I ride to work approx 24 miles a day from north to south Liverpool. I use the old railway line which has been converted/ tarmaced into a cycle path known affectionately as the ‘raller’ by the kids I teach.

Now the problem – the path is used as a pub, toilet, stolen car repository, mini moto track and bed by the local yoofs etc along pretty much its whole length and as such gathers a fair amount of glass and debris. I’ve suffered punctures long enough, sometimes as many as 5 a day, and want a solution!

Tyres I’ve tried so far,

Specialized armadillos (3 sorts different sizes) – the best but a record 3 punctures in one day
Continental gatorskins – rubbish! The 5 in a day tyre!

Is there a response to the ‘raller’s destructive power? I want to ride one day laughing in its face, pulling wheelies through burnt out mopeds, I want to skid through smashed becks bottles with impunity….(I think the punctures may have addled my brain!)

Cheers!

T’missus had really good results with conti travel contact. In 2 yrs of commuting used the puncture guarantee twice – each time a tiny sliver of glass had worked its way thru. Similar sort of commute. Each time a new tyre and tube for free.

Other than that you need solid or mousse filled tyres

Cut the bead off an old tire and put it inside the tyre your using, not to nackered though, does the trick….

Schwalbe Marathon Plus?

Spesh Nimbus Armadillos

Yep another thumbs up for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus with Smartguard.
Not the lightest of tyre but certainly the most puncture resistant tyre you can get. Ive not had a puncture in 3 years of using them. A mate of mine used them while cycling round South America and swears by them.

Assuming 700c.. I use Bontrager Racelite hardcases. Rode through a broken bottle last night and both were fine.

I would 2nd the travel contacts, they are quite fast too.

I like the sound of the schwalbes, they seem to be the consensus choice – Geoffj, this commute eats armadillos for breakfast, I’ve had a 2″ gash in the side wall, glass punctures and metal shard punctures in ONE day!

The route is great, I can cycle around 12 miles without really hitting the road but it is bankrupting me in tyres and tubes and patches ….

Marathons are fab.

http://www.greentyre.co.uk/bike.html

Conti Sport Contacts (26″) were great on my 16 mile round trip through London. I found nails sticking out of the things some days but the protective belt stopped any punctures. Seemed quite fast rolling too.

They come in 700c too so I’ve just put another set on my Roadrat for road duties now I’m back in Wales.

I’ve had some Michelin City tyres on my bike for about a year. Been good. Had more problems with faulty rimtape than anything else. Otherwise three punctures on the rear. Two from 2″ nails by a building site and the other from glass once, but given the amount of glass on my route that’s inmpressive.

I’ve had a look at the greentyres but am a bit dubious as to how they might perform. I don’t mind a bit of rolling resistance but don’t want to be brought to a inglorious halt after using all of my energy and will to live teaching double year 10 Thursday afternoon…The scallies on the raller might take advantage of my prone state to yell things like “eh mate ow much woz yer bike” and “do a wheelie” whilst surrounding me menacingly in scary tracksuits and hats….

Anyone have any experience of greentyres?

I have used a set – felt very dead but not noticeably slow. Worth a try if punctures are that bad I would have thought

Schwalbe Marathon/Marathon Plus. You’d struggle to hammer a nail through the Plus.

I seek glass out.

Oh and they’ve been on my fixed for two years.

Sureride anti puncture tape sorted out my 5 a day habit. Been clean for 3 months now. Cheaper than fancy tyres, too!

Another vote for Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Heavy and a pain to fit but I’ve yet to puncture them on my tow path commute.

armadillos again here, choice of couriers in my fair city so they’ll do me.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus – end of.

my panaracer ones have been flawess so far, have you tried slime as well (not tubeless sealent) it doesnt dry out and seal just about anything.

Travel Contacts – no punctures in 2 years of riding and I ride through anything with a carefree attitude.

Schwalbe Marathon Supremes for me – really nice ride quality -don’t know if as puncture proof as heavier duty Marathons but I haven’t had a flat so far

Spesh nimbus. 3 years commuting,no punctures.

I’ve used green tyres. Horrible and slow to ride, and they made it feel really horrible and bumpy cos they didn’t really absorb shocks in the same way, I’d not touch em with a bargepole.

Would tubeless tyres with sealant help at all? There are some pretty impressive videos of people riding over nails / glass etc. with tubeless.

Joe

I’ve got a marathon plus on the road bike, it’s very heavy and feels a bit odd, sort of floaty… But it’s impervious to all harm, which is nice. Don’t know if it’s the best but it’s very impressive.

