tire suggestions

[anorange]

Hi, I have been riding Panaracer T-Serve 700 x 28. They are great in wet weather and very puncture resistant- only one flat in 4 years! I want to switch to a narrower tire, probably a 700 x 23. Any suggestions for what would be good in wet weather, not too heavy, and if it's not to much to ask, fairly puncture resistant? I could go to the Panaracer T-Serve 700 x 25, but I'm not sure if it's enough of a difference. Thanks:)

[Kiwi Stoker]

We just tried a pair of 28 T-Servs on our tandem- as you said very grippy but we lost about 2-3km per hour compared to our normal tyres and really lost it on the downhills. BTW these were new formulation 2009 T-Servs.

If you want to stay with a 28 try Conti Gatorskins- we have had great success with these (same weight as the T-Servs but faster) and very puncture resistant (we don't wear out tyres- they get sliced up by glass in NZ). The T-servs only lasted 5 rides, we get 3-6 months out of a Gatorskin.

I ride Gatorskin 23s on my single as well.

If you like Panaracer tyres I noticed on their website a brand new tyre for 2009, the RibMo that comes in 23, 25 and 28. This is a better tyre again with less tread so should roll more and even more puncture resistant. Both this and the T-Serv are commuting tyres BTW.

[Running Mommy]

LOVE the Conti grand prix 4000's! With the black chili compound, they are the best! No flats for me in years.
Tho I must say I don't know how they work in wet weather. I live in the desert so...

[papaver]

LOVE the Conti grand prix 4000's! With the black chili compound, they are the best! No flats for me in years.
Tho I must say I don't know how they work in wet weather. I live in the desert so...

As a wet road expert I can tell you: they are perfect!!! :D

[ridebikeme]

I have been running Maxxis Courchevals the past four seasons and love them! Last season, I put several customers on Schwalbe tires ... different models. I just mounted a pair of Ultremos' on another bike, and although I only have a few rides on them I love them as well. Both give you a nice ride, very supple... good on wet weather... although perhaps I don't have the wet weather that many of you have. At any rate, there are lots of good tires out there...perhaps ask your LBS as well.:D

[kermit]

Awesome!

[madscot13]

I have continental gatorskins in 25. they are pretty great. I've never gotten a puncture (except when I fail to keep pressure at a minimum).

[singletrackmind]

Conti GP 4seasons is my tire of choice on the road bike. I use the 700x23 on my road bike, my husband the 700x25 on his Colnago and on my tandem the 700x28.

[Norse]

Another vote for the Conti GP's. I got sick of flats several years ago and switched to these. Rough roads, wet roads, unexpected gravel, ... the Conti's handle them all well.

[anorange]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I went to my lbs today and they said skinnier tires wouldn't make that much difference and that I should just work harder to keep up with my group. They did take a lot of time to ask about my riding, looked at my bike setup, etc. They suggested Schwalbe Durano tires. They didn't have Contis. I'm mulling over all they said, and might go back and get the Schwalbes. I'm thinking about this too much:eek:

[Cataboo]

Erm. I'm running panaracer t-servs 700x28 on my surly. That's also a much more upright bike for me, and until recently it didn't have very nice wheels....

However, the panaracer tservs definitely are slower than my 700x23 tires. Now, I also claim that some 700x23s feel slower than others, and my bf thinks it's all in my head... however, I'm pretty sure even given the uprightness of the bike vs the crappy wheels vs the t servs - the t servs definitely slow the bike down.

I can go down a hill on the surly leaning forward to make myself all aero and just be going....Erm... why aren't I picking up speed? There's definitely some rolling resistence.

Now, if they're slowing me down more than like .5 - 1 mph, I have no idea - but they're definitely on the slow side with that tread.

I haven't ridden any other 700x28's though.

I've got a set of continental gp4000's in 700x25 that I just bought and I'm debating putting them on a road bike. I'm just worried that they'll feel slow compared to my 700x23's I usually run (I use some hutchinson kevlar 127 tpi tires usually, can't remember the name).

Things I read seem to be mixed with regards to whether 700x25s are slower than 700x23s

[ridebikeme]

Schwalbes are a great choice! Any time that I have put them on a customers bike, they have loved them! In fact, as I started getting bikes this year for maintenance work, many have requested them!:D

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I used to ride Pasela Panaracers w/Tourguard(kevlar). They were great tires and a good price, but a bit soft feeling.

Now I like Continental GrandPrix 4 Seasons. They are very puncture resistant but a bit harder than the Paselas, I like them. I use 700x25. Don't want to go thinner than that, since we do frequent riding on back country dirt/roughgravel roads.

[ttaylor508]

DH and I just put the Vittoria Corsa 700 x 23 on our bikes. Love them!!! Really didn't think tires could make that much difference, but these are really nice. They are a bit hard to install the first time, but once you have a few miles on them, they are much easier to get on and off the rim.

