700x32C Tyre opinions

ciotog

I'm looking at replacing the back tyre on my hybrid (Kona Dr. Good). I'm seeing a deep cut on it and some other smaller cuts so thinking of replacing now before winter is on us. The factory supplied tyre is a Continental CityRide and I've had no complaints with it - about 1900km on it and not an excessive number of punctures (no idea how many, < 5 I'm fairly sure). I see from previous threads that the Continental SportContact has fans as does the Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I'm thinking of going with the CityRide again but wondered if anyone had strong recommendations for something else?

Alanstrainor

Gatorskins are definitely great for puncture resistance. Never had a single puncture after 2000Kms commuting in and out of Dublin city centre. Mine were 700*25 and were pretty lethal in the wet. Wasn't impressed with the grip at all. But the puncture resistance was fantastic.
That being said though, with the 32's is could be alright.

Lumen

1900km on a tyre is not much at all.

Maybe consider Vittoria Randonneur.

smacl

I went for 32c Shwalbe Marathon Supremes for my hybrid, and have had one puncture in slightly over 4000k. Good in wet, and on rough broken up surfaces such as fire roads and Dublin's cycle lanes

Diarmuid

I would NOT be happy with 4 punctures on 1900kms. There are far better tires out there

Tonyandthewhale

panaracer rimbo, vittoria randonneur. 1900km isn't a long time for a tyre to last. 1900km isn't even a long time to go between punctures. I've got a couple of thousand km's up on the 35mm panaracer rimbo's on my touring bike and still no punctures.

blorg

Diarmuid wrote: »

I would NOT be happy with 4 punctures on 1900kms. There are far better tires out there

Weight, riding style, riding conditions, inflation pressure, all have an impact.

Diarmuid

blorg wrote: »

Weight, riding style, riding conditions, inflation pressure, all have an impact.

Do we have to append disclaimers to exclude the couple of % of riders at the extremes for every post now?

For the majority of conditions that a person riding a hybrid will meet, I would NOT be happy with 4 punctures on 1900kms.

gman2k

Diarmuid wrote: »

blorg wrote: »

Weight, riding style, riding conditions, inflation pressure, all have an impact.

Do we have to append disclaimers to exclude the couple of % of riders at the extremes for every post now? For the majority of conditions that a person riding a hybrid will meet, I would NOT be happy with 4 punctures on 1900kms.

Being happy with it will not impact the number of punctures per km ridden. I once got four punctures on one training spin, with good clincher tyres. The factor was the condition of the road and debris. Was I happy- no, but the tyres could not be blamed.

blorgs comments still stand!

ciotog

Thanks for the excellent feedback folks. It's interesting to read that several of you think 1900km with around 5 punctures isn't good. The state of the roads here in Galway is very poor and the amount of glass in cycle and bus lanes is significant. Given that I'm actually happy I haven't had more but if I can do better then that's excellent. I'm heavy enough at 83kg but from reading other threads on bike selection that seems to be within normal operating range Riding style is conservative enough, I'm on the same set of routes so can usually avoid most (not all) of the potholes and I'm not hopping on/off kerbs. Pressure wise the tyres have a printed range of 60-80 max and I've kept mine to about 70.

Smacl's comment on the Marathon Supremes on wet and rough surfaces appeal as that's very much in line with my daily commute. Two mentions of Vittoria Randonneur so I'll have to take a look. The Gatorskins lack of grip would worry me given the high incidence of water pooling on the roads here in Galway (drainage issues).

cdaly_

The only lack of grip I've had on the Gatorskins is on wet manhole covers. No problems on wet roads and standing water is not an issue for bike tyres anyway. OTOH, I don't think you'll get gators in 32mm anyway...

Civilian_Target

I'd definitely recommend regular Marathon's.

I put a 700x32c Schwalbe Marathon on the back of my hybrid in 2006, at least 10,000km later it's still going, never punctured.

While I know the technical difference between Marathon and Marathon Plus, unless you regularly cycle through fields full of thorns, Marathon Plus is overkill.

Civilian_Target

Oh, and I disagree with SAMCL, compare to say, Continental Ultras, the grip on Marathon is not good (although it's not bad for a puncture proof tyre), but for the back wheel it's good enough. I put a grippier tyre on my front wheel though....

ciotog

Civilian_Target wrote: »

I'd definitely recommend regular Marathon's.

