Winter Road Tyres

[SpokeyDokey]

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

@EasyPeez

I run 32mm Marathon Supreme in spring/summer and 35mm Marathon Deluxe in autumn/winter.

Both are grippy esp' the Marathon Deluxe - they are a lot lighter than some of the other Marathons and with an inverted tread they roll really well on the road and have enough grip to get me along the odd bridleway and green road.

They are very stable/grippy esp' on wet, gritty lanes - which I get to ride a lot.

If you want to try them I got mine from Rose - took a week or so to deliver but way cheaper (£27) than the £50 per tyre that they are here.

Although I just Googled and found this deal:

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/schwalbe-marathon-deluxe-hs420-folding-tyre-700-622-prod30696/

 

[Elybazza61]

Been running Vittoria Randonneor pro's on my Planet X XLS for over a year with one puncture;not bad roller on tarmac(30kph easy)just needs more of a 'push' to get them going,ok on rougher stuff like gravel and loose surfaces but more sketchy on muddier/rougher surfaces.
Also had Duranos(eiape plus) on my other road bike over last winter with no problems;again pretty good roller(although you could tell the difference after riding on a open pave/latex tube combo)but perfectly ok for winter club runs and tarmac commutes.

Got both pretty cheap from Planet X.

Will be looking at replacing the Randonneurs though with some Panaracer gravel kings when they wear out though.

 

[EasyPeez]

@EasyPeez

I run 32mm Marathon Supreme in spring/summer and 35mm Marathon Deluxe in autumn/winter.

Both are grippy esp' the Marathon Deluxe - they are a lot lighter than some of the other Marathons and with an inverted tread they roll really well on the road and have enough grip to get me along the odd bridleway and green road.

They are very stable/grippy esp' on wet, gritty lanes - which I get to ride a lot.

If you want to try them I got mine from Rose - took a week or so to deliver but way cheaper (£27) than the £50 per tyre that they are here.

Although I just Googled and found this deal:

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/schwalbe-marathon-deluxe-hs420-folding-tyre-700-622-prod30696/

I'd never heard of Marathon Deluxe - can't even spot them on the Schwalbe website. If Schwalbe and Rose's figures are to be believed, and my maths is correct, that means the Deluxe come in at around 250g each - that's incredibly light for such a tough tyre!? And a fair bit lighter than the Supremes, which seems odd as the Supremes seem the sportier of the two.
Looks like the puncture protection is similar on both. Do you feel the need to swap as the weather changes because the Deluxe offer more grip? i.e Supremes maybe not ideal for winter?
Cheers, thanks for adding another option to my list!

 

[EasyPeez]

Been running Vittoria Randonneor pro's on my Planet X XLS for over a year with one puncture;not bad roller on tarmac(30kph easy)just needs more of a 'push' to get them going,ok on rougher stuff like gravel and loose surfaces but more sketchy on muddier/rougher surfaces.
Also had Duranos(eiape plus) on my other road bike over last winter with no problems;again pretty good roller(although you could tell the difference after riding on a open pave/latex tube combo)but perfectly ok for winter club runs and tarmac commutes.

Got both pretty cheap from Planet X.

Will be looking at replacing the Randonneurs though with some Panaracer gravel kings when they wear out though.

Another +1 for the Durano + then. Looks like Planet X might have stopped stocking them.
Forgive my ignorance but what does this mean please?

although you could tell the difference after riding on a open pave/latex tube combo

 

[potsy]

Supremes are my favourite tyre of all, wish they did them in a 25 so I could use them on the road bike.

D+ are my second favourite and these I do run in 23 or 25, great protection and a good all-rounder though I wouldn't want to ride off road or on rough gravel type surfaces on them.

 

[Elybazza61]

Another +1 for the Durano + then. Looks like Planet X might have stopped stocking them.
Forgive my ignorance but what does this mean please?

It's just that once you've ridden on tyres which have a high tpi with latex tubes you can tell the differnce when going back to a more'durable' tyre with normal tubes.It's as close as you can get with clinchers to the feel of tubulars.

 

[samsbike]

I run durano + and marathon plus on the 2 bikes I have. I run hypers in the summer but don't want to risk punctures in the winter.

