Best Commuter Tires?

[Melalvai]

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.

[WindingRoad]

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! 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?

[KnottedYet]

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?

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. 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.

[WindingRoad]

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!

[Blueberry]

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.

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.

[ridebikeme]

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.


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.

[soprano]

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.

[carlotta]

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...).