What tyre... 25 mile commute
Discussion
Hi all. What would be your go to choice for a 25mm road tyre for a commute that is a 50:50 mix of a roads and central London?
Puncture resistance and wet weather grip needed.
If anybody suggests Gatorskins they are welcome to the 3 mile old pair I'm replacing, having just stacked the bike on a slightly damp but otherwise innocuous bend. Less grip than a Scottish goalkeeper. Ouch.
Puncture resistance and wet weather grip needed.
If anybody suggests Gatorskins they are welcome to the 3 mile old pair I'm replacing, having just stacked the bike on a slightly damp but otherwise innocuous bend. Less grip than a Scottish goalkeeper. Ouch.
I bought these and am quite happy. Note that I don't do anything like your mileage though!
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-pave-cg-open-cli...
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-pave-cg-open-cli...
Schwalbe Durano in 25/28mm or 32mm Marathon SUPREME (Not the hefty marathons fitted to hybrids and shopping bikes).
Very similar, or the same, but different sizes.
I have used both for 1,000s of miles. Road and dirt track too.
Highly recommended. The 32mm Supremes are superb and not slow or draggy.
Very similar, or the same, but different sizes.
I have used both for 1,000s of miles. Road and dirt track too.
Highly recommended. The 32mm Supremes are superb and not slow or draggy.
Edited by MC Bodge on Thursday 15th August 10:01
I commute on my Continental GP4000 IIs year-round and have been very impressed with them. Recently went up to 28mm which gives a bit more compliance and even do a bit of single track riding in the woods when it's dry and the fancy takes me. Definitely worth a look and they can be had for a good price now the new version is out.
lauda said:
I put some Schwalbe Duranos on my commuter/winter bike last year and they’ve been great. I’ve probably covered a couple of thousand km on them without a single puncture and that’s been over winter roads that were covered in crap and even a bit of gravel riding.
They are pretty bullet proof, that’s for sure. I use 35mm Durano plus on my Hybrid / station / winter / commuter, and the tyres have worn out completely, and never suffered an intrusion puncture.UpTheIron said:
Hi all. What would be your go to choice for a 25mm road tyre for a commute that is a 50:50 mix of a roads and central London?
Puncture resistance and wet weather grip needed.
If anybody suggests Gatorskins they are welcome to the 3 mile old pair I'm replacing, having just stacked the bike on a slightly damp but otherwise innocuous bend. Less grip than a Scottish goalkeeper. Ouch.
Gator skins are known as ‘skater skins’ for a reason. They are hateful things, in my experience. Personally, I would avoid the ‘performance’ type Conti tyres ( GP4000sII ) for this sort of riding as well, as they don’t fair well, if you hit anything more than a grain of sand, that you may not spot, if it’s hidden in a puddle, or the surface is wet. If it’s only relatively short distances involved, a heavier / draggier tyre like a Schwalbe Durano / Durano plus, will give you the P* protection you want, for sure. Michelin Pro 4 endurance are also a favourite of mine. If you want completely puncture proof tyres, Tannus airless tyres are the only viable option at present, but be warned, they do take a lot of getting used to. I used them for a couple of winters, and once I got used to them, over short distances, they did become worth their ‘weight in salt’.Puncture resistance and wet weather grip needed.
If anybody suggests Gatorskins they are welcome to the 3 mile old pair I'm replacing, having just stacked the bike on a slightly damp but otherwise innocuous bend. Less grip than a Scottish goalkeeper. Ouch.
I've used GP 4000's before, work well. Of the two used for commuting. The winter bike has Panaracer SK 35c on it, which rolls surprisingly well.
The other Panaracer https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Panaracer/GravelK... in 28c. Appear to work well in all conditions, 1500 miles puncture free and wearing well.
The other Panaracer https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Panaracer/GravelK... in 28c. Appear to work well in all conditions, 1500 miles puncture free and wearing well.
GOATever said:
They are pretty bullet proof, that’s for sure. I use 35mm Durano plus on my Hybrid / station / winter / commuter, and the tyres have worn out completely, and never suffered an intrusion puncture.
I would suggest the Marathon Supremes for a long commute. I did the Liverpool "Roubaix" century on mine. Punctures are extremely rare. A big thorn on a farm track after hedge trimming is the only one I've experienced (other than a pinch flat on the very rocky track to Black Sail YHA with full panniers!) in about 3 years. MC Bodge said:
I would suggest the Marathon Supremes for a long commute. I did the Liverpool "Roubaix" century on mine. Punctures are extremely rare. A big thorn on a farm track after hedge trimming is the only one I've experienced (other than a pinch flat on the very rocky track to Black Sail YHA with full panniers!) in about 3 years.
