Tyres...heeelllllpppp!!!

[Morrisette]

Hi,

I am needing some new tyres for my bike - it's a pretty cheap bike (<£200), so I'm not looking to spend loads. A couple of (probably silly) questions!

The tyres on the bike at the moment have printed on them 700x38C. Do I have to find tyres with this exact size, or are they like inner tubes, a bit of variation is expected? For example would something at 700x37C or 39C fit?? What is this measurement referring to?

Secondly, how on earth do I choose tyres?? There are thousands of different ones, and I'm not sure what I want. I only ride on the road and cycle paths, so I guess something to help keep p*unctures away, but then I've heard that those are really hard to fit (I want to do it myself for practice). All I know is I don't want knobbly ones.....

Any tips??? Thanks

 

[mickle]

Puncture resistant tyres are no more difficult to install than regular tyres. The measurement is the width, in mm, they use 'c' rather than mm because it's a nominal measurement, the eventual width depends on the width of the rim they are fitted to. You don't need to stick to 38s, you could probably go as narrow as 28mm or even 25mm.

I like Continental and Schwalbe.

 

[swee'pea99]

Wider = comfier, narrower = faster. Price generally relates to grippiness and lightness. Something with kevlar in is good to keep the p*****e fairy at bay. I buy all mine on ebay by searching on listing including the word 'miles' (ticking the box to include 'title and decription') to get ones that have 'only been used for 50 miles' or 100 or whatever. Basically, new to all intents & purposes, for typically a fifth of the new price.

 

[Morrisette]

OK, thanks! I wondered the sizing thing worked.

This is all a bit confusing, lol! Sizing of stuff for bikes seems very convoluted to the newbie (well the newbie at fixing stuff - I've ridden for ages but I always get the shop to do repairs!)
I'd like to get some p*ncture resistant ones, was a bit put off by stories on here of how they were hard to fit - I'll give it a try...................

 

[postman]

Dawes Galaxy comes with Schwalbe Marathon on.I have found them to be good reliable tyres.So that now means i will be ambushed by the don't mention the pun----re fairy.On my little trip out over the weekend.Spend a little extra and get good tyres.No point in having to stop and start repairing on a day out.

 

[MarkF]

You can pick up Marathon Plus's for 20 pounds now. I fitted these about a year ago and now don't bother to carry a repair kit or tube. Mebbe tempting fate but I don't think I could get the tyres back on anyway

They are worth it, there were times, oh plenty of times, I would have happily paid 20 nicker to make the puncture go away

 

[Maz]

You can pick up Marathon Plus's for 20 pounds now. I fitted these about a year ago and now don't bother to carry a repair kit or tube. Mebbe tempting fate but I don't think I could get the tyres back on anyway

They are worth it, there were times, oh plenty of times, I would have happily paid 20 nicker to make the puncture go away

I might be wrong, but don't some people say the M+ tyres are heavy? How much heavier are they than other tyres and is it that noticeable when riding?

 

[fofo]

I've got Continental Sport Contacts. I've had no problems taking them on and off and no problems in 5 months

 

[redjedi]

I might be wrong, but don't some people say the M+ tyres are heavy? How much heavier are they than other tyres and is it that noticeable when riding?

They are noticably heavier than most tyres, but you soon get used to them.

I am willing to make that sacrifice if I never have to stop in the rain and replace an inner tube again, which I haven't had to do in 10 months of daily commutes through London.

I have just moved them onto my new wheels, and they are still a bit tricky to get on. You need a really good tyre lever action to finish them off.

 

[Maz]

I am willing to make that sacrifice if I never have to stop in the rain and replace an inner tube again, which I haven't had to do in 10 months of daily commutes through London.

Were the tyres newly-fitted 10 months ago or was that when you had your last M+ p*ncture?

 

[Domestique]

We just got a new bike and had the lbs upgrade the tyres to Marathon+
All this talk about getting the tyres back on is making me nervous. Just in case the worst happens, what tyre levers are recomended for M+ tyres?

 

[Soltydog]

I've had the pluses on for over 18 months now. Had a p######e in each of the tyres recently, a thorn & flint. I used plastic tyre levers with no problem on mine. the hardest thing was removing the thorn from the tyre, before replacing the tube
They probably are heavier than other tyres, but worth it for commuting & touring IMO

 

[joebe]

Never mind puncture resistance or grip......Get these:

 

[4F]

We just got a new bike and had the lbs upgrade the tyres to Marathon+
All this talk about getting the tyres back on is making me nervous. Just in case the worst happens, what tyre levers are recomended for M+ tyres?

Mine no problem with plastic levers and if anything are easier to fit than the continental sports contacts I had on before

 

[redjedi]

Were the tyres newly-fitted 10 months ago or was that when you had your last M+ p*ncture?

They were newly fitted 10 months ago. I have never had a P*****re with these tyres (Until I said that, now I'll probably get 5 on the way home. "Never P-off the P-fairy!")