Newbie looking for replacement tyre advice on Trek FX 7.3

route66

I picked up a Trek FX 7.3 last September. I got it on the bike to work scheme and spent a bit of time getting the spec just right. I am very happy with the Trek, and am amazed at the progress in the 20-odd years since I last owned a bike.

I was advised at the time to upgrade the original tyres (Bontrager Race Lites) to Schwalbe Marathons and these have been great. However, the size of the original tyres were 700x32c and the Marathons are 700x35c. I have since come across this link http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/tire_dimensions#rim and this tells me that the maximum tyre width for my 15mm wheels is 32c. It also says that wider tyres can put undue stress on the rims. Before I discovered this I was thinking about ways to speed up the bike and narrow tyres were an option I had considered (getting fitter or loosing weight would be too simple )


Still with me? Sorry for rambling on a bit, but I have some questions:

• Would 35C tyres have stressed my rims - I inflated the Marathons to about 80 PSI.
• I want a tyre that's faster but still very robust. What's best:
  • Schwalbe Marathon Supremes - 700 x 32c (Narrowest available, weight 375g)
  • Continental Gator Hardshell - 700x28 (Widest available, weight 390g)
    (My Marathons are 650g)

I can use my Marathons in another bike we have at home so they won't go to waste. Any advice appreciated - Thanks for listening !

route66

I've also just seen this one: Schwalbe Marathon Racer. The closest size to what I want is 700 X 30C and these weigh 325g - 1/2 the weight of what I have!

I suppose these tyres trade puncture resistance for speed, but would a clueless newbie like me actually notice the difference in speed / rolling resistance?

I should add something about the type of cycling I do. The vast majority of my cycling is done on regular roads. I've done 820 miles in the last 10 months and most of this would have been either commuting to work (well, I did get my Trek on the bike to work scheme ) or doing weekend runs up the Dublin mountains. The only offroad cycling I do is very occasional outings on forest trails and this would account for a lot less than 5% of my total.

So, what tyre:

• Schwalbe Marathon Supremes - 700 x 32c (Narrowest available, weight 375g)
• Continental Gator Hardshell - 700x28 (Widest available, weight 390g)
• Schwalbe Marathon Racer - 700 X 30C ((Narrowest available, weight 325g)

ThisRegard

Just out of interest, why did you get rid of the bontragers, purely for the additional grip on the marathons ?

Bluefoam

I'm using 700x28c on Dublins pok marked roads & find them fines...

route66

ThisRegard wrote: »

Just out of interest, why did you get rid of the bontragers, purely for the additional grip on the marathons ?

No - I just went with a recommendation. The idea of an - almost - puncture-proof tyre appealed; it was nothing to do with grip. The "upgrade" also was at zero cost. If they were 32C I'd probably leave them alone but the fact that they are 35C - and therefore too wide according to the link I posted above - means I should change them. And of course, if I'm going to change them, I now have a choice - always a dangerous thing :eek:

I've really no idea what I'm on about here. I have all the facts but no practical knowledge at all; would a newbie notice the difference between a truck tyre and a racer tyre on a bike like my Trek FX 7.3

route66

Bluefoam wrote: »

I'm using 700x28c on Dublins pok marked roads & find them fines...

Are these the Gator Hardshells? What type of bike are you using?

TIA!

ThisRegard

route66 wrote: »

No - I just went with a recommendation. The idea of an - almost - puncture-proof tyre appealed; it was nothing to do with grip.

Ok, the Bontrager that come on them are virtually puncture proof too, they have a kevlar belt in them so you would have been fine, if they were the hard case, which I presume they were, they have some triple puncture protection dealy, kevlar being one, anti pinch ribs and some woven construction on the side wall.

treade1

If I were you I would stick with the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. How many punctures have you got with these tyres on the bike? There is an awful lot of broken glass around and the only tyres that are proper glass resistant are the Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Even Specializied Armadillos can be penetrated by glass. To be honest for commuting purposes on a Trek 7.3 you are unlikely to really notice the difference with go faster tyres. And then if you start fixing punctures or having to walk half the way home with a flat tyre you will definitely be reverting to the puncture resistant Schwalbes. Believe you me, I learned that lesson the hard way!

manwithaplan

Not that it makes any difference at this stage but I have a Trek 7.2 with those Bontragers and they are very puncture resistant. The only punctures I have had on them were due to over-inflation (where I didn't understand that the pressure guage on a petrol station pump is not to be trusted).

route66

Too late to keep the original tyres now

The ones I currently have are not Marathon plus, but Marathon "Classic". From the specs, I think this means they are a little less puncture resistant but not as lead-like as the plusses. In any case, I have had no punctures to date.

