Tires

[Triskeliongirl]

Has anyone tried the Schwalbe Stelvio 23mm tires yet? I ride terry bikes (a titanium isis and dropped bar steel classic) with 24" front wheels so don't have a lot of choice in tires. I'd been running the panaracer pasela 25mm tires with fairly good luck on both my bikes until this week when I got 3 flats on two different bikes! In one case the tire has ~3000 miles on it and looks pretty worn but in the other it only has 500 (but bad road trash on my commute). I plan to put the stelvios on Isis, which is my 'go fast' club riding bike, but how will they hold up (i.e flat resistance?) if I need to use her for an occasional commute while my classic is in the shop? I am thinking to put the wider (32mm) pasela with tourguard in the rear on my classic, and the terry tullus (32mm) in front for commuting/touring. Anyone know how flat resistant the tullus is? I noticed it doesn't have kevlar or tourguard.

[DeniseGoldberg]

It's not an exact comparison, but maybe it will help... I run Schwalbe Stelvio 20 x 1 1/8 (the only size Stelvio available for 451 tires!) tires on my Bike Friday Pocket Rocket. This bike is set up as a road bike, and it is also the bike I use for commuting in the summer. I've been very happy with the tires.

When I do the calculation from inches to mm, it comes out to 28 mm. These tires seem to be a bit narrower than that, but they are certainly not as narrow as a 23, so I don't know if it's really a fair comparison. Hopefully someone else is using these on a 700c wheel.

--- Denise

[Triskeliongirl]

Thanks for the reply Denise! I just installed the stelvios in 23mm width, 24" front and 700c rear. Funny, but they look nothing like the stelvios I used to have on my bike friday pocket rocket pro before it was stolen. They look like a totally different tire. They look great, but I think I will keep them off my commute, at least until I see how they handle on the open road. The max pressure is 145. I inflated them to 140, although I am used to riding tires w a max of 115 so I have no idea how its gonna feel. I riead the tire inflation thread suggesting that lower pressure is better, but higher pressure reduces rolling resistance and thereby increases speed, so I'll have to play around with that. Any suggestions on tire pressure are welcome.

[jpbayarea]

I too am in the market for new less flattable tires. I ride on 700/23's and have been flatting way too often. Have you considered Armadillos? My son races at a high level and says the guys he trains with all use them for
their training rides knowing wasting time changing flats ultimately shortens the ride time. He says they roll pretty well surprisingly and he can ride through almost anything, including glass without a flat. Anyone on them and liking them???

[salsabike]

Just posted about this in another thread too--I've used both Armadillos and Gatorskins, think both are great---slick but strong.

[Triskeliongirl]

I have heard great things about both these tires, but the choices in 24" are more limited. Now that I have been riding the schwalbe stelvios for a while I have to say so far so good. They roll real nice, and so far no flats. While I can inflate them to 145, I found the ride too harsh and that I didn't have enough contact with the road so I have been running them at 120. Anyone try the terry tullus tire in a 32 width? I am thinking of putting one on the front of my touring bike, with a panaracer pasela tourguard 32 on the back for city riding. Currently I am using the 25 wide paselas without tourguard on my touring bike/commuter.