Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 30 total)
  • Winter puncture protection options!
  • flanagaj
    Free Member

    Trying to decide the best options for winter puncture protection. To date, I have tried Conti GP4000s, Panracer Gravel King & stock Diverge tyres.

    Hated the stock diverge tyres (specialized roubaix) as they were not supple enough. Both GP4000s and Gravel King are great, but suffered punctures with both. With winter approaching I am investigating options. So the list I have are

    1) Add a puncture bead to the inside of the tyre?
    2) Could I go tubeless on the Gravel Kings?
    3) Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, but I suspect they are a hard rigid tyre and bloody awful to ride many miles on?

    kerley
    Free Member

    If you are discounting tyres because they are not supple enough then forget about Marathon Plus immediately.

    I think you would need to go tubeless if you want supple and lower number of punctures. Can’t tell you which tyres though as I used tubed and gave up supple many years ago…

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Punctures are the trade off for supple unfortunately. Though my number of punctures have gone down to the “I can’t remember the last time” level since using latex tubes (with GP4000 in winter.)

    Hear good things about Schwalbe One tubeless. I think the new Corsa’s can be run tubeless too.

    fifeandy
    Free Member

    Option 3b: Marathons in the non-plus flavour (why does everyone always forget these?)
    Option 4: GP4Seasons – grippier compound and doubled up puncture layer.
    Option 5: If your rims can do tubeless then g-one tubeless.

    CraigW
    Free Member

    Or Marathon Supreme. They are much lighter than Marathon Plus. There is a tubeless version.

    amedias
    Free Member

    what are you getting punctures from?

    glass/thorns/grit/pinch/cuts, tread or sidewall, single penetration or gradually worked it’s way in etc…

    servo
    Free Member

    I too got rid of the horrible roubaix tyres on my diverge 👿
    Been riding Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons 28 which are a much nicer ride and pretty good puncture resistance.

    prawny
    Full Member

    What size tyres are you after? I have no issue riding 200ish miles a week on 25c Durano plus. They’re not as good as 4000s with latex tubes, but I wore the last one through to the blue puncture strip with no issues after about 6000 miles.

    Grip is better than gatorskins were too.

    flanagaj
    Free Member

    Looking for something 32c as that is what I currently have. As to going tubeless, any reason why I cannot do what I did with the MTB. Gorilla tape + stans or do road tyre pressures means it’s not that simple?

    Punctures seem to be from sharp fragments as I never have anything sticking through the tube when I fix them.

    flanagaj
    Free Member

    Ok. Bringing this thread back up as after 2 punctures in the space of 15 miles this morning I have concluded that the Panracer Gravel Kings will not cut it for winter commuting.

    Both punctures this morning were as a result of sharp grit. I had to pick both pieces out of the tube.

    The 30 mile to work are along roads that are very isolated and covered in all sorts of crap from tractors … I also have to hack 7 miles down a gravel trailway. Just thought I’d mention this as what ever tyre I try next it needs to be one that can handle grit, thorns …

    I even installed a Panracer puncture belt at the weekend in the rear tyre and injected 60ml latex into the front tube, neither of which appear to have worked.

    People have recommended the Durano DD’s but are they just as likely to puncture from grit?

    I know I am trying to find the holy grail here, but unless I can find a decent puncture proof tyre I might just have to quit winter commuting 🙁

    onandon
    Free Member

    From grit? Sure it wasn’t a cut that the grit found its way in?
    In the road bikes I give the tyres a one over after every use just to check cuts and glue them up or slap a patch on the inside, to prevent exactly this problem.

    flanagaj
    Free Member

    Yep, both punctures from grit. The grit was embedded in the tyre and had cut right through the puncture protection bead. The cuts were not already there.

    jimdubleyou
    Full Member

    Have you tried slime tubes instead of trying tubeless? I commuted all last winter on them with GatorHardshells & no worries*.

    The Hardshells are not supple at all, so I’m going to have a go with GP4 seasons & the slime tubes this winter.

    *edit – this is all London roads, from burbs to city – varying degrees of crap on roads, but nothing I’d describe as sharpened grit.

    spangelsaregreat
    Free Member

    Been running Schwalbe tubeless road for over a year now, only one puncture. Using the S Ones, excellent tyres, supple, good grip and fast.

    For road tubeless you don’t need tubeless specific rims. As long as you tape up the spoke holes and build up the rim bed for a good fit it work with most normal rims.

    You do need tubeless specific tyres as the stronger bead is needed to stop the tyre blowing off the rim.

    I am using Mavic Aksium disc wheels with Stan’s rim tape. Really easy to set up with the S Ones.

    Regards

    fifeandy
    Free Member

    A bit surprised sealant in the tube didn’t work – unless you inflated it with CO2 and immediately set the sealant?