In terms of dead, its all a bit relative. Compared to the marathon plus (which is like riding solid rubber) the durano plus do not feel dead at all. However if you came from say, tubeless, they would feel awful.

Life as they say is full of comprises.

 

[EasyPeez]

Supremes are my favourite tyre of all, wish they did them in a 25 so I could use them on the road bike.

D+ are my second favourite and these I do run in 23 or 25, great protection and a good all-rounder though I wouldn't want to ride off road or on rough gravel type surfaces on them.

Are the D+ better rollers (being road tyres rather than tourers) than the Supremes would you say @potsy or vice versa?
How are they both for getting onto the rims?
Cheers.

 

[potsy]

Are the D+ better rollers (being road tyres rather than tourers) than the Supremes would you say @potsy or vice versa?
How are they both for getting onto the rims?
Cheers.

If one rolls better than the other then it's too subtle for me to notice, though I think the Supremes give a more cushioned ride (but they are 28's compared to the 25 in D+)

Both can be very easy or very difficult to fit but I find this depends on your rims, on the CX bike the Supremes almost fitted themselves, whilst the same tyres were tried on my Ultegra wheels and were a struggle, same with the D+

 

[smutchin]

Supremes are IME noticeably more supple and lighter (and therefore faster) than Durano+. Both offer superb grip in all conditions, though I'd rate the Supremes as marginally grippier. I love the Supremes, though as already mentioned, they don't last as long as Durano+ and don't offer quite the same level of puncture protection. (All the above is purely anecdotal based on personal experience and in no way scientifically verified.)

I've ridden the standard Ones (with tubes) and they're great too, but I don't know how well they would serve as winter tyres. I'm very interested in trying the G-Ones.

Never heard of Marathon Deluxe before but I like the sound of them!

Straying slightly away from the Schwalbe love-in for a moment, I also rate the Michelin Pro4 Endurance very highly - worth considering as an alternative to the standard Durano if you want a narrower tyre. Conti GP 4Seasons too.

 

[EasyPeez]

Supremes are IME noticeably more supple and lighter (and therefore faster) than Durano+. Both offer superb grip in all conditions, though I'd rate the Supremes as marginally grippier. I love the Supremes, though as already mentioned, they don't last as long as Durano+ and don't offer quite the same level of puncture protection. (All the above is purely anecdotal based on personal experience and in no way scientifically verified.)

I've ridden the standard Ones (with tubes) and they're great too, but I don't know how well they would serve as winter tyres. I'm very interested in trying the G-Ones.

Never heard of Marathon Deluxe before but I like the sound of them!

Straying slightly away from the Schwalbe love-in for a moment, I also rate the Michelin Pro4 Endurance very highly - worth considering as an alternative to the standard Durano if you want a narrower tyre. Conti GP 4Seasons too.

Thanks for the suggestions. After reading up on your recommendations the 4seasons look a good bet. Outstanding reviews on Wiggle,they come in a fair bit lighter than the Durano+, and are available in folding 28s whereas the D+ aren't - I must say something a bit wider than my standard 25mm appeals for the winter bike. From the Conti website it looks like they actually offer more protection than Gatorskins whilst being lighter, faster and grippier - not sure how that can be right though.
Hmmm...definitely a toss up between Marathon Supremes and 4seasons now I reckon. Will hold back on the heavier Durano+ and go for those next year if my final choice proves too puncturey this winter.
For the summer bike I reckon I'll ride these Grand Sport Race into the ground then get some GP 4000 IIs (if I follow my head) or some Durano S Etapes (if I follow my heart!)
Thanks to everyone who's contributed to the thread for your help in narrowing it down.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I'd never heard of Marathon Deluxe - can't even spot them on the Schwalbe website. If Schwalbe and Rose's figures are to be believed, and my maths is correct, that means the Deluxe come in at around 250g each - that's incredibly light for such a tough tyre!? And a fair bit lighter than the Supremes, which seems odd as the Supremes seem the sportier of the two.
Looks like the puncture protection is similar on both. Do you feel the need to swap as the weather changes because the Deluxe offer more grip? i.e Supremes maybe not ideal for winter?
Cheers, thanks for adding another option to my list!

