What tyres are you using to commute to work?

[Supersuperleeds]

Did you have ice today?
I'll use the ice bike tomorrow, supposed to freeze overnight here.

For commuting when not icy, Marathon original greenguard for me, I have been using them for ever with excellent results.
Speed is not an issue for me, arriving at work in time is.

It turned out to not be too bad and I probably could have got away without them, but yesterday my lad had a slide (though he stayed upright), so we played it safe. Was bitterly cold though, so the studs helped me get warm with the extra effort needed with them.

 

[HLaB]

I'm using a 25mm 5000STR on the rear of my commuter. Unfortunately my forks limit me to 23mm so the only option is tubed. The only thing I could get in a 23mm with decent reviews and a reasonable price was a Mitchelin Lithium II.

 

[markharry66]

How far is your commute? At most you’ll gain about 1 mph with the very fastest rolling tyres. That’s assuming your commute isn’t stop start, in which case you gain hardly anything at all.

10 miles there and 10 miles back, can be start, stop but depends on temp traffic lights, which I am starting to notice are rotated round the same roads and same parts of the road on a regular basis round here.

 

[wafter]

zaffiro pro are my goto tyre for winter / commuting duties .
I read this group test of budget tyres and they rate very well for rolling resistance and protection
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/group...on-best-budget-road-bike-tyres-for-the-winter

I think that link appears to cover the garden-variety Zaffiros, not the Pros.

My old Boardman came with Zaffiro Pros - great tyres IMO; felt pretty quick and in over 1800 miles I didn't have one puncture

 

[RichK]

Marathon's - slow, heavy & horrible to fit but...

 

[Andy in Germany]

Marathon's - slow, heavy & horrible to fit but...

I find them pretty easy to fit, but then I do it a lot for work; you can fit Marathons without levers, with practice.

As for "slow and heavy", in my case that describes the rider pretty well, so I can't blame the tyres.

 

[mjr]

Like a Vittoria voyager hyper for instance. Sadly no longer made.

Even when they were, there were at least two types with the same name, one better than the other. Worse than Schwalbe for that. At least Schwalbe put suffixes on the name.

 

[mjr]

I find them pretty easy to fit, but then I do it a lot for work; you can fit Marathons without levers, with practice.

Not everyone can. I ended up at the hospital and then my thumb immobilised until the tendons healed.

Use a bead jack if you need to. Better than crocking yourself!

 

[Andy in Germany]

Not everyone can. I ended up at the hospital and then my thumb immobilised until the tendons healed.

Use a bead jack if you need to. Better than crocking yourself!

Ow.

When I started working in a bike shop, the owner had a real thing about using levers to fit tyres. He was the boss, so I learned to fit tyres without.
If you make sure the tyre is sitting well, it is possible to get most over the rim without too much thumb pressure, down to a 20" wheel at any rate. I have had trouble with Continentals on occasion, though.

 

[mjr]

If you make sure the tyre is sitting well, it is possible to get most over the rim without too much thumb pressure, down to a 20" wheel at any rate. I have had trouble with Continentals on occasion, though.

The one that blew my tendons might have been Continental. Definitely some narrow hard road tyre on 13mm-wide low-spoke-count wheels without much of a well to push the opposite bead into.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

I get on really well with Continetal Ultrasports, both version 2 & 3 and for me they are not at all noticably slow. I also liked that the version 2 was available with red, blue and white treads.

Planet-X Jack Brown Mile Munchers (own brand Panaracer) are great for me as well but I haven't seen them for a while and have a horrible feeling that they don't fit in with the "new" owner's plans. If you can get them they have the advantage of a puncture protection layer and under "old" Planet X were frequently on sale.

Over the years I have moved up from 23mm to 25mm to help but not totally avoid pinch flats, the ebike has 28mm as it is quite heavy and none of these tyres have given me many non pinch flat punctures. I can't go up to 32mm to futher reduce pinch flats as I am constrained by frame size so I am happy to have a fun ride and tolerate a puncture every other month.

I tried Vittoria Randonneurs and whilst I respect their puncture resistance and lifespan they aren't fun, the ride becomes a chore to endure rather than a pleasent way to start/end the day.

Bye

Ian

 

[rogerzilla]

I generally used 700x23 Durano Plus on the fixie. Too rigid for real comfort or speed - they are reinforced like M+, just not as thick - but never a single issue with punctures.

 

[mustang1]

Relevant info:
The e-mtb has schwalbe gravel one 2.4inchx29 tubeless.
Road bike has conti gp5000 25x700.
Both are very good tyres for their purpose. The contis are excellent when they are brand new but after about 1000 miles, the outer bit wears out and they get downgraded from "excellent" to "very good". I would like to try some other tyres (like those new Michelin) but I have a whole bunch of gp5000s in stock so I will ride them for a number of years yet.

Irrelevant, old info:
In the distant past I also used Schwalbe Marathon Supreme (very good tyre, take anywhere, no punctures, heavy but get used to it) and conti gatorskin (quite heavy, a tad skittish in wet, therefore slow down a bit more in corners). But idk if those tyres are sold any more or if they are, then I doubt it's the same blend of rubber.

I also used CX type tyres from conti and Vittoria. I did not like any of them for road use and got many punctures. But that was years ago, idk what CX type tyres are like these days.

 

[Mazz]

I generally used 700x23 Durano Plus on the fixie. Too rigid for real comfort or speed - they are reinforced like M+, just not as thick - but never a single issue with punctures.

Same here - I'm very very pleased with these tyres.
The extra weight of them is a negligible price to pay for not having to deal with punctures.

 

[markharry66]

not been out all week went out last sat, managed 30 miles on two semi flat tryres, hopefully tomorrow back the saddle roll on March and hopefully some better weather