I’m looking for some new tyres for the commuter. 700x 28(ish).

in the past i’ve destroyed paselas and duranos – so need something more robust – there’s a lot of glass on my run in.

Currently running marathon plus – but they suck the life out of the bike.

so something inbetween; wondering about durano plus?

Marathon Plus if you want the toughest and longest lasting.
Marathon Supreme if you want the same but lighter and faster*
Marathon Mondial if you go off the roads (gravel etc) at all.

I think that covers it. 🙂

*and if you’re loaded. They’re £50 each.

Supremes are the best compromise I’ve tried.
Faster than Paselas, really grippy, light for what they are and they roll well.
Ok on dry hard pack, sketchy on anything else.

Tempted by Kojaks, but have red mixed reports about durability and grip.

Not tried the Continental touring tyres, they’re a bit heavy and they don’t do folding versions.

Panaracer used to do a courier version of the Pasela called the T Serv.
Used them for ages on MTB commuters, very good if you can find them.

I’m running 28mm Conti 4 Seasons at the moment- fairly plush ride, really grippy in the wet and no punctures after 1000 miles. Downsides are they come up small (26mm on my Shimano RS010 wheels) and a huge downer- the stitching on the sidewall started to come loose to the point I could pull off long strands of thread from the sidewall and this is under normal use. According to other users this seems to be a common fault. Needless to say I wont be buying them again. After researching- I think I’ll be going for 25mm Michelin Pro4 Endurance next.

I am currently running Continental 4 Seasons on road bike and Michelin Power Endurance on SS road bike for commuting, both are pretty puncture proof, but not so heavy i felt like cycling through treacle.

In winter, i use Conti tubes with removable valve core and out half a syringe of Stans fluids in the tubes too.

Other option, and something i thought would be rubbish, but actually make sense in winter are Tannus solid tyres, actually roll pretty well (but not cheap)

I’m running 28mm Conti 4 Seasons at the moment-

I’ve been using these for years. Fitted a new set in February and had 1 puncture since then, that over 4500 miles.

Never had the issue you describe.

I switched from Marathon Plus to Wiggle’s own brand Lifeline Prime Armour in the Spring and have been very impressed. [whisper]Not a single puncture so far.[/whisper] Only go up to 25mm, but they’re comfy enough on my commute of rough asphalt, a few cobbles and some gravel track. Grip in the wet is decent enough too so I’ll be keeping them as far into the winter as possible before breaking out the spikes.

Oh, and they’re dirt cheap.

I’ve used Kojaks a few times, they have great grip and roll fast, their durability and puncture resistance is better than many but not up there with Marathon Plus etc.

I’m currently on Marathon Racers, which roll slower but last longer. Equally as grippy and puncture resistant.

Continental Gatorskin roll fast, lasted well and had great puncture resistance, but terrible grip in the wet.

Good price for Marathon Racer on Tredz (£23.99 for 700x30mm)

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Schwalbe-Marathon-Racer-RaceGuard-SpeedGrip-Tyre_81449.htm?sku=324149&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=CNf07ouVrc8CFUUq0wodVkQJMA

I’ve had a Durano Plus on the back since I started commuting again last december. I’ve just fitted the second one and it’s been faultless. I wore the tread through to the blue on the first one after 6000 miles. Will more than likely get another one in another 5000 miles or so.

I cycle from Orpington to the city (Fenchurch St) and have used numerous tyres over the past 2k miles. Obviously I’m not using proper commuter tyres (apart from the Bontys) as i’d rather fix the odd puncture than have to ride something with horrid tyres. Mind you, I don’t use guards either so draw your own conclusions!

Vittoria Open Pave 25mm – Fast, comfy, but frequent punctures once the tread gets lowish, which doesn’t take long as they’re crazy soft
Conti GP 4000 28mm – surprisingly these haven’t punctured much at all and have worn quite well. Obviously fast and grippy
bontrager Hardcase lite 32mm – heavy, slow and I still punctured. Also amazingly bad in the wet
Conti GP 4 seasons 25mm – had two sets, both fell apart but up until then were fairly puncture free.

I’ve now switched to a set of Hunt wheels set up tubeless with 28mm Schwalbe Pro Ones and not had a puncture in 500 miles. However they’re terrifying in the wet, so I’ll be looking for something else when they wear out.

Riding where I do, most of my punctures are either glass which the tubeless seems to fend off quite well, or nails/staples/spikey metal bastards that no tyre will stop.

have used numerous tyres over the past 2k miles

Really? I fitted a set on my commuter 4.5k miles ago and they’re still fine.

I agree on the bontrager hardcase, horrible wooden feeling tyres and not very puncture proof.

I have a few bikes I swap between, plus I keep buying stuff I don’t need in the quest for the perfect commuter bike. And I like doing skids…

Marathon Racers, which roll slower but last longer.

marathon racer is a durano. Durano < 28c racer > 30c.

Had these too and the glass goes through them too often. Great tyres, loved them on my gravel/ tourer for gravel/ touring but no good on the bad streets of east southampton!!

Schwalbe market the Durano Plus as the maximum 7 on their protection scale, only slight downside is the 700x28c is slightly heavy wired bead rather than folding (just like my 700x40c Marathon Cross on the skinny setup).
http://www.schwalbe.com/en/road-reader/durano-plus.html

The Durano DD is almost rated as good at 6 protection, but the folding 28c is ~200g lighter than the Durano Plus at ~330g.
http://www.schwalbe.com/en/road-reader/durano-dd.html

What is the maximum clearance you have?

I’ve been using these for years. Fitted a new set in February and had 1 puncture since then, that over 4500 miles.

Never had the issue you describe.

That’s great! I know a number of people who get on with them just fine.. I only wish I could say the same thing!

Is there a reason no-one seems to run the standard Marathon (greenguard), lots of people above seem to use either the heavier plus version, or the lighter racer version?

thomthumb – Member
marathon racer is a durano

Had these too and the glass goes through them too often. Great tyres, loved them on my gravel/ tourer for gravel/ touring but no good on the bad streets of east southampton!!

Are you actively seeking out glass????

I have ridden 2.5K miles on my Duranos and had only 2 punctures -from big thorns (in the dark) last winter.

Every week or so I pick out the bits of glass that have stuck into the rubber, this prevents the glass working through the tyres.

I got marathon supreme from one of the German stores which took the sting out of the price, only 1 puncture in the last 18 months, not a clue what did it is the tyre was clean but the tube went with a bang.

Vittoria Open Pave 25mm – Fast, comfy, but frequent punctures once the tread gets lowish, which doesn’t take long as they’re crazy soft

Oh, but the ride!

Duranos or Durano Plus for durability. I commuted all last winter on Schwalbe Ones.

Is there a reason no-one seems to run the standard Marathon (greenguard), lots of people above seem to use either the heavier plus version, or the lighter racer version?

I’m running the green guard marathons having run the smart guard previously. Still no punctures on a vary rural mixed surface commute but no appreciable gain in performance – heavy, harsh and dead. Still wouldn’t swap them for anything else purely from a puncture and durability POV.

marathon plus here. they’re heavy for sure, but they’re very reliable and i have no worries about cycling through crap or broken glass (commute into central london)

when they die i might try something else, but so far they’ve done the job

I rode 25c Conti GP4 Seasons for nearly 1200 miles without a single puncture but after that they became a bit unreliable and I wasn’t imressed with the durability of the sidewalks as already mentioned. The ride was superb though, lovely tyres.

I now been on 28c Durano Plus for the last 400 miles, yes they are rigid, heavier and they have definitely killed the quality of the ride but I’m confident in their durability and expect them to last longer than their predecessors, and I hope to have a problem free winter with my 5am commutes on dark country roads