Winter Road Tyres

[EasyPeez]

So, the lure of a Boardman Team CX for just over 500 notes proved too much to resist and I've bagged one as my winter hacker.
But I'm thinking the knobblies it comes with might not be best suited to winter road riding and would appreciate advice on what to replace them with.
Excellent puncture protection is the priority, followed by good grip on tarmac in all conditions, whilst ideally being decent rollers rather than full-on Marathon-esque battleships so that I can still hit some decent speed on the straights and when cornering.
Ideally I guess something that will provide good traction but roll well both on and off road would be best as then I could leave them on all the time, but as I can swap them out for the Rapid Robs when going off-road something that performs well on tarmac and light gravel riding is key, as that will constitute 70-80% of my riding.

Was wondering about...
Schwalbe Sammy Slicks - seem ideal, but maybe no not great puncture protection?
Durano Plus - good puncture protection but not so good in the wet/off the tarmac?
Conti Cyclocross Speed - Similar to Sammy Slicks? Better?
Marathon Supremes - Look good all round for my needs so long as not straying off-road?
Marathon Racers - Much of a muchness with the above?
Schwalbe G-Ones - Look ideal but only available in tubeless I think?

Would appreciate feedback from anyone who rides any of the above; any other suggestions that meet my criteria most welcome.

Thanks, Andy

 

[winjim]

Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech. Wet weather compound, extra puncture protection, medium/high thread count. Don't know how they'd fare off road though.

 

[StuAff]

G-Ones are 'tubeless easy'- designed to run with a tube but (according to Schwalbe) best performance is as tubeless. Supremes are good tyres, light, fast, but I wasn't that impressed with their longevity, mine were done in about 4,000 miles or so (high mileage on city streets though). Racers...only have experience of the older, non-Evo Line version which aren't as tough as the Supremes. Yes, I find it hard to see the differences with Supremes too! 'Original' Marathons may be heavier but they are (a) cheap (b) roll surprisingly well (c) exceedingly tough and long lasting and (d) cheap. Durano Plus: These are road tyres. They'll certainly cope with a bit of gravel or dirt- my sets have- and you'll be fine as long as you don't expect to do trails on them. Tougher than an exceedingly tough set of old boots, yet fast. And zero issues with wet grip (tread does not, repeat not, have any bearing whatsoever on a bike tyre's grip levels, wet or dry), many, many wet miles on mine.

 

[outlash]

If you can find a tyre that can roll like a road tyre and provide decent decent traction off road in winter, you're a better man than I. Winter means mud and you need knobbly tyres, end of story. Semi slicks are fine in the dry and wet on road but wet off road, forget it.
For a road tyre that you can 'fit & forget' and use all year round, I've been using schwalbe duranos for the last year and they've been doing an excellent job.

 

[EasyPeez]

G-Ones are 'tubeless easy'- designed to run with a tube but (according to Schwalbe) best performance is as tubeless. Supremes are good tyres, light, fast, but I wasn't that impressed with their longevity, mine were done in about 4,000 miles or so (high mileage on city streets though). Racers...only have experience of the older, non-Evo Line version which aren't as tough as the Supremes. Yes, I find it hard to see the differences with Supremes too! 'Original' Marathons may be heavier but they are (a) cheap (b) roll surprisingly well (c) exceedingly tough and long lasting and (d) cheap. Durano Plus: These are road tyres. They'll certainly cope with a bit of gravel or dirt- my sets have- and you'll be fine as long as you don't expect to do trails on them. Tougher than an exceedingly tough set of old boots, yet fast. And zero issues with wet grip (tread does not, repeat not, have any bearing whatsoever on a bike tyre's grip levels, wet or dry), many, many wet miles on mine.

