Tyres for my sister's road bike

slowmick

38-39"
Ok team, i need help. My sister has a road bike that she rarely rides. Mostly because the tyres always seem to be flat and she has a pretty big fear of getting a flat while riding.

I want to buy her new tubes and tyres so that she can go out and enjoy her bike. I've been looking through the commuting threads too find what is a good puncture resistant tyre. I have no idea. Weight not an issue, speed not really an issue (her other bike is a 20 year old hardtail with 1.95 semi slicks - the road bike will feel quicker)

Looks like the Maxxis Refuse, Schwalbe Marathons and Continental Gatorskins get votes from people over the years.
Current tyres are 700 x 23. Is it worth going for slightly wider tyres for comfort (bike tracks and the occasional road ride? How wide can you go under a 105 caliper brake? Could i go to a 700x28? (Wheels are Alex AL220) What sort of tubes do i need? Is there anything else i need?

So many questions.
 

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
Gatorskins are the tyre you are looking for, not fast but reliable. Great puncture resistance and good wearing...

Just bought the new Conti 5000 tubeless, not fitted yet bet fekked off with the Schwalbe One Tubeless offerings.
 

Art Vanderlay

Hourly daily
I am now using Vittoria Rubino Pro Folding Clincher, 700 x 25, payed $20 a tyre.
Got sick of the Conti 4000s. They were tighter than a dutchman to get on/off and as I am dutch, they also cost more.

Happy with the Vittoria's.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Maxxis ReFuse are bulletproof, get the 25mm size. I've got them on my second roadie, and they have never punctured, and it gets ridden on the shitty roads and bad weather.
+1, I have the 23mm and it is all the tyre you will need.

Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk
 

Calvin27

Eats Squid
I've used refuse, gatorskins and marathons.

I don't recall the Maxxis refuse doing anything spectacular or bad - I guess they were ok. The gatorskin is my tyre of choice for most road riding. My only qualm is when they age they get a bit crap, 2 years later and they are pretty hard and non grippy.

If you want all out protection schwalbe marathon plus is pretty hard to beat. It will easily beat the other two in the puncture stakes but there are obvious trade-offs.

You also need to consider tyre width. I think gators only go up to 32c. Maxxis goes to 40c and the schwalbe goes to 38c.
 

Cardy George

Piercing rural members since 1981
Tyre width depends on frame space more than brake caliper space. Go with 25 - 28mm and you should be OK. You may not be able to go any bigger.

My favourite all time tyre combo was a Vittoria Rubino Pro up front and a garden variety Rubino on the back. Good balance of grip in front and durability on the tail. The couple of occasions I've had Maxxis on I found them to be pretty good too.

At this time of year the roads here are covered with three corner jack and the like from the trucks dragging them off the grape blocks. The only way I could get even one trip in to work is to use Slime or Stan's. To do that you need removable valve core tubes, and to get those you have to specifically ask for them. Didn't stop everything, but I rarely had a flat while on the bike, and if it did go flat it meant something was stuck in the tyre keep the puncture hole open.
 

Freediver

I can go full Karen
I only do a couple thousand k a year on the road and the Rubino tyres just seem to last forever. I've had them on the bike so long they probably don't make them the same but if they do, no questions.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Gatorskins are the tyre you are looking for, not fast but reliable. Great puncture resistance and good wearing...

Just bought the new Conti 5000 tubeless, not fitted yet bet fekked off with the Schwalbe One Tubeless offerings.
What was your issue with pro one tubeless? I just put a new pair on mine, my third set. I quite like them...

Although I might have been tempted by the Contis had I known they existed!
 

scblack

Leucocholic
Tyre width depends on frame space more than brake caliper space. Go with 25 - 28mm and you should be OK. You may not be able to go any bigger.

My favourite all time tyre combo was a Vittoria Rubino Pro up front and a garden variety Rubino on the back. Good balance of grip in front and durability on the tail. The couple of occasions I've had Maxxis on I found them to be pretty good too.

At this time of year the roads here are covered with three corner jack and the like from the trucks dragging them off the grape blocks. The only way I could get even one trip in to work is to use Slime or Stan's. To do that you need removable valve core tubes, and to get those you have to specifically ask for them. Didn't stop everything, but I rarely had a flat while on the bike, and if it did go flat it meant something was stuck in the tyre keep the puncture hole open.
You raise a great point. I now use a tyre liner on my good road bike and since using a tyre liner have not had a puncture. For your sister a tyre liner will add greater protection with any tyre.
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
If your sister doesn't care about rolling resistance then a Schwalbe Marathon plus is the way to go. Safe all weather handling, reflective side strip and very thick anti-puncture layer. I'm pretty sure you can get them in 25 and 28mm, if not the semi slick equivalent Durano plus is definitely available in those widths.

If your sister does care about rolling resistance. Michelin Pro4 Endurance or Vittoria Zafiro Pro + Mr Tuffy Tire liners + cheap thick tubes like the ones from Cyclingdeal.

A thing to note is the difference in air loss between different tubes. The thin Michelin race tubes loose 10psi a week whereas the cheap heavy Lifeline tubes lose more like 3-5psi a week.



Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
I don't recall the Maxxis refuse doing anything spectacular or bad - I guess they were ok. The gatorskin is my tyre of choice for most road riding. My only qualm is when they age they get a bit crap, 2 years later and they are pretty hard and non grippy.
I had 23mm Gators during my city commuting period. They are a great tyre also and can fling away all sorts of roadside rubbish when pumped up high. The Gator sidewalls aren't the best though and get a bit hairy as time rolls on. I guess they have to save weight somewhere.
 

silentbutdeadly

has some good things to say
I rate the Pirelli Velo 4S in 700x28 for almost any road condition, sealed or unsealed. Been running them on my Niner RLT for over a year with latex filled tubes in rural NSW. No punctures until the tube failed on a rocky, gravel road (aka my driveway) last week...