Agreed, the tyres on my Hybrid are actually Marathon plus, not Durano plus. The Duranos were on one of my road bikes. The only puncture I suffered in the Hybrid was a pinch, caused by riding on a poor surface, with a heavy Bergen on my back. My son's hard tail commute bike at Uni in Reading wore Marathon Plus tyres, with no reported punctures in 3 years. I've ridden it recently, and not noticed any grip problems, even on some light duty off road surfaces, and they're wearing really well too.
Also had good results with Continental TourRide tyres, and my eldest has some cheap VITTORIA RANDONNEUR 26" x 1.5" tyres on his commuter. Good puncture resistance, but showing signs of early wear.
I'd agree with the negativity toward Conti Gatorskins, but have happily taken Conti GP 4000SII tyres onto byways and bridleways. They can cut up a bit, but my only recent memory of a puncture on them was during RideLondon, as we came back into Fulham and I ended up on broken glass near the middle of the road. Otherwise they're pretty robust. Robust enough for me to ride the 25c size on some New Forest gravel bike trails and the Moors Valley 'Through The Forest' blue graded MTB trail.
For a 25 mile commute I'd factor in the time it takes to change a tube if you do puncture, and make sure the tyres i was using were relatively easy to get on and off the rims, because no matter how resistant your tyres are to punctures, if they're filled with air then one day the dreaded "Pffffffffffffft" of air escaping will strike, no matter how careful you are.
Also had good results with Continental TourRide tyres, and my eldest has some cheap VITTORIA RANDONNEUR 26" x 1.5" tyres on his commuter. Good puncture resistance, but showing signs of early wear.
I'd agree with the negativity toward Conti Gatorskins, but have happily taken Conti GP 4000SII tyres onto byways and bridleways. They can cut up a bit, but my only recent memory of a puncture on them was during RideLondon, as we came back into Fulham and I ended up on broken glass near the middle of the road. Otherwise they're pretty robust. Robust enough for me to ride the 25c size on some New Forest gravel bike trails and the Moors Valley 'Through The Forest' blue graded MTB trail.
For a 25 mile commute I'd factor in the time it takes to change a tube if you do puncture, and make sure the tyres i was using were relatively easy to get on and off the rims, because no matter how resistant your tyres are to punctures, if they're filled with air then one day the dreaded "Pffffffffffffft" of air escaping will strike, no matter how careful you are.
yellowjack said:
My son's hard tail commute bike at Uni in Reading wore Marathon Plus tyres, with no reported punctures in 3 years. I've ridden it recently, and not noticed any grip problems, even on some light duty off road surfaces, and they're wearing really well too.
Also had good results with Continental TourRide tyres, and my eldest has some cheap VITTORIA RANDONNEUR 26" x 1.5" tyres on his commuter. Good puncture resistance, but showing signs of early wear.
I'd agree with the negativity toward Conti Gatorskins, but have happily taken Conti GP 4000SII tyres onto byways and bridleways. They can cut up a bit, but my only recent memory of a puncture on them was during RideLondon, as we came back into Fulham and I ended up on broken glass near the middle of the road. Otherwise they're pretty robust. Robust enough for me to ride the 25c size on some New Forest gravel bike trails and the Moors Valley 'Through The Forest' blue graded MTB trail.
For a 25 mile commute I'd factor in the time it takes to change a tube if you do puncture, and make sure the tyres i was using were relatively easy to get on and off the rims, because no matter how resistant your tyres are to punctures, if they're filled with air then one day the dreaded "Pffffffffffffft" of air escaping will strike, no matter how careful you are.
Likewise, I've taken GP 4 seasons onto gravel, and they met their demise due to wet tar. I now have a set of Specialized S-Works Turbos. All 28mm, but they deal nicely with the North Dorset trailway. Gripwise, they're both performance tyres, so shouldn't have any issues.Also had good results with Continental TourRide tyres, and my eldest has some cheap VITTORIA RANDONNEUR 26" x 1.5" tyres on his commuter. Good puncture resistance, but showing signs of early wear.
I'd agree with the negativity toward Conti Gatorskins, but have happily taken Conti GP 4000SII tyres onto byways and bridleways. They can cut up a bit, but my only recent memory of a puncture on them was during RideLondon, as we came back into Fulham and I ended up on broken glass near the middle of the road. Otherwise they're pretty robust. Robust enough for me to ride the 25c size on some New Forest gravel bike trails and the Moors Valley 'Through The Forest' blue graded MTB trail.
