Tires that roll well and are puncture resistant?

[GregL]

For conventional clinchers, I’m a fan of the Continental Grand Prix 4-Season. I run them on my winter bike. The last thing I want on a winter ride in rain, sleet, and wind is a flat tire. So far, the 4-Seasons have proven reliable on salted and sanded winter roads.

Greg

[julian3141]

Originally Posted by weisan

Schwalbe G-One Speed 30mm tubeless or tubulars
https://www.twohubs.com/Product/schw...d-tire/1709713

I live in New York, where the streets are paved with broken glass and garbage. I run these tire and have found them to quite durable and also a pleasure to ride one. I tried gator skins and it was like riding on a garden hose. I also tried Challenge Stradas and they we super sweet to ride one and could it handle the beating.

[zlin]

Specialized Roubaix Pro Tire 700c Tubeless

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Is this an oxymoron?

I live in the East Bay Area where the roads are crap. The owner of my lbs paraphrased Bontrager “get Gatorskins or Armadillos. Or move somewhere where they don’t break glass on the street.”

The tires I punctured were Vittoria Corsas. And not for the first time, either. It’s too bad, because they’re so supple and roll so well. Is there a solution?

Not the aforementioned Gators or Armadillos. Or Gravel King Slicks, either. Durable, but not great in the “rolling” department.

[tootall]

Another vote for the Specialized Roubaix. I haven’t tried a ton of tires but had good results with the Roubaix, riding plenty of gravel and shoulders on 32s. Not the worst feeling tire either when running tubeless.

[bikinchris]

Someone mentioned the Grand Prix Four Seasons. Or Gatorskin BE which is neant for messenger bikes. That might be a choice. In Continental, these don't come in every size, but going from hardest to cut to better rolling:
Top Contact
Gatorskin Hardshell
Contact series such as Contact Urban or Contact Speed
Gatorskin
Gatorskin BE
Grand Prix Urban
Grand Prix Four Seasons
Grand Prix
Grand Prix 5000 series

[robertbb]

+1 on the Rubino Pro's.

30mm version measures spot on, on a 19mm rim. Great shape and profile, tough and roll really nice.

Clinchers too. Like the proper kind, with tubes, not filled with unicorn jizz.

[cuda]

until this last pair the GP5000( edit 5000S TR. i should have qualified this) were hands down the fastest and most bomb proof tire for me. The previous pair wore out without a puncture. That said the rear on my current set up has had 3 punctures, all pretty small and saved by sealant and fortunately I was never stranded.
Other than those the Pirelli P Zero were also exceptional. I didn't find them as "supple" as the Conti's. They also felt a bit slower but the cornering confidence was where they really shined.

[MikeD]

I'd stay away from Continental tires if you want puncture resistance. I see people flat with these poor rolling resistance Gatorskins just as much as with any other tire. Goatheads are going to go through any tire except a Schwalbe Marathon, which has a thick latex liner that is thicker than a goathead thorn so it doesn't reach the tube. Go tubeless if you're getting too many flats.

[Flinch]

Originally Posted by MikeD

I'd stay away from Continental tires if you want puncture resistance. I see people flat with these poor rolling resistance Gatorskins just as much as with any other tire. Goatheads are going to go through any tire except a Schwalbe Marathon, which has a thick latex liner that is thicker than a goathead thorn so it doesn't reach the tube. Go tubeless if you're getting too many flats.

^^^
What Mikey sez...

I found that plain tubed GP 5000 were flat-O-matics, worst tire ever. I had 12 flats in three weeks on the buggers. On the other hand, the GP 5000 TR tire run tubeless seems to be more better gooder, no flats in months.

Also running the Pirelli P Zero Road TLR and ditto, no flats.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by MikeD

I'd stay away from Continental tires if you want puncture resistance. I see people flat with these poor rolling resistance Gatorskins just as much as with any other tire. Goatheads are going to go through any tire except a Schwalbe Marathon, which has a thick latex liner that is thicker than a goathead thorn so it doesn't reach the tube. Go tubeless if you're getting too many flats.

What are tubes?

[fourflys]

tires are funny things.. some folks will swear by a tire while others curse them.. for me, I've had very good luck with Vittoria Corsa Controls (the previous gen, not the newest ones) in 28mm with either butyl or latex tubes.. my new to me Anderson has the same tires in a 25mm with race tubes (and higher pressure of course due to width) and I got a flat the other day on the second ride out on the bike.. maybe just bad luck or ??

I did just order a set from Bike Closet in 30mm for something like $36 a tire, hoping to fit them under the brakes.. it looks like I can.. I certainly think lower pressures can make a world of difference in getting flats..

[EB]

In my experience for your Bay Area use case, which is poorly maintained roads that will be littered with broken window glass and various other crap (hello construction screws), you have basically two choices:

1) Low pressure high volume tubeless (not narrow, high pressure, low volume road tubeless)
2) Gatorskins or Marathons

When I ran clinchers and commuted to and from SF every day, I constantly got flats until I switched to Gatorskins, which would still occasionally puncture due to the amazing amount of broken glass we have on the street.

When I started commuting on a gravel bike with low pressure, high volume tires... I never got a flat again.

The crossover point seems to be 35s. You really need to go up to 38/40s to get into the right pressure zone in my experience, but this will vary a lot based on your riding weight.

Of course tubeless is kind of a hassle for a commuter, but I am not sure if commuting is your use case.

[fmradio516]

If you go the Gatorskin route, I have a set of almost new 32mm's that im not currently using.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by EB

In my experience for your Bay Area use case, which is poorly maintained roads that will be littered with broken window glass and various other crap (hello construction screws), you have basically two choices:

1) Low pressure high volume tubeless (not narrow, high pressure, low volume road tubeless)
2) Gatorskins or Marathons

When I ran clinchers and commuted to and from SF every day, I constantly got flats until I switched to Gatorskins, which would still occasionally puncture due to the amazing amount of broken glass we have on the street.

When I started commuting on a gravel bike with low pressure, high volume tires... I never got a flat again.

The crossover point seems to be 35s. You really need to go up to 38/40s to get into the right pressure zone in my experience, but this will vary a lot based on your riding weight.

Of course tubeless is kind of a hassle for a commuter, but I am not sure if commuting is your use case.

Interesting.

Is it any better in Marin? The subtext of your response is that traditional road bikes with limited or standard (28c) tire clearance are ill suited for the Bay Area. Kind of hard to argue with that.

And just when I was getting back into rim brakes…

[AngryScientist]

Realistically flats are all luck. If you like the corsas; which I do too, I say step up to corsa controls and take your chances. Life’s too short to ride gatorskins.