[madscot13]

I used to ride Pasela Panaracers w/Tourguard(kevlar). They were great tires and a good price, but a bit soft feeling.

Now I like Continental GrandPrix 4 Seasons. They are very puncture resistant but a bit harder than the Paselas, I like them. I use 700x25. Don't want to go thinner than that, since we do frequent riding on back country dirt/roughgravel roads.

how backroads are we talking? I have 32's that still can't prevent shell shock on the C and O. I find them more than adequate for the DC roads.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

how backroads are we talking? I have 32's that still can't prevent shell shock on the C and O. I find them more than adequate for the DC roads.

I don't know what the C and O means.

We are talking some very sharp rocky backroads. Brandy just posted a picture on her biking blog of a road she was on recently that looks similar to a couple of the worst back roads we have ridden on:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3435829215_54b4740e62.jpg
(great blog, Brandy)
We once rode downhill on a dried out creek bed too that was basically just a river rock trail through the woods.
Lots of back farm roads here that periodically get graded and bulldozed and spread with fresh chipped stone (can't even really call it 'gravel'). Sometimes they do a section and you don't discover it til you are there and can't easily turn back.
I'm really amazed that I haven't gotten more flats.
I've gotten 2 flats in about 7,000 miles, both were from long pointy glass shards.

I used to ride 700x 38's Paselas- big fat cushy things. I didn't get any more flats with either the 28 Paselas or the 25 Continentals.

Yes, the 38's did have a bit more 'cush' factor, but they were heavier too.
I never seem to have any 'cush' issue concerning the smoothness of my ride, having the 25's doesn't feel harsh to me. Maybe it's because of my steel bikes? I don't know, but I have never experienced anything I would call a harsh ride. (Except the one time I test rode an aluminum road bike for a couple of miles...I thought my fillings were going to come out!) :eek:

[madscot13]

Oh the C and O stands for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

http://www.nps.gov/choh/

http://bikewashington.org/canal/

I ride a steal bike too! Maybe I should start wearing bike gloves. I try to ride it with 32 tires, but maybe they are not a true 32 because every time I see a size 35 tire I am amazed at how much larger they are than mine.

I don't know how comfortable I would be riding on any paths like the image you posted. I think my wheels would get banged up pretty bad.

[anorange]

So I purchased the Schwalbe Durano tires. I got 700 x 25's. I really thought I was getting 700 x 23's, but failed to tell the guy at my lbs that was the size I was looking for. He thought I was looking for the 25's, and that's what he put on my bike. I didn't realize this until about 1/2 mile from the shop, riding on the new tires! I quick called them up and told them it was totally my fault, that I didn't explicitly say what size I wanted (in my excitement to get new tires I just forgot that important piece of information!). I asked if I could bring them back for the 23's and he said they didn't have them in 23's. He said I would notice a difference from my Panaracer T-Serves because these were lighter and faster. So I will give it a try and hopefully I will like them, because they were also more expensive that I was thinking. Where was my head in all of this??!!! From now on I mustn't lose myself in my excitement. I also fell in love with another bike while I was in there (don't let my Smoothie ES know). It's another Soma- a Speedster in a beautiful garnet red with a lugged steel frame. (Un) Fortunately it doesn't come in a small enough frame size to fit me. Phew!

[madscot13]

that will happen sometimes, but at least they are just tires. It is not like you bought a whole NEW bike because you got to excited.

[ASammy1]

LOVE the Conti grand prix 4000's! With the black chili compound, they are the best! No flats for me in years.
Tho I must say I don't know how they work in wet weather. I live in the desert so...

+1 on the Grand Prix 4000s! Thats what I ride and many of my friends ride the Gator Skins, so either would be a good choice.

[OakLeaf]

I've got GP4000s.

I just replaced the rear after about 2,300 miles. There was still at least a third of the tread left on it, which I thought was impressive, but it had several deep cuts, and I'd actually got a flat from cr*p that had worked its way into an existing cut. It was my second flat on the tire, and I'd already bought a spare since I wasn't sure how many miles I'd get out of them, so I went ahead put the new one on. I've had one flat on the front, just recently.

I like the feel. They seem to stick reasonably well in the turns, but I don't corner super hard. I rarely brake all that hard either, and don't remember anything particular about these tires under very hard braking. They do have a considerably more "triangular" profile than the Michelin Lithions I'd run in the past (like Dunlop motorcycle tires, if that helps anyone), so they turn in a lot quicker but might feel a little twitchy or take a little getting used to. I've never used them in very wet conditions, so can't speak to that. I admit it, I'm a fair-weather rider. :p

[mayanorange]

seems like you guys like the Contis- I'm looking at tires for Fern (Raleigh Super Course) and in 27s I can find Gator Skins or Schwalbe Marathons with the reflective sidewalls. Suggestions? I was leaning towards Marathons since I might want to do dirt paths with her, but maybe I should get a slick set and a cross set?