I put a 700x32c Schwalbe Marathon on the back of my hybrid in 2006, at least 10,000km later it's still going, never punctured.

While I know the technical difference between Marathon and Marathon Plus, unless you regularly cycle through fields full of thorns, Marathon Plus is overkill.

That's impressive but I think I do want something hardier. I mostly commute by bicycle so dependable is highly desirable and I'm happy to put the money into a good tyre. The Vittoria Randonneur is quite appealing having looked at the details at some reviews.

smacl

Civilian_Target wrote: »

Oh, and I disagree with SAMCL, compare to say, Continental Ultras, the grip on Marathon is not good (although it's not bad for a puncture proof tyre), but for the back wheel it's good enough. I put a grippier tyre on my front wheel though....

Big difference between regular Marathons and Marathon Supremes. The supreme is a slicker tyre better suited to the road, whereas the regular Marathon is good on muddy and loose surfaces but not so good on the road. I changed from regular Marthons to Supremes and find they're a way better road tyre, with no problems in the wet. Both handle rough surfaces very well, with the regular's having a slight edge IMO.

ciotog

Lumen and Tonyandthewhale, just to check; would the Randonneur Hyper be the tyre you're recommending (or think is suitable)? That's the one that I get when I use the tyre selector tool on the Vittoria website.

acurno

cdaly_ wrote: »

The only lack of grip I've had on the Gatorskins is on wet manhole covers. No problems on wet roads and standing water is not an issue for bike tyres anyway. OTOH, I don't think you'll get gators in 32mm anyway...

Wiggle are doing them in 32mm. I'm looking at them and the Marathons. Flip a coin I think.

Having the same issue as the op. Galway commuter cyclist as well. Have had loads of punctures on my Giant hybrid, last one being last week. Went in on the road bike today with newish gatorskin on back. Puncture. Might have been underinflated but still very surprised, thought they were meant to be bulletproof. Roads here are horrific, far too much glass. Though as I hopped off the bike to walk, a roadsweeper went past me. If only he was five minutes quicker.....

Wishbone Ash

My wife's hybrid has over 5,000kms without a puncture on a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus's 700x32.

I too would consider over 5 in 1'900 kms to be excessive.

acurno

Will most inner tubes fit a normal 700 rim? Got 700 x 32 on my hybrid but most inner tubes on wiggle just say 'road'. Doesn't seem to be an option for a hybrid one

blorg

ciotog wrote: »

That's impressive but I think I do want something hardier. I mostly commute by bicycle so dependable is highly desirable and I'm happy to put the money into a good tyre. The Vittoria Randonneur is quite appealing having looked at the details at some reviews.

There is a tradeoff between puncture protection and ride quality. Better puncture protection = worse ride quality. You can get 100% puncture protection with a solid rubber tyre, but it will ride like shít.

acurno wrote: »

Will most inner tubes fit a normal 700 rim? Got 700 x 32 on my hybrid but most inner tubes on wiggle just say 'road'. Doesn't seem to be an option for a hybrid one

You just need to match the size, so a 700c tube in the right width range will do fine, yes. 700c is a "road" wheel size.

ednwireland

panaracer crosstown on the back cos thats what the shop had

michelin pilot sport road on the front (cos it was cheap) £8 but 32 out of stock

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=32825

michelin world tours disintegrated so they are off the list

but i dont ride on dirty roads (except when theres hedge cutting)

Lumen

ciotog wrote: »

Lumen and Tonyandthewhale, just to check; would the Randonneur Hyper be the tyre you're recommending (or think is suitable)?

Never heard of the Hyper, must be a new thing. The Randonneur is a popular tyre, but I've only used it briefly. Can't remember why, maybe the bike got nicked.

DePurpereWolf

smacl wrote: »

I went for 32c Shwalbe Marathon Supremes for my hybrid, and have had one puncture in slightly over 4000k. Good in wet, and on rough broken up surfaces such as fire roads and Dublin's cycle lanes

I have the same tyres, but no idea on the kms I've put on it. One puncture in 1.5 years, a 2 inch nail went through the 'cheeck' in and out.

Killme00

What's the difference between the Marathon and the Marathon plus with the exception of the price?

Lumen

Killme00 wrote: »

What's the difference between the Marathon and the Marathon plus with the exception of the price?

Thorn protection on the Plus, IIRC. It's probably a sidewall thing.

HivemindXX

Used Schwalbe Marathon Plus for years. Wasn't able to get them last time I needed new tyres so ended up replacing one with a Continental (no idea what type) and then a while later the other with a Specialized (Armadillo I think it was called). Both of those tyres wore out far quicker than I'd have liked, one developed a big hole in the side wall and the other had a long slice in the top, and both of those issued caused me a number of punctures before I got rid of them.

Back to Schwalbe Marathon Plus now and much happier. I ended up ordering a bunch of them from Germany in case the LBS runs out again.

No idea what difference the Plus makes. They have a site here (http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/tour/) but it doesn't really give a lot of details.

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

Thorn protection on the Plus, IIRC. It's probably a sidewall thing.

They are fundamentally different tyres. Basically the Plus has a 5mm thick rubber layer between the tread and the carcass. This makes for very good puncture protection at the expense of extreme weight and reduced ride quality.

ciotog

blorg wrote: »

There is a tradeoff between puncture protection and ride quality. Better puncture protection = worse ride quality. You can get 100% puncture protection with a solid rubber tyre, but it will ride like shít.

Understood, that was the appeal of the Vittoria over the Marathon Plus - it's about half the weight. I don't know what other tyre characteristics (tread aside) I should be considering regarding ride quality? As I mentioned in my original post I didn't think the handful of punctures I've had was bad going given the state of the roads. Others thought it was excessive and I could get a tyre with better protection. My primary concern is that the current tyre is showing at least one deep cut along with smaller cuts and bits of gravel embedded in the tyre.

blorg

ciotog wrote: »

Understood, that was the appeal of the Vittoria over the Marathon Plus - it's about half the weight. I don't know what other tyre characteristics (tread aside) I should be considering regarding ride quality? As I mentioned in my original post I didn't think the handful of punctures I've had was bad going given the state of the roads. Others thought it was excessive and I could get a tyre with better protection. My primary concern is that the current tyre is showing at least one deep cut along with smaller cuts and bits of gravel embedded in the tyre.

You don't need any tread at all for road riding; personally I look for a tyre with as little as possible. Tread on a road bike tyre can only add weight while reducing grip.

The Marathon Supreme is a good tyre available in that size, it is relatively light, durable, and good riding. I have torn a sidewall in one (700x35c) but that was after being forced off the road in Northern India by a truck into a shallow ditch. Doesn't happen so much at home. I would certainly recommend it as a tyre, it is probably the best out of what is available in those sort of sizes. I still have one of these as my front tyre.

I have also used Continental Sport Contact (in 700x37c) and they are also good, recommended.

Standard Marathon will give you maybe slightly more puncture protection but worse weight and ride quality.

Marathon Plus will give you the best puncture protection but at the expense of extreme weight and reduced ride quality. I would not personally use this tyre even if I was cycling around the world (which, incidentally, I am )

EDIT: Meant to add, you need to periodically remove all that cráp from your tyres. It is normal that it builds up in there, but if you leave it, it will eventually work its way through and you get a puncture. If you remove it you will radically reduce the number of punctures you suffer from. Check them every week or even every month and you will get less punctures.

smacl

The Schwalbe site is worth a visit, as the Marathon name covers a multitude of options. e.g. at 700x32c the supreme weighs 375g whereas the plus weighs 800g, or for two tyres that's 850g total in the difference.

cdaly_

While the Marathon Winter weighs a ton*...


*Well, 910g really...

ClareVisitor

+1 for Marathon Plus if you're after puncture protection. I got a rake of punctures last winter on the tyres my bike came with, I put these on and nothing. Yeah, they're heavier, but what you trade that for the knowledge that you'll be very unlucky to get a flat with them.

ciotog

I went for the Marathon Supreme in the end. Not long after I posted this I had a severe puncture that opened up the most damaged part of the tyre and a large gash on the tube (I heard the 'pop' and rapid hiss of air). I was on holiday not long after and just got to order the tyre last week from Chain Reaction. It arrived today so tomorrow will be my first commute with it. Buses are hell, can't wait to be back out on the bike