For a 25 mile commute I'd factor in the time it takes to change a tube if you do puncture, and make sure the tyres i was using were relatively easy to get on and off the rims, because no matter how resistant your tyres are to punctures, if they're filled with air then one day the dreaded "Pffffffffffffft" of air escaping will strike, no matter how careful you are.
I haven't tried that singletrack at Moors Valley for a long time!
Solocle said:
Likewise, I've taken GP 4 seasons onto gravel, and they met their demise due to wet tar. I now have a set of Specialized S-Works Turbos. All 28mm, but they deal nicely with the North Dorset trailway. Gripwise, they're both performance tyres, so shouldn't have any issues.
I haven't tried that singletrack at Moors Valley for a long time!
I haven't tried that singletrack at Moors Valley for a long time!
North Dorset Trailway? Is it any good? I saw the website with a Google search, as I'd never heard of it before. Sounds interesting. I'm looking for more gravel off-road sections to get a few more miles on my Cannondale Backroads. There are quite a few old railway lines around. One across the New Forest, and the Castleman Trail among them that I've found so far. You must be fairly near to me, as well. I've recently moved to Bournemouth, so I'm still at the "learning the layout" stage when it comes to local cycling routes. Not as much "proper" MTBing as I used to have right on my doorstep, but road riding is a much more relaxed affair on the smaller New Forest roads. Are you on Strava? Perhaps I could 'follow' you and crib a few routes from you if you're not too far away from me...
...as for Moors Valley? 'Through The Forest' is a nice trail, and a reasonably long lap with a few gradients too. but it's quite benign, really, and not much in the way of technical features, so easily do-able on a road bike. But then it's aimed at being family friendly, and from that point of view I think it achieves it's aim. Anyone could ride it, but it's challenging enough to keep a mixed group happy going around together. Someone also mentioned Ringwood Forest to me the other day, so I'm going to have to scout that out at some point too.
yellowjack said:
North Dorset Trailway? Is it any good? I saw the website with a Google search, as I'd never heard of it before. Sounds interesting. I'm looking for more gravel off-road sections to get a few more miles on my Cannondale Backroads. There are quite a few old railway lines around. One across the New Forest, and the Castleman Trail among them that I've found so far. You must be fairly near to me, as well. I've recently moved to Bournemouth, so I'm still at the "learning the layout" stage when it comes to local cycling routes. Not as much "proper" MTBing as I used to have right on my doorstep, but road riding is a much more relaxed affair on the smaller New Forest roads. Are you on Strava? Perhaps I could 'follow' you and crib a few routes from you if you're not too far away from me...
...as for Moors Valley? 'Through The Forest' is a nice trail, and a reasonably long lap with a few gradients too. but it's quite benign, really, and not much in the way of technical features, so easily do-able on a road bike. But then it's aimed at being family friendly, and from that point of view I think it achieves it's aim. Anyone could ride it, but it's challenging enough to keep a mixed group happy going around together. Someone also mentioned Ringwood Forest to me the other day, so I'm going to have to scout that out at some point too.
When I did used to commute 40 miles a day into London I used 25mm Conti 4 seasons. Never had any issues in various weather and the roll and grip very well. Having said that, I now ride in all weathers (not commuting) on GP4000S tyres including a fair bit of gravel and not had many issues with that either. I tend to never use the super thin or latex tubes though.
S100HP said:
Can't believe nobody has said it yet...
You've done 3 miles on your new tyres, of course they'll be a bit slippy. It's the same as car tyres, they need a bit of time to wear in.
You've done 3 miles on your new tyres, of course they'll be a bit slippy. It's the same as car tyres, they need a bit of time to wear in.
They're Gatorskins. They will NEVER "wear in" as they have no grip whatsoever. It's a scientifically proven fact. In fact, Tefal are experimenting right now with using recycled Gatorskins as a much better non-stick surface replacement for Teflon in their pots and pans...
yellowjack said:
They're Gatorskins. They will NEVER "wear in" as they have no grip whatsoever. It's a scientifically proven fact. In fact, Tefal are experimenting right now with using recycled Gatorskins as a much better non-stick surface replacement for Teflon in their pots and pans...
I do a 20 mile commute from Esher into London - I have GP 4000s ii. I used to use 4seasons, but would rather have the extra grip of the GPs.
They last a couple of thousand miles. Punctures I've had would have punctured anything, tend to be glass riding through London.
And Gatorskins are crap and skiddy in the wet or cold. They will last a lifetime though.
They last a couple of thousand miles. Punctures I've had would have punctured anything, tend to be glass riding through London.
And Gatorskins are crap and skiddy in the wet or cold. They will last a lifetime though.
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