Wow, thanks for the detailed feedback. How do you find the Durano+ for performance? Schwalbe's little rating icons suggest that Supremes roll a fair bit better without compromising too much on the puncture protection. And it seems Durano+ only come in 25mm folding; think I'd prefer a 32 or 35mm for winter really. I guess the D+s would last a lot longer though. 4,000 miles is not a lot, though as this is just my winter bike that would get me through 2 winters at least if I squeezed the same out of them that you have. How have you found the Supremes and D+ for punctures?
Thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding with the G-Ones. On reflection they're maybe a bit more gravel/dirt orientated than I require.

 

[EasyPeez]

Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech. Wet weather compound, extra puncture protection, medium/high thread count. Don't know how they'd fare off road though.

Did you mean Zaffiro Pro Tech? Can't find Rubino Pro Tech on their site

 

[winjim]

Did you mean Zaffiro Pro Tech? Can't find Rubino Pro Tech on their site

No, I mean the Rubinos. Unless they've discontinued them, which would make me sad.

 

[arch684]

Wiggle have Rubino pro tech £18.95

 

[winjim]

Looks like they've been replaced with Pro Control / Pro Endurance.
http://www.vittoria.com/tires/road-tire/?tire-series=all-round

 

[StuAff]

Wow, thanks for the detailed feedback. How do you find the Durano+ for performance? Schwalbe's little rating icons suggest that Supremes roll a fair bit better without compromising too much on the puncture protection. And it seems Durano+ only come in 25mm folding; think I'd prefer a 32 or 35mm for winter really. I guess the D+s would last a lot longer though. 4,000 miles is not a lot, though as this is just my winter bike that would get me through 2 winters at least if I squeezed the same out of them that you have. How have you found the Supremes and D+ for punctures?
Thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding with the G-Ones. On reflection they're maybe a bit more gravel/dirt orientated than I require.

D+ are quick tyres- well, as quick or quicker than anything with the same levels of fairy resistance. They do them in 28mm wired version as well. I've had one puncture- which I think was actually a tube failure- on D+ (three sets on two bikes- something over 20,000 miles). Didn't do anything like that on Supremes, and not on the same bikes either, so can't really compare that well.

 

[EasyPeez]

D+ are quick tyres- well, as quick or quicker than anything with the same levels of fairy resistance. They do them in 28mm wired version as well. I've had one puncture- which I think was actually a tube failure- on D+ (three sets on two bikes- something over 20,000 miles). Didn't do anything like that on Supremes, and not on the same bikes either, so can't really compare that well.

One puncture in over 20,000 miles, on quick(ish) tyres?!?
I'm sold!!
Thankyou

 

[EasyPeez]

For a road tyre that you can 'fit & forget' and use all year round, I've been using schwalbe duranos for the last year and they've been doing an excellent job.

Is that the standard Duranos rather than the + or S @outlash?

How are you finding them for speed and punctures compared to other tyres you've used?

I'm currently thinking maybe Durano+ for the winter CX and possibly some Durano S for the roadie.

 

[outlash]

Standard duranos. My only minor complaint is they feel a little 'dead' in comparison to tyres like vdredstein fortezzas and conti gp 4 seasons but they've lasted considerably longer. You might want to look at the newer DD versions, apparently more protection than the standard but lighter than the + versions.

 

[MikeW-71]

If you'll be on-road only, also consider Conti GP 4 seasons in 28mm. Quick rolling and tough. Fantastic grip even when wet.

 

[EasyPeez]

Standard duranos. My only minor complaint is they feel a little 'dead' in comparison to tyres like vdredstein fortezzas and conti gp 4 seasons but they've lasted considerably longer. You might want to look at the newer DD versions, apparently more protection than the standard but lighter than the + versions.

I think the extra protection with the DDs comes in the form of the side-wall protector. The puncture defence layer is the same as standard Duranos. I don't like the sound of 'dead' - then again I've only ridden Conti GrandSport Race tyres so far, so I'm not sure how 'alive' they are! Will check out the Conti 4Seasons too, but I think at least as far as the winter tyres for the CX go, D+ are sounding like my best bet for their reliability in all weathers and puncture protection.