Best bicycle tyres

[fly boy3]

I do a lot of miles on my old mountain bike. I have been told the best ( most puncture proof) tyres are a German make Shwabe, hope spelling is correct. Could any one confirm this. Also what is general opinion of the cycling fraternity out there on using this sealant to get you home after a puncture. Cheers

[Mark Pidduck]

Hello Fly Boy,

You don't mention the kind of terrain you are riding on, which will make a big difference. If you're mostly cycling on tarmac or relatively smooth off-road surfaces, my personal recommendation is the Michelin City tyre. I've done a few thousand miles on mine on some quite rough roads, and they're still pretty much as good as new. Touch wood - no punctures as yet, either.

Personally, I would just carry a spare inner tube and a small pump in preference to the kind of sealant I think you're talking about, especially with mountain bike tyres, which are easy enough to remove by the roadside. I recommend you check out your options on one of the large online retailers specifically for cycle stuff, as the well-established products tend to have a good selection of reviews to look at as well.

[Frank Skilbeck]

You've not got the spelling quite correct, it's schwalbe, I fitted these to my hybrid some 5 years ago after I had 3 punctures in one trip to work (14 miles), never had a puncture since. Do note they are heavier so the wheels don't accelerate as quick as when you are using lightweight tyres.

[Gary Manuel]

I have used Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres for quite some time on my Brompton. Never had a single puncture after suffering regular Autumn punctures with normal tyres.

They are quite expensive but worth every penny. You can run a drawing pin over without it reaching the inner tube.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Andrew767]

FB3.....also look at Panaracer from Japan. A superb range of tyres and also consider latex inner tubes. These do a great job of coping with minor punctures but without the mess.

Andrew

[Geoff S]

+1 for Schwalbe. We've been using them for years. We got a complimentary pair for our tandem when we cycled to the International Tandem rally on the German border with Holland in Herkenbosch in 1999. Our brand new Continental rear tyre split the side wall about 10 miles short of our destination and we fitted the spare folder. It had done only about 100 miles from new. Schwalbe were partly sponsoring the event and we given a pair. We've been using them ever since on both tandem and solos.

We always carry at least 3 spare inner tubes. One way of getting home if the tyre side-wall fails is to wrap the inner tube in some polythene bag (the one that had your sandwiches in is OK) where the tyre damage is, pump it up to a decent pressure (say 70 psi rather than 100 psi) and it'll get you home. I've done it a couple of times. If you're doing a serious ride as we were with the tandem and camping gear or when we used to ride 200km plus events then it's a good idea to carry a folding tyre if you want to be totally self reliant

Geoff

[fly boy3]

Thanks for all your informative and interesting answers. The main reason of concern with punctures is my family do not like me riding alone at my age lol. First bike as a teen was a Graves Speed King, with Sturmey Archer 3 speed gear change. You cycling buffs can easily work it out. Cheers and thanks. Schwalbe it is.

[Keith Lomax]

I cycle daily on my commute - not a huge distance as there is a train journey in the middle. I would estimate that I do between 1200 and 1400 miles annually, all on roads, with a full size folding road bike.

The bike came with Schwalbe Marathon Supreme and these last about two years on the front and one year on the back. These are folding tyres so could be easily carried. Last time round I replaced one with a Schwalbe Marathon Plus at not much more than half the price and it seems to be wearing just as well, but wouldn't be practical if you had to carry it.

I also don't wait until I get punctures - you can see when the tread is nearly worn away so change it then. It might cut the life by a month or two but saves a lot of hassle.

[Geoff S]

I used to cycle commute 27 miles/day all through the year which meant all of them were in the dark through the winter months. I kept my work bike in the porch and just dropped my saddle bag on each morning at 6.30 and started to ride. I got a puncture on the way home one day and it wasn't until I checked the tyre I found I'd worn right through it and was riding on the inner tube! The plastic bag trick got me the remaining 6 miles Trouble was that it was always dark so I didn't notice how badly worn the tyre was until it was too late. A lesson learned - check the tyres from time to time and not just keep them pumped up hard.

It was easier to keep on eye on the tyres on the trike I used when there was snow or ice because there were no mudguards on the rear wheels.

Geoff

[Plummet]

I used to use a bike as part of my commute to work. My only advice is to choose your route so as to avoid going past night clubs. There is often broken glass on the roads outside to the detriment of tyres.

Plummet

[Dwain Dibley.]

I use these on my commute bike, a Crossrip3, The last lot I bought were just under £8 each, I have done 1763.95 miles on them without a puncture. They do armoured ones for a bit more cash.

D.D.

[fly boy3]

Thanks all for exellent replies to which I will be taking advantage of very soon. May I ask what gauge is used o verify tyre pressure. Thanks

[Tim Flyer]

For mountain bike tyres the best” gauge” is the finger test . Most gauges on bike pumps are fairly inaccurate and more importantly mountain bike tyre volumes vary massively. A large volume tyre requires far less pressure than a smaller one , plus over inflation of large volume tyres can damage or break the rim. Firstly it’s a good idea to buy a “ track pump”. Halfords version is fine an relatively cheap and it makes it much much easier to inflate . When you have inflated the tyre to a “ reasonable” degree press on the sidewall with your thumb and you should not be able to push it in more than 1/8 of an inch , if you can put more air in , if it’s solid let a bit out .

[Geoff S]

I use a decent track pump with a gauge and pump to the maximum recommended on the tyre. Rims will only split if they're worn out on the side from rim brakes. You should check them from time to time (on some rims there's a wear indicator groove). Our tandem has 26" wheels and we run that with 90 psi in both wheels. It has a hydraulic rim brake on the front and a mechanical disc at the back and has better braking than any single I've ridden which makes a change from earlier tandems which required a little advance planning in the brake department.

Geoff

[TJ Alexander]

I wouldn't like to ride anything but Schwalbe now. I have Marathon Supreme on my 'everything' bike, Marathon Plus on my tourer & tandem, Durano Plus on my commuting fixie, and Stelvios on my faster bikes. Oh - and studded tyres for ice.

I don't know much about their MTB offering except that it's extensive! Seem to be designs for every sort of surface,and in a bewildering range of sizes, too.

[Geoff S]

Interesting. We have Durano Plus on our Cannondale tandem and they've been good.

Geoff