So, hopefully in a few hours time I'll be cycling around the Dublin mountains. Would I be faster in the Marathon Racers?

Oh, and has anyone any comments on putting 35C tyres on my 15mm-wide rims?

Thanks for all the responses to date!

petethedrummer

If you want to do long spins I would put 28Cs on the bike.

You can get 28Cs in Continental Gatorskins, Armadillos, Panaracer Ribmo, Continental Contacts, schwalbe Durano or any puncture resistant tyre really. Marathon pluses from what I have read seem to perform the best in the anti-puncture department, all the Dublinbikes have them.

You will notice the difference switching to a thinner tyre, even just for commuting. But there will be a trade off, the thinner tyres are probably more likely to puncture. I would take being faster over being more puncture resistant any day (up to a point). And I don't think I'd like to head to the Dublin mountains on 35Cs unless I was going off road.

I've had continental contacts on a road bike and they never punctured over 2 winters. Passed them on to my brother. I tried the Ribmos in 23C and they were very puncture resistant but felt slow. Had many Gatorskins, with differing results. The current set are holding up very well but that maybe due to me being better at avoiding puncturous situations. I had an Armadillo once too but it shredded in the first couple of rides after going over a huge piece of metal, no tyre would have stopped that puncture. Some people say armadillos are bomb proof and some peple say they don't handle well in the wet.

You might get some good ideas reading the reviews here: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/tyres

route66

petethedrummer wrote: »

If you want to do long spins I would put 28Cs on the bike.

You can get 28Cs in Continental Gatorskins, Armadillos, Panaracer Ribmo, Continental Contacts, schwalbe Durano or any puncture resistant tyre really. Marathon pluses from what I have read seem to perform the best in the anti-puncture department, all the Dublinbikes have them.

You will notice the difference switching to a thinner tyre, even just for commuting. But there will be a trade off, the thinner tyres are probably more likely to puncture. I would take being faster over being more puncture resistant any day (up to a point). And I don't think I'd like to head to the Dublin mountains on 35Cs unless I was going off road.

I've had continental contacts on a road bike and they never punctured over 2 winters. Passed them on to my brother. I tried the Ribmos in 23C and they were very puncture resistant but felt slow. Had many Gatorskins, with differing results. The current set are holding up very well but that maybe due to me being better at avoiding puncturous situations. I had an Armadillo once too but it shredded in the first couple of rides after going over a huge piece of metal, no tyre would have stopped that puncture. Some people say armadillos are bomb proof and some peple say they don't handle well in the wet.

You might get some good ideas reading the reviews here: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/tyres

Thanks for that - that link to bikeradar is excellent too - reviews on most of the tyres I'm interested in. At the moment, I'm leaning towards the Continental Gator Hardshell - they come narrower than the others and appear to be very robust.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find them anywhere! Chainreaction have them but don't have 28Cs in stock (I signed up for a stock reminder) and the other 3 bike shops listed in the bikeradar article - Winstanley, Wiggle and Hargroves Cycles don't appear to stock this actual tyre at all

Anyone know where I might find a couple of Continental Gator Hardshell in the 700 28C size - Bricks & Mortar or Web?

petethedrummer

If you're in Dublin Wheelworx on the Fonthill road and Cyclelogical in the city centre both do Gatorskins, though you'd probably have to check if they have the specific size and model in stock.

Also Halfords do Continentals but the branch beside me is very poorly stocked for tyres.

Stark

petethedrummer wrote: »

If you want to do long spins I would put 28Cs on the bike.

