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1. [url= http://www.wiggle.co.uk/panaracer-flataway-tyre-liner/ ]Panaracer Flataway Tyre Liner[/url]. I've had good experiences with these before. Should be pretty effective against shards of glass and nails. Won't dry out. Adds ~50g per wheel.
2. [url= http://www.wiggle.co.uk/slime-self-healing-road-inner-tube/ ]Slime Tubes[/url]. Never actually used these on my own bike, only my mum's. Will add weight, might dry out.
3. [s]Tubeless[/s]. Hahahahaha. Not on the commuter, thanks.
4. Schwalbe Marathon Tyres. Nah, my last pair weren't amazing and they're v expensive & heavy.
Anyone got anything to add or recommend either way?
You want the Marathon Plus
marathon plus.
No such thing as puncture proof only puncture resistance. I've been happy with vittoria randonneur. P nctures occur but very infrequently.
Marathon plus, end of thread
Has anyone said Marathon Plus yet?
Well.....
I've just bought some marathon plus, they are so thick I can't see how they will ever puncture unless I ride into a warzone or something...
However they are heavy and just make the bike ride really harsh so I would rather get a few puctures, for sale if anyone ones wooden feeling tyres for their 26" commuter 😀
Ran some of those Joes No Flats tubes on my commuter for two years, could still feel the goop in them moving about when I took them off a few months back. They were stuck to the tyres in a couple of spots too so had clearly done the job. Two years of (intermittent) commuting and towpath bashing, no punctures in that time. Not noticeably heavy in combination with all the other commuter junk (guards, lights, bags, etc).
Marathon plus. I have used them for a year and had one puncture - a 1 inch nail that I should have stopped and investigate before it eventually penetrated the puncture resistance area.
I do around 6-7000 miles a year on my commuter and they are the best I've found around for stopping punctures - miles better than continental gatorskins etc etc. I use a continental sport contact on the front and a marathon plus on the back, as it's the back that tends to puncture. That's a good mix for me...
I run Schwalbe Kojaks most of the year and rarely have punctures. I've found the most effective method in avoiding them is to check tyres weekly and prise out any flints or glass before they worm their way to the tube.
they are so thick I can't see how they will ever puncture
Take one freshly fractured Suffolk flint, aligned just so. Watch as it cuts right through the thickest part of the puncture resistant band as you ride over it. Throw tyre in the bin, the flint was as big as my thumbnail and half the thickness of the thumb.
The very latest Marathon Plus have a much improved ride quality
I would rather get a few punctures,
Commuting isn't about a bike feeling good or going fast. It's about reliability. Knowing you're going to get on the bike and get to your destination in the normal time, without any dramas. Imagine, if you will, driving to work in a car that looks lovely, but is likely to break down once a week. Silly, isn't it?
Marathon Plus.
Take one freshly fractured Suffolk flint
Hampshire/Wiltshire flints can cut through 18" of kevlar reinforced steel armour. FACT.
Some of the schwalbe marathon variants have a kevlar band in them thats meant to be good protection ive just fitted this morning some schwalbe marathon racers that were very light but apparently well protected. I shall find out tomorrow lol
Knowing you're going to get on the bike and get to your destination in the normal time, without any dramas.
That's why they are standard on all the fleet at work. Apart from the aforementioned wrecked tyre I don't think I've been out to a puncture in 3 years. (The Kenda equivalent was not so good, barely thorn proof).
Some of the Suffolk flint cuts if you look at it funny! 😉
Slime will kill the valve or your pump.
And when it does fail, you can't easily fix it.
APF
Marathon Plus
Or for a lighter weight and pretty much as effective (in 6 month use on and off road while I had them)
Halo Courier Berlin
Whatever tyre, I suggest checking them every few days. I often find bits of glass and flint embedded in the surface, slowly progressing towards the inner tube. I'm sure many punctures are the immediate blow out type, but many take a while for the sharp object to get to the inner.
When my 'plus tyre were new, I checked them once a weak. After... A week I got bored, and stopped picking out the (many) bits of glass.
That was 3 years, and about 15,000 km ago, in which time I've had no punctures, none.
(My commute is littered with broken glass, my non-plus marathons were puncturing roughly once a week)
Hated Marathons. Slow, heavy, bastards to get on and I still got a puncture.
Now using Sammy Slicks with the puncture strip and get 1 every 1000 miles or so. Much better compromise for me, but I have 10 minutes slack built into my journey in case....
Maxxis overdrive. Kevlar "protection" not had a puncture yet despite going over heaps of glass and a large thorn which just pulled out no drama
Marathon plus, and add some sealant into your inner tube if you're feeling really paranoid. It'll feel dead and horrible but you'll do well to puncture.
I've got a Marathon Plus upfront on my commuter, its done about 10,000 km with about 2 punctures though its starting to show its age, seems bombporof but very heavy.
On the back I've got a Schwalbe CX Comp tyre as the previous Marathon tyre wore through to the puncture prrof layer.
The CX Comp has been used on inner city roads, paths, towpaths, bits of offroad for the past few months with no problems so far, only £12 and half the weight of a Marathon Plus.
Commuting isn't about a bike feeling good or going fast.
Really? I like the bike that I do 5,000 miles/year on to feel as good as possible. It's the one that I'll still be riding even on those days when I don't particularly feel like going for ride. And given that its purpose is to get me to my destination, I'd like it to be as quick as possible too, whilst still being practical.
It's about reliability. Knowing you're going to get on the bike and get to your destination in the normal time, without any dramas. Imagine, if you will, driving to work in a car that looks lovely, but is likely to break down once a week. Silly, isn't it?
Yep, that would be silly. But even on 5,000 miles a year, I averaged a couple of punctures a year at most. Punctures take 5 minutes to fix, and don't need to be a drama. I'd much rather fix the occasional puncture than ride unpleasantly draggy tyres all year.
Marathon plus on my main workhorse/commuter, in 32c. So far so good, but yes heavy
Has anyone tried the solid foam tannus tyres? They're properly puncture proof, not extremely puncture resistant
Vittoria Voyager Hyper folding 37c on my do it all Boardman CX, excellent tyre and about a tenner from Planet X. They are puncture resistant and haven't had one in about 1k miles this year.
Just put some Conti Gator Hardshells for mine. The SMP's were just too bloody heavy in 700c form.
I had some of those vittoria voyager folding tyres and had two puntures in the last 4 months of commuting. Before that I had the marathon + tyres and had no punctures in six months.