I’ve got 18mm slicks on at present and feel like I’m going to die every time it rains.

What would you recommend for wet and shitty whether? Got some scary round abouts with lots of slippy white paint to negotiate and would like a little more grip!

Dave.

18mm, now that is narrow. I use Continental Grand Prix 4 season in winter and recently plain old Continental Grand Pix 24mm, I’m impressed with the Grand Prix for summer use.

I’ve got 28mm Continental GP 4 seasons on my commuter, and the difference in grip between those and the tyres that came with it was night and day. Plus they’re practically bulletproof (I’ve stopped before and pulled out shards of glass as big as the nail on my little finger which the tyre just ignored). Highly recommended.

Schwalbe duranos 25mm they size up fairly big so more like a 28 I’d say,
Super long lasting and the plus version are very well puncture protected if commuting

Anything with more volume will b significantly better,
U might even go quicker than on 18mm’s due to the better rolling they give

Michelin Krylion Carbons if you can find them are a good, hard wearing and light tyre with reasonable puncture protection. In a 25mm size they are only about 50-60g per tyre heavier than a Schwalbe ultremo r1 in 23mm. (verified on my kitchen scales)

If you aren’t bothered about weight then go for something really puncture proof like conti gatorskins.

Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase (23mm)

1 rear puncture in 4 sets of tyres over 5 years.

Hmmm not sure about the £25 price tag on the Conti GT4 tyres – I’d prefer to keep my budget for the MTB! What would you recommend for a proper Yorkshire cheepskate like myself?

Keep the comments rolling in, cheers!

Michelin Krylion Carbons if you can find them

I found they cut up really easily – after a few months of daily commuting they had about 3 gashes in them through to the carcass – and I avoid everything like glass, stones, potholes, and the roads are fairly smooth.
I currently use Conti GP4000s in 25c which are noticeably bigger than 23c and give an extra bit of cush and grip – they are immense.
They’re not going to stand up to glass and potholes but they feel so much better to ride on than armoured tyres which just feel like riding on slippy bumpy plastic.

EDIT: but they’re too expensive for your tastes. why not just buy a nice one for the front and then a cheap Vittoria Rubino for the back for like £8?

been commuting for either 3 or 4 years now on a set of conti gatorskins 28c.

they were a fiver each in halfords iirc.

Michelin Krylion Carbons – tried them a couple of years ago when they were all the rage, nice tyre but didn’t find them hard wearing at all and not that puncture proof.

Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase – tried them, hated them. Gave a very wooden ride feel and not that puncture resistant. Cheap though.

If I was putting only one decent tyre one it would go on the rear where punctures are a bit more annoying to deal with. Oh the samek of mismatched tyres.

18mm tyres on an mtb!

actually out of that time i did 6mths on a pair of 23c schwalbe stelvios.

they were £1 a pop from halfords. lighter and faster feeling than the conti’s but were looking worn after 6mths – get what you pay for eh?

Tyres for commuting?

Schwalbe Marathon Plus 28 or 32 x 700c. Reflective shoulder and bullet proof. 10000s of miles over the years in London and my only punctures have been ripped valves.

I was shocked how cut up the first set I wore out were!

Schwalbe Marathon Plus 25s here. Heavy, but so is the rest of the winter/commuter roadie. They don’t puncture. Just don’t let the pressure get too low.

Fixed gear has had Spesh Armadillos for the last 6 months or so. No issues yet.

Both plenty grippy in everything except ice or compacted snow. Both happy to take off-road routes, towpaths etc.

You might be limited by tyre clearance on your road bike – to as little as 25mm. Something like a Gatorskin/Marathon might sound expensive but they will last for ages and you’ll be glad of their robustness at 7pm on a dark, cold, wet winters night when they shrug off the nth puncture.

23mm Durano Plus. Fantastic in the rain, really confidence inspiring. Had my first puncture after 3000 miles yesterday. I have 25’s on another bike and they are more comfortable, but slower and heavier (they are the London wire beaded version). I run them at 110 and 100 PSI respectively.

Yesterday’s puncture – you can see the protective blue plastic inner. Even a Marathon Plus would have struggled to survive the glass I removed.

25c GP 4 Seasons. I’ve been riding on the 23c version, changed after about 6000 miles because I’d gone down to the carcass, no flats.