You can get 28Cs in Continental Gatorskins, Armadillos, Panaracer Ribmo, Continental Contacts, schwalbe Durano or any puncture resistant tyre really. Marathon pluses from what I have read seem to perform the best in the anti-puncture department, all the Dublinbikes have them.

You will notice the difference switching to a thinner tyre, even just for commuting. But there will be a trade off, the thinner tyres are probably more likely to puncture. I would take being faster over being more puncture resistant any day (up to a point). And I don't think I'd like to head to the Dublin mountains on 35Cs unless I was going off road.

I've had continental contacts on a road bike and they never punctured over 2 winters. Passed them on to my brother. I tried the Ribmos in 23C and they were very puncture resistant but felt slow. Had many Gatorskins, with differing results. The current set are holding up very well but that maybe due to me being better at avoiding puncturous situations. I had an Armadillo once too but it shredded in the first couple of rides after going over a huge piece of metal, no tyre would have stopped that puncture. Some people say armadillos are bomb proof and some peple say they don't handle well in the wet.

You might get some good ideas reading the reviews here: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/tyres

I had a lot trouble with Gatorskins. Tyres were always getting punctured by little shards of glass. Have had the Schwalbe Marathon pluses (with Smartguard) for a while now and they've been excellent puncture protection wise. Not a single puncture and that's after cycling through bits of glass a few times. They're a seriously heavy tyre though (800g per tyre).

Actually the Bontrager Hardcase tyres that came with a Trek I had before were very good. I only started getting punctures after I swapped the tyres for Gatorskins. A friend of mine had a set for his bike and he said he never had punctures either. I may opt for a pair for the puncture resistance/weight trade-off when it's time to replace the Schwalbes.

route66

Thanks for the names for the B&M shops. I wonder if punctures are more of a problem for Continental Gatorskins (http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti ultra gatorskin.shtml) than their more robust offering - the Continental Gator Hardshell (http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti hardshell.shtml)?

And thanks for all the responses to date! I'd still be interested in any views on whether my 35C tyres might cause a problem for my 15mm wheels. If they are ok (as they have been to date) then - understanding that my real objective in getting the bike is to commute to work get fit - maybe I should keep them? After filling them with concrete first

For those who are more into the laws of physics than I am, do reductions in a bike's rolling weight have a much bigger impact on overall feel and nimbleness, etc than reductions from non-rolling areas? Certainly, on the slog from Eniskerry to Glencree last night, I was looking everywhere for excuses for my tardy progress: Trek=Truck?

route66

After much digging, I tracked down a place that stocked the Continental Gator Hardshells in 28s - www.fawkes-cycles.co.uk. I fitted them on Friday and took to the hills today to test them on a 60km spin.

So, placebo effect aside, what are they like? They certainly roll more easily than the Marathons - probably a factor of their lighter weight and narrower width. Today was very damp and I experienced 2 situations where I lost grip. I can't be positive but I think the Marathons would have gripped better in similar circumstances. In terms of puncture resistance, my Marathon classics didn't pick up any punctures in over 1000 miles; time will tell if the Hardshells will be as good.

On a related note, this was the first time I used Fawkes Cycles and I was happy with the service. Delivery to ROI is £14 - flat rate, per order - but I shared this cost with a colleague who was also in the market for 4 tyres, all of which meant the final net price was about €32 each. Delivery itself took a week and Fawkes were friendly and responsive to my queries.

blorg

route66 wrote: »

And thanks for all the responses to date! I'd still be interested in any views on whether my 35C tyres might cause a problem for my 15mm wheels. If they are ok (as they have been to date) then - understanding that my real objective in getting the bike is to commute to work get fit - maybe I should keep them? After filling them with concrete first

IMO there is no major issue with 35C on rims that narrow, I have used 35C (Marathons incidentally, like you have) on even narrower 13mm rims (Open Pro) before without issue and now have the Marathon Racer in 35C on them. Yes, I would say they are a bit faster than the Marathons, but probably less puncture resistant (haven't used them enough to give a view on this.)