@EasyPeez

They seem to appear only on the North America website for some reason despite being freely available here:

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/marathon_deluxe

35mm are around 540g per tyre.

I only swap the tyres as I had the Supremes fitted when my bike was new and then I switched to Deluxe - just trying to wear the Supremes out in the summer so as not to waste my money!

The Supremes are grippy on the road and useless off. The Deluxe are also grippy on the road and are ok on bridleways, wet grass etc. Although not on really gloopy wet mud.

The Deluxe with the inverted tread pattern roll really well and give some mechanical grip* on the gritty, rough surfaces that I ride on in the Lake District. Wet weather adhesion is also excellent.

*I know that some one will probably tell me all about smooth tyres having more grip which is fine when you are talking about smooth tyres on nice smooth tarmac. But read the 'what does the tyre tread do' drop down for Schwalbes view on this (near the bottom of the dropped down page).

http://www.schwalbe.com/gb/profil.html

 

[EasyPeez]

Well, after picking up and riding my CX Team on Saturday I reckon I need to have a re-think. I went in with the intention of getting Conti 4Seasons and fitting them as soon as I got home but as it turned out my local Halfords doesn't stock a single type of folding tyre?!
Might be for the best, because after riding the bike I was really taken aback by how much softer and more comfortable the ride is than on my road bike. Given that it's an alu frame on the CX rather than the steel I'm used to, and that all other components are inferior, I can only assume that it's the beefier 35mm tyres that are conveying this comfort advantage? I guess it might also be in part due to the CX frame being designed to provide more flex for off-road shock absorption whereas the roadie is designed for stiffness and power transfer?

Anyway, for winter commuting purposes and with the odd off-road excursion in mind I'm quite keen to retain the extra comfort so I'm thinking I'd be better off with a 32 or 35mm than a 28mm for this? So I reckon the Marathon variants are going to be my best bet after all. Again, thanks for your help everyone. Been useful not only for working out what to get for this bike but also what tyres to get for my road bike next year and (fingers crossed) and n+1s in years to come. Cheers!

 

[EasyPeez]

@EasyPeez

They seem to appear only on the North America website for some reason despite being freely available here:

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/marathon_deluxe

35mm are around 540g per tyre.

I only swap the tyres as I had the Supremes fitted when my bike was new and then I switched to Deluxe - just trying to wear the Supremes out in the summer so as not to waste my money!

The Supremes are grippy on the road and useless off. The Deluxe are also grippy on the road and are ok on bridleways, wet grass etc. Although not on really gloopy wet mud.

The Deluxe with the inverted tread pattern roll really well and give some mechanical grip* on the gritty, rough surfaces that I ride on in the Lake District. Wet weather adhesion is also excellent.

*I know that some one will probably tell me all about smooth tyres having more grip which is fine when you are talking about smooth tyres on nice smooth tarmac. But read the 'what does the tyre tread do' drop down for Schwalbes view on this (near the bottom of the dropped down page).

http://www.schwalbe.com/gb/profil.html

Ah, I thought that weight for the Deluxe must be wrong - I guess the half a kilo weight saving Schwalbe quote must be per pair compared to the Marathons, rather than per tyre compared to the Marathon+ as I had been figuring on. Thought it seemed too good to be true.

Thanks for linking to the US Schwalbe site - never thought to look on there. Based on the info. you've pointed me towards and my needs I think those M Deluxe are going to be best all-round. I'd rather go with the Supremes because I reckon they'll roll better, look better and carry a bit less weight, but the M Deluxe obv offer as good if not better wet road grip, even more puncture protection, and will allow me to go on gravel trails and grass with more confidence, which are the 3 key factors I'm looking at really. And they will last a fair bit longer I'd assume. I'm not interested in riding through mud - too much cleaning to do afterwards! And if I do ever change my mind on that score I can just pop the Rapid Robs back on. And at £55 for a pair they don't seem bad value. Would never have thought of looking at Rose bikes for kit so thanks for that too.

Just need to check what mudguards I can fit onto the bike now with 35mm tyres on. Assuming I can find some that'll work with that I'll get the Deluxe ordered. Cheers.

 

[potsy]

Have a look at bike discount de too, get some very good prices on Schwalbe tyres from them, have bought my last few pair this way,.