Would different tyres make much of a difference?

[Vantage]

[QUOTE 5413740, member: 9609"]but keep them pumped up as close to the max recommended for the tyre and rim. You will notice a big difference[/QUOTE]

Depending on the ops weight, this could lead to the tyres bumping across a rough surface thus increasing rolling resistance and increasing the risk of loss of traction.
Tailoring the air pressure would allow the tyre to deform around rough surfaces so giving a smoother, quicker ride and as there'll be more rubber on the ground, less chance of skidding.

 

[DCBassman]

When I first commuted on my Trek 800 Sport, it was still fitted with its production big knobblies. After a slew of punctures, I fitted what were the ancestors of, I think, Schwalbe Silentos. No punctures for the next 14 years, and much easier to make progress. Not skinnier though, or not much. These days, that bike wears 1.5 City Jets, even better.
When I rebuild the Norco (soon, honest!),
I'll fit 38c Vittoria Hyper Voyagers, as City Jets not available for 700 rims.

 

[Boon 51]

+ 1 for the City Jets..

 

[icowden]

As someone else said - do take into consideration the roads you are cycling down. I tend to do much better on my fat schwalbe big ben tyres than some of the people on teeny tiny racing tyres when they try to go down the back of the south bank which despite being a road in central london is more like offroading!

 

[graham bowers]

My touring bike came with Continental Touring Plus tyres 32mm. I changed them for Continental Hardshell Gatorskins 32mm and the difference was immediately noticeable. I gained about 1.5 mph and just as importantly to me, the bike feels more alive and nimble. My brother bought exactly the same model tourer at the same time and he changed to Specialized Armadillos with similar improvement.

 

[davidphilips]

My advice is simple, use the tyres you have until they are worn/due replacement before buying some thing better.

 

[Fab Foodie]

My advice is simple, use the tyres you have until they are worn/due replacement before buying some thing better.

If you can afford it, life is too short to ride on sch1tt tyres...

 

[freiston]

My advice is simple, use the tyres you have until they are worn/due replacement before buying some thing better.

If you can afford it, life is too short to ride on sch1tt tyres...

Sounds like we've gone full circle - what's a sh1tt tyre and what's a better tyre?

 

[davidphilips]

Sounds like we've gone full circle - what's a sh1tt tyre and what's a better tyre?

Good question? Panaracer Comet Hard Pack MTB Tyres the op has seem good tyres, but for fast road use may not be %100, some thing like continental gp4000s that can be bought on sale for appox £27 each may be great for road use but not %100 if going of road bit like the old question how long is a bit of string?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

For 5.5 miles stick with what you have. The elapsed difference between them and a narrower smoother tyre will be neither here nor there.

 

[davidphilips]

For 5.5 miles stick with what you have. The elapsed difference between them and a narrower smoother tyre will be neither here nor there.

A man after my own heart, well said.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Sounds like we've gone full circle - what's a sh1tt tyre and what's a better tyre?

Depends what combinations of qualities YOU want ;-)

For me and my all-round road main road bike, Vittoria Open Pave are bloody lovely to ride, expensive, (fast, grippy, comfortable) but puncture easily when it rains. Marathon plus are cheapish, durable and puncture proof but horribly slow and uncomfortable to ride. Continental 4 Seasons are quite pricey but fast, supple and fairly grippy like the Vittorias but have excellent puncture resistance. For this combination they are worth the cost.

Marathon plus are OK on the Brompton because changing a tube is such a pain. Speed and grip are not the issue.

The summer fast bike uses Michelin pro-race. Fast, light, grippy. God’s own tyre Who cares about punctures when you can have this performance?

Horses for courses....
My point is that it is worth spending money on buying the best tyres for you/your bike and its uses.

 

[freiston]

Depends what combinations of qualities YOU want ;-)

I hope I didn't mislead with my question - I didn't mean it as a personal enquiry but as more of a rhetorical question, [partly to say that it's a value judgement based on an individual's requirements, values etc.] - so I think we're saying the same thing .
Personally, I'm still using the same tyres that came with my touring bike (Vittoria Randonneurs 32mm). I have no issue with them but have heard that the Randonneur Pro II is a much superior tyre, particularly on rolling resistance (both are very puncture resistant) and so, after seeing the folding version of the Pro II going very cheap at PlanetX [iirc], I have a couple waiting in the cupboard for when the current ones need replacing. I don't have a fast bike and I'd rather have no puncture than go a bit faster. My folding bike, like yours, has Marathon +. I hardly use the folder but when I do, I'm usually celebrating the fact that because of it, I'm not walking so I always see the Marathons as a big "step up" from the Vibrams

 

[Vantage]

For 5.5 miles stick with what you have. The elapsed difference between them and a narrower smoother tyre will be neither here nor there.

It depends on the tyre.
There's a world of difference between a Marathon Greenguard and a Voyager Hyper. Or a Landcruiser and a Cityjet.
5 miles can be an excruciating half hour slog or a 25 minute pootle depending on the tyres used.

 

[MikeG]

........My old Voyagers had a hum about them and they're one of the best rolling tyres out there.It's the air inside under pressure being bounced around inside a thin carcass

I don't understand this claim at all. How does air get "bounced around" inside a tyre? Why do some tyres "bounce the air around" more than others (the logic of your claim that hum comes from the air inside the tyres)? Don't forget that the pressurised air isn't actually inside the tyre, but inside an inner tube, so you have to explain how tyres differentially affect the tube and its contents.

and tends to get louder as the pressure increases.......

Are you saying that air pressure changes with movement of the tyre, or are you saying that the more you pump your tyres up, the louder they are? If the latter, that is the converse of my experience: the harder my tyres, the quieter they are.