskins are cheap and chearful. Are the other 2 tires really worth 2x the price, it's the same with anything you get less gain the more you pay.

 

[CharlesF]

If Gatorskins are cheap and cheerful, how do you rate handling and comfort, and puncture protection?

 

[Andrew Br]

Gatorskins are cheap and chearful. Are the other 2 tires really worth 2x the price, it's the same with anything you get less gain the more you pay.

Gatorskins are great tyres apart from wet road grip (IMO).
I'm happy to pay for better grip.

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[ayceejay]

Tyre pressure plays a part in this scenario I would say, so perhaps try a tyre that runs nice at a lower pressure.
I have been riding my crosser on Continental CX Speed 700 x 35 all summer at 90 psi and I am very confident when riding rutted roads and gravel wet or dry - might be worth a look for you.

 

[Garz]

Gatorskins are cheap and chearful. Are the other 2 tires really worth 2x the price, it's the same with anything you get less gain the more you pay.

I have used gatorskins for a while now and for all round use (puncture protection, speed, grip) they are better than all the other incarnations I have experimented with. Cheap tyres will not cut (pardon the pun) it on the standard UK roads these days, it seems the £20+ tyre you do get what you pay for.

I would try more but when you have a functioning tyre I have no reason to switch from them at the moment. Even better if you can buy them when they are on offer, keep an eye out all year round as they are dear so when they dip to a reasonable price snap them up!

 

[CharlesF]

andrew br what tyre do you recommend for handling and comfort

 

[CharlesF]

looking at all the replies, it is clear that for comfort and handling I need to concentrate on Continentals. And the choice is the Ultra Gatorskin which Wiggle have for £20.21 and the GatorHardshell which are £24.99. In my mind the Hardshell's are worth paying a bit more for as you get a bit more protection.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-ultra-gatorskin-road-tyre/
Thanks for all the firsthand riding details.

 

[the_mikey]

I've just cycled 123km on wet roads using Schwalbe Durano 25c folding tyres, no scary moments to speak of, about as puncture resistant as gatorskins.

Have you also considered Continental Grand Prix GT tyres? They come as 25c folding only, but have more puncture protection than standard continental grand prix tyres but have the same grippy black chilli compound used by Grand Prix tyres.