Pirelli also do a gravel version of it that has an extra bead in it..
 

ForkinGreat

Knows his Brassica oleracea
Ok team, i need help. My sister has a road bike that she rarely rides. Mostly because the tyres always seem to be flat and she has a pretty big fear of getting a flat while riding.

I want to buy her new tubes and tyres so that she can go out and enjoy her bike. I've been looking through the commuting threads too find what is a good puncture resistant tyre. I have no idea. Weight not an issue, speed not really an issue (her other bike is a 20 year old hardtail with 1.95 semi slicks - the road bike will feel quicker)

Looks like the Maxxis Refuse, Schwalbe Marathons and Continental Gatorskins get votes from people over the years.
Current tyres are 700 x 23. Is it worth going for slightly wider tyres for comfort (bike tracks and the occasional road ride? How wide can you go under a 105 caliper brake? Could i go to a 700x28? (Wheels are Alex AL220) What sort of tubes do i need? Is there anything else i need?

So many questions.
could she run a 700x28c? Maybe. Current 105 will supposedly do that, but I would get 25c width, esp if the 105 brakes are a few years old. Also depends on the clearance in the frame itself.

Maxxis refuse or Cont GP 4 seasons. Maxxis tyre is tougher, IMO. Conti GP 4 seasons better grip.
 

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
What was your issue with pro one tubeless? I just put a new pair on mine, my third set. I quite like them...

Although I might have been tempted by the Contis had I known they existed!
Been running them for about 3 years now, must be on my 5th set of them and done 13,000km on my roadie commuting.

They are soft as crap and puncture really easily. I dont reckon I have one without patches stuck inside them to stop sealant spraying out.... I run them about 75psi on 28c and even the smallest glass cut spits sealant constantly, the big issue with road tubeless is the pressure and the inability of the sealant to plug the hole.... this stems from the Pro One's issue of having zero puncture resistance in the first place.

Been waiting on someone to release a new tubeless road tyre, haven't fitted the 5000's yet as I just put my last set of Pro Ones on but keen to try them.
 

slowmick

38-39"
Thank you for all the help team. The plan is now looking like:
  1. 700 x 25C Schwalbe Marathon Plus (they look tougher than the Re-Fuse and the Rubino - even if they are not).
  2. Tough tubes with removable valve core so i can add a little bit of stans.
thanks for the heads up on the all tubes losing air - at least i can tell her to keep an eye on it and not be surprised that they lose air.

Almost tempted to add tyre liners as well. Its getting darker at night and no lady wants to be fixing a flat on the bike track in the dark.

Hopefully if she gets her confidence back in the bike we can try some faster rolling tyres. Cheers guys.
 

scblack

Leucocholic
Almost tempted to add tyre liners as well. Its getting darker at night and no lady wants to be fixing a flat on the bike track in the dark.
Just add tyre liners - they will reduce flats further and therefore increase her confidence. They add bugger all weight for the benefit of no flats.
 

scblack

Leucocholic
Been running them for about 3 years now, must be on my 5th set of them and done 13,000km on my roadie commuting.

They are soft as crap and puncture really easily. I dont reckon I have one without patches stuck inside them to stop sealant spraying out.... I run them about 75psi on 28c and even the smallest glass cut spits sealant constantly, the big issue with road tubeless is the pressure and the inability of the sealant to plug the hole.... this stems from the Pro One's issue of having zero puncture resistance in the first place.

Been waiting on someone to release a new tubeless road tyre, haven't fitted the 5000's yet as I just put my last set of Pro Ones on but keen to try them.
Try Hutchinson Fusion 3 tubeless. I found them great running tubeless. They did not flat often at all, and when they did it was a cut that would have opened an MTB tyre. Recommended.

I now have Campy Bora One wheels which are not tubeless.
 

John U

MTB Precision
Hi Mick. I’m running 28 Gatorskins. Have been using them from Ringo East for commuting to the city for over a year, about 3000 ks, and they’re almost as good as new. No punctures in that time. Plenty of grip. Not super comfortable but more comfortable than the 23s. Weren’t noticeably slower for me. I think the extra width allows for a bit more variation in pressure. I think I’ve got Schwalbe tubes. I need to top them up every 2 weeks.

If you’d like to check them out for size or to see if they fit come around any time.

I think I’ll get another pair of these when they wear out.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Been running them for about 3 years now, must be on my 5th set of them and done 13,000km on my roadie commuting.

They are soft as crap and puncture really easily. I dont reckon I have one without patches stuck inside them to stop sealant spraying out.... I run them about 75psi on 28c and even the smallest glass cut spits sealant constantly, the big issue with road tubeless is the pressure and the inability of the sealant to plug the hole.... this stems from the Pro One's issue of having zero puncture resistance in the first place.

Been waiting on someone to release a new tubeless road tyre, haven't fitted the 5000's yet as I just put my last set of Pro Ones on but keen to try them.
Yeah, none of mine got to the end without a few patches on the inside... Some glass holes just dont seal. I put it down to a roadie tubeless thing rather than a Schwobble thing. Will be keen to hear how the contis go.

I tossed my last set because the rubber cracked and was disintegrating before I'd worn them out - about 3 years old I reckon. Not stored outside. Clearly I need to up the annual kms!!
 
Top