I think if there is a by-product of this thread it is that people do not read the op! To all those recommending Armadillos in all their glorious variety – stop it! I’ve used them, they’re poo. They might work in London or some such other city where commuter debris is not really a problem but they do not work in Liverpool where I may run over anything from a glass bottle to a burnt out granny,

Lots of Love

I’ve had no problems with Gatorskins but you’ve found them unsuitable so that’s exhausted my knowledge! However, I’d suggest you’ll need to look at touring tyres of some form with thick rubber and the rest. Perhaps a call to SJS Cycles, as they sem to do a lot of touring bikes? It sounds like you’ll have to accept that whatever tyres you can find to sort this are likely to be thick, heavy and rather unresponsive. 🙁

Which are the tyres that are guaranteed no punctures for a year? Have you tried those?

Aha,

http://www.dutch-perfect.nl/frm-gb.asp
http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/109143.html

Or what about slime tubes?

There is a thread on CTC about this, dunno if it says anything not said here:
http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=25352&start=0

Joe

Sounds like you need more than puncture resistance.

Schwalbe Marathon plus are the best for puncture resistance – heavy and a little dead feeling. ride through everything tho’

My personal choice would be the Marathon XR in folding, almost as tough but a lot lighter and faster. proper expensive mind you but worth it IMHO

think if there is a by-product of this thread it is that people do not read the op! To all those recommending Armadillos in all their glorious variety – stop it! I’ve used them, they’re poo. They might work in London or some such other city where commuter debris is not really a problem but they do not work in Liverpool where I may run over anything from a glass bottle to a burnt out granny,

Maybe you should move down here to London mate. Liverpool sounds sh1t.

Spent many an hour on that path when I lived in Liverpool, never remember punctures being a problem and still use it occasionally. More worried about being relieved of my bike by the local scallies. Tyre wise, tried Nimbus armadilloes but far to heavy. Used conti sport contacts for a while and puncture resistance was great, was getting about 3 a week on Tioga City slicks changed to the sport contacts and had maybe 2 in 2 years. Also a very fast rolling tyre. My commute became slightly more rugged and the sport contacts wern’t suited, they dont take well to heavy landings and developed flat spots. Changed to Conti travel contacts, lot more air volume in the tyre and have been very happy with them, again 2 to 3 punctures a year seems to be the going rate and its usually hawthorns that I pull out.

Mcboo – Liverpool may have her faults (I won’t list them cos my fingers may drop off) but she is a fair city and my heart belongs here. As to moving to London, I get easily confused by modern ways and big fancy city life so it’s t’north for me I’m afraid – plus the granny was probably ‘snarlin’ a gang of ne’er do wells and got what she had comin’!

The suggestions are all appreciated and I’ve ordered some of the Schwalbe marathon plus and will report back (as if anyone’s that interested! Although a commuter tyre thread has generated a fair few responses…)

Conti City Contacts, with ‘Slime Liners’. Pretty much puncture proof! 😀

Continental top contacts .. very nice tyre, tough, reflective sidewall… and a one year puncture proof guarantee!

The marathons are heavy and armadillos are good, but made much more cheaply than the top contacts

Schwalbe Marathon Plus for me. Used them off-road on the flinty singletrack of the North Downs too with out issue (at 65psi).

An additional feature of them is their reflective sidewall which is a great night time aid.

They are a bitch to mount though. Luckily yo only need to take them off when they wear out.

Conti Travel Contacts

I was going to get the marathons but wanted something to handle a bit of off-road too so went for these as they have knobs at the sides, cheaper, free innertubes and can put in 80psi too, no problems yet and part of my commute is on flinty coastal paths, rough un-made roads – the sort of pot holed, rubble strewn, brick, clay, gravel, sand, you name it and we’ll fill the holes with it type road. Fast on the road too even if a little heavy. Think Merlin’s best prices at the mo?

Surprised to hear about the Armadillos, I had them on my old Kona 26″ wheeled bike and had no punctures for a couple of years riding on glass strewn cycle paths in Edinburgh.

I use Marathon Plus now on my 700c bike, probably for about 2 years and had no punctures yet.

move down here to London mate. Liverpool sounds sh1t.

LOL … Liverpool can be sh1t, especially commuting on the ‘raller’ at scally letting out time (sh4t my pants t’other week when my exit ramp was ceremonially lined with lager swilling, last-day-of-school-celebrating rapscallions. Winced as I cycled up the steep, wet slope (where I’d kissed tarmac the night before); fortunately their obese mascot type went on his arse allowing me to furtively slip by. I’d second Monkeenutz though – the Liverpool loop line sliced my Gatorskins like a cockney knife-fighter.

My Armadillos have faired much better, but I still fancy the impunity that greentyres offer. Has anyone actually ridden them on a road bike. Oooh, I can see myself now, riding without pump, tools, tubes or patches, skidding through beer bottles and bunny hopping burned out grannies… that’d earn me ’nuff respec with the ne’er-do-wells and no mistake!

PS Monkeenutz: your most effective way of remaining puncture free is to persist in your nesh refusal to ride your bike into work and come in the car instead. Have you got a problem being all hardcore like me?