Commute Tyres

karlitob

Hi
Have been using 700x32c on my specialised Sirrus elite for my commute. It’s a heavy enough beast.
Got my hands on a road bike that uses 700x26c

Wondering about sticking with the 26c for the commute. I’ve never cycled a road bike so they seem very narrow. But will I just get used to them.

Or if it fits I’ve been thinking about swapping in larger tyres.

Appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.

uck51js9zml2yt

I commute on 25's and never have an issue.

karlitob

Rayna Bumpy Playpen wrote: »

I commute on 25's and never have an issue.

Thanks. Probably just nervous - I think I’ll have less control or rather, less margin for error. I’ve read that they’ll puncture more. Also a little nervous of their grip - which I’ll just have to get better gripped tyres I guess.

uck51js9zml2yt

karlitob wrote: »

Thanks. Probably just nervous - I think I’ll have less control or rather, less margin for error. I’ve read that they’ll puncture more. Also a little nervous of their grip - which I’ll just have to get better gripped tyres I guess.

To be honest I never even knew I could get wider!
If you get Gator skins or similar, they are virtually bullet proof

rubadub

I got several punctures on 28c gatorskins. Never got any on my marathon plus.

smacl

rubadub wrote: »

I got several punctures on 28c gatorskins. Never got any on my marathon plus.

Marthon plus are pretty bombproof if a bit heavy. For 28c Durano plus is also a good option, not as puncture proof but lighter and roll better.

karlitob

smacl wrote: »

Marthon plus are pretty bombproof if a bit heavy. For 28c Durano plus is also a good option, not as puncture proof but lighter and roll better.

Thanks all. More the sizes of the tyres I’m wondering about. I’m a big guy and the narrow tyres and miserable winters make me a little nervous. Wondering if I should swap out to 32c on the road bike if it’s fits.

Wishbone Ash

Rayna Bumpy Playpen wrote: »

...If you get Gator skins or similar, they are virtually bullet proof

I have had several punctures on Gators (and they can be very skittish) but only one so far on Durano Plus.

(Never had a puncture on Marathon Plus but they're a bit OTT).

smacl

karlitob wrote: »

Thanks all. More the sizes of the tyres I’m wondering about. I’m a big guy and the narrow tyres and miserable winters make me a little nervous. Wondering if I should swap out to 32c on the road bike if it’s fits.

32c are unlikely to fit on a road bike, particularly if it has rim brakes. Take a ruler and see how much clearance you currently have and allow a few mm extra. If you want wide tyres maybe look at a disc brake cross bike or similar.

C3PO

Another fan of Durano Plus's for the commuter! Roll reasonably well and in my experience are pretty well bombproof. Marathon Plus are just too slow/heavy in my opinion!

karlitob

smacl wrote: »

32c are unlikely to fit on a road bike, particularly if it has rim brakes. Take a ruler and see how much clearance you currently have and allow a few mm extra. If you want wide tyres maybe look at a disc brake cross bike or similar.

Thank you.
Another silly q. Do you need to pump 26c each time you ride?

C3PO

karlitob wrote: »

Thank you.
Another silly q. Do you need to pump 26c each time you ride?

No - I pump the tyres on my commuter to the max specified pressure every Sunday evening and they're fine then for the week!

ED E

Spec Armadillos. I wont make any claims and thus jinx myself but I've hit several broken bottles on Harcourt and the surrounds of late with no issues.

Lumen

I cycled on 19mm tyres for a while. They were fine too.

Canis Lupus

karlitob wrote: »

Thanks all. More the sizes of the tyres I’m wondering about. I’m a big guy and the narrow tyres and miserable winters make me a little nervous. Wondering if I should swap out to 32c on the road bike if it’s fits.

Nah you'll be grand. Just make sure they're at the right psi. If you don't have one you'll likely want to invest in a proper track pump otherwise getting the tires up to 120 psi or whatever it is will be tough work.

I've become a big Schwalbe fan in recent years. Currently commuting on supremes.

Macy0161

I've run either 25 or 28 marathon plus on my commuter since I started (and I was circa 20 stone when I started) without issue. They are heavy, but when I started weight of the tyre was way down the list of where to look at losing it, and I'm under time pressure with childcare arrangements when commuting so I needed them fit and forget really. I reckon these are as good as you can get without going solid. It also depends on how competent/ confident you are changing a tