Best Commuter Tires?

So my Bontrager Hardcases sorta died tonight, not really sure why cuz they maybe have 1000 miles on them. There was a big rain storm today and apparently they was something lurking in some of those puddles. I have actually like these tires until tonight when I realized it is nearly impossible to get them off my rims :eek: Good think the BF was able to come get me but that just not going to work because he isn't always able to come bail me out. I REALLY need to be able to get the tires off the rim!!!

Any suggestions on what has worked well for you?

I've got Vittoria Randonneur reflective sidewalls on two of my bikes. (28mm on one, 32mm on the other)

I'm quite happy with them. They handle rain very well. The low pressure (75 pounds or so) makes them cope nicely with bits of crud I ride over. The reflective sidewalls are surprisingly effective.

Although they are a bit expensive, I would recommend the Schwalbe Marathons... very long lasting and reflective piping around the circumference of the tire. They are also a tire that will last for quite some time AND most people generally don't tend to have a whole lot of flats with them... a big bonus. There's a link somewhere on TE about these tires if interested...



http://chasecyclery.blogspot.com

My Schwalbes are hard to get on & off. Practice in your home (or better yet at your bike shop).

Having said that, I need to do some practicing. On the other hand I haven't had any flats on the road.

They lasted about 8000 miles for me. This last time, I knew they were getting worn but I didn't realize quite how worn. I was amazed, with how flaky they were, that I hadn't had any flats.

I have experience 'hard' to get a tire on and off the rim and I can deal with them being tight but these Bontragers I can't even get a tire lever in around the edge of the rim! My BF tried and he couldn't either. It's almost as if they are glued! :eek: Have any of you experienced such a thing???

I was seriously thinking about the Marathons but I had looked at those Randonner's before too. Knotted how are those to get on and off the rims?

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Originally Posted by WindingRoad

I was seriously thinking about the Marathons but I had looked at those Randonner's before too. Knotted how are those to get on and off the rims?

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The 32mm are loose enough that they come on and off easily. The 28mm were a struggle for me when I bought them 5 years ago. I got one on, but had to take the other to the shop for help. Shop dude popped it into place with his thumb in half a second. :rolleyes: The tubes in the 28mm are probably getting old now and I should probably think about changing them out.

I have an assortment of tire levers now (including a quik-stik) and I think I could manage the 28mm on my own. I hope...

ETA: The 28mm Vittoria Randonneurs are on Campy rims. Shop dude told me Campy rims are difficult sometimes with tires. Maybe he just said that to make me feel better. But I vividly remember what a pain in the @$$ it was, and if I get a flat with that bike and can't budge the tires I'm not wasting any time - I'll head straight back to Shop dude.

Well to complicate things it looks like the rim tape it too wide for my rim which was causing the "glued" appearance. A friend helped me get it loose, apparently he must lift cars with his thumbs :-) I need to very carefully trim the tape back with scissors before I mount anything on the rims, grumble grumble grumble. Had to drive to work today, ick!

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

ETA: The 28mm Vittoria Randonneurs are on Campy rims. Shop dude told me Campy rims are difficult sometimes with tires. Maybe he just said that to make me feel better. But I vividly remember what a pain in the @$$ it was, and if I get a flat with that bike and can't budge the tires I'm not wasting any time - I'll head straight back to Shop dude.

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My shop dude says that some tires are not meant for some rims. We have some 28's for my DH that the shop dudes won't put on his kinlin rims (he bought them to ride in the winter - switched them out for the summer). They are an appropriate width for the rim - just a bad combo.

I have installed the marathons on several different rims, and haven't had any problems. Although I also do this for a living, so perhaps I've had some practice.:p


I will admit though that many of the rim and tire combinations are difficult, then again that's where I always win "beer when somone comes into the shop complaining that they can't get tires on their rims... of course they also think that a woman can't possible mount tires that they couldn't.:rolleyes:

Love my Schwable Marathon Supremes. I've had one flat in about 6000 miles, including 2200 miles of loaded touring. The one flat that I did have was caused by a 1/2 inch nail - it would have flatted a car tire.

Those tires were a bear to get on the first time, but when I had to deal with my flat the tire came off and went back on totally fine. I think they have to get stretched out a bit.

Still can't quite believe I've never had a flat on tour. Fire ants, broken cable and various other equipment screwups, but no flats.

I have gatorskins on the bikes with 28s and love them. I rode over all kinds of goatheads in the SW, and they've been good with glass/road debris in Philly.

The main commuter has 32s at the moment, and I listened to the bike shop guy and put Panasonic RibMo's on it--I had never gone above 28s so wasn't sure what my options were, and I was fed up with the stock tires and not willing to wait on marathons. BAD IDEA. This shop is staffed by a couple great mechanics and a bunch of college kids.....I'd had issues with the non-mechanic guys before and I should've gone with my gut and waited on marathons.

The RibMo's are horrendous on anything other than clean pavement, <1" of fairly compact sand/flood debris on the MUP was not good and I've had a few other interesting moments. Thankfully they're also not wearing very well, I've got maybe 3000 miles on them and I've gotten a couple flats lately that are related to tread wear in the middle of the tire, so my springtime treat will be a new set of marathons (after the marathon winters come off...).

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Originally Posted by carlotta

The RibMo's are horrendous on anything other than clean pavement, <1" of fairly compact sand/flood debris on the MUP was not good and I've had a few other interesting moments. .

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Interesting. In spring, my commuter had Panaracer's Urban Max. They had replaced a set of Urban max that lasted forever. However, I flatted the front 3 times in a week (on my commute, the streets are paved with glass -- a casino and way too many bars). All on the same tire.

I replaced the Urban Max with a RiBMo and nary a flat in 4K+ miles. People seem to either find the tough Panaracers either bullet proof or quick to flat. I wonder if it is a quality control issue? Except for that one Urban Max, my Panaracers (Urban Max and RiBMo, knock on wood) have been without fault. And, really, glass is an everyday occurrence.

This winter I'm going Schwalbe Marathon Winter. I've heard good things about the Marathon line.

To clarify, I haven't really have flat issues with the RibMo's. The bigger complaint I have is that they are really squirrely on any amount of sand/dirt/mud that washes onto the MUP and pretty poor handling on fairly packed dirt/gravel that I ride routinely on 28's and sometimes on 23's just fine. Something about the profile of the tire (the ridge down the middle, I think) makes them handle worse on non-pavement (for me) than narrower tires which is a bummer.

The flats I have had are recent and at least one was due to me not noticing a little piece of glass until it worked its way through the tire and into the tube. They haven't worn very well, but neither the bike, myself, or my usual load are anything approaching lightweight, so that may be some of it....

Hopefully we both enjoy the marathon winters in the next few months.....I've never ridden anything other than homemade studs so I'm interested to see how they pan out :)

Another suggestion, I put Nashbar Streetwise tires on my bike when I replaced my old tires, and they're great. Cheap, too. ;)

Very easy to install, and they have Kevlar for flat protection. Knock wood, I haven't had a flat with them (and I've ridden through some gnarly road debris).

Sizes seem quite limited now than when I ordered mine, though. Mine are 700x35; they have that plus 26x1.25 and 26x1.5. Don't know if those sizes are of any use to you.

Nashbar Streetwise Tires

On my SS I have Vittoria Rubino Pros, but then my bike is a child's track bike with 650c wheels, cos I'm a titch :D. I wish Schwalbe made Marathon Plus' for 650c wheels, I'd use them on the SS in a shot. Still, I have them on my 'runaround' bike which has 700c wheels, so I should be fine for the winter.