    Anyway refer to option 3b above.

    flanagaj
    Free Member

    I think the reason the latex failed to seal the tube was down to the fact that the grit stayed stuck through both the tyre and tube. It looked like a catherine wheel with the latex spewing out.

    I am not convinced that tubeless will be the way to go. I run tubeless on the MTB and would never go back to tubes. I just don’t see how tubeless on the road will work. The grit is as sharp as small bits of flint and I reckon it will create too big a hole for the sealant to seal.

    I think it will have to be some hard / unsupple winter tyres.

    this is all London roads, from burbs to city – varying degrees of crap on roads, but nothing I’d describe as sharpened grit.

    This is one of the problems. Cycling on London roads is nothing compared to a narrow Dorset road frequented more by tractors than cars. The road also floods frequently so is always covered in grit that must be washed down off the fields.

    kerley
    Free Member

    I think it will have to be some hard / unsupple winter tyres.

    That’s what I do and use them all year round as punctures on sharp flinty gravel are not just a winter thing where I ride.

    Currently using Continental SuperSport plus which are holding up well and roll fast enough. They do have the riding on hose pipe feel to them though as they are very non supple.

    jeffl
    Full Member

    I gave up with faffing in the end and went for Marathon pluses. Whilst they are heavier and a bit dead I was getting a puncture a week commuting 60-90 miles. Figured the loss of pace overall was offset by the amount of time saved fixing punctures, in the cold, dark, wet winter days.

    In summer I run Vitoria Voyagers which are much nicer, although traction on greasy climbs is nowhere as good as the Marathon pluses.

    mtbfix
    Full Member

    I’d be inclined to agree with jeffl. Punctures on a commute are them worst. Especially come winter’s wet and dark. Robust tyres are my preference on the road bike.

    flanagaj
    Free Member

    Cheers fellas. Will get some Marathon pluses ordered today. I am a contractor so time spent faffing around fixing punctures == reduce billing.

    It’s also a right royal ball ache fixing punctures during the winter months. It’s dark, hand are freezing ….

    spangelsaregreat
    Free Member

    Re tubeless not sealing grit related punctures. For tubeless to not work you really need to have tear. The only puncture I got was from a bit of glass causing a half cm tear which would not seal. Small bits of grid working their way into the tyre should seal fine.

    Remember a tubeless tyre with sealant will seal much more effectively than a tube with sealant. Can’t recall the reasons why but there are some articles online that cover it.

    No tyre is puncture proof, it depends where you are on the ride feel vs risk of puncture spectrum. I run Schwalbe ice tyres which ninjas with samurais probably couldn’t puncture but they make the bike ride like the Titanic!

    flanagaj
    Free Member

    I run Schwalbe ice tyres which ninjas with samurais probably couldn’t puncture but they make the bike ride like the Titanic!

    I appreciate you can’t have it all. For me and I say this before trying them I would rather get on the bike and ride without having that nagging feeling “will I get a puncture today?” when I set off at 645am.

    kerley
    Free Member

    Durano Plus look good and are very similar to the Continental SuperSport Plus in weight and build (a thick rubbery protection strip).

    Both save a good bit of weight over Marathon Plus mainly because they are folding rather than rigid.

    ahwiles
    Free Member

    flanagaj – Member

    Cheers fellas. Will get some Marathon pluses ordered today. I am a contractor so time spent faffing around fixing punctures == reduce billing.

    fwiw, i find i don’t need a marathon-plus on the front. i can only guess that the extra weight on the rear wheel helps drive the ‘sharps’ through the tyre…

    PaulGillespie
    Free Member

    I’ve got a pair of conti city contact in 32c that I use for commuting along old railway lines/cycle paths. They seem to shrug off sharp objects that my GP4000s can’t handle. I picked them over the marathons as reviews seemed to suggest they rolled better and didn’t dull the ride too much. Only £15 an end too. Think they weighed in at about 500-600 which is maybe a good middle ground?

    fifeandy
    Free Member

    I still reckon normal marathons are plenty, no need for plus.

    tjagain
    Full Member

    I am a big fan of contis with puncture protection. My commuter is 26″ but when I checked it after a year I pulled 9 bits of glass out and counted more than a dozen other glass cuts in the carcass with none actually causing a puncture. Which reminds me – I must do it again

    ajantom
    Full Member

    I’ve used the Conti Top Contacts for a few years. Seem to be immune to punctures, roll very well, and not that heavy in the 28c flavour.

    ianfitz
    Free Member

    Not a supple or subtle tyre but shwalbe land cruises are indestructible, fairly heavy, but many sets survive the three peaks each year.

    Currently £8 each at halfords too

Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 30 total)

The topic ‘Winter puncture protection options!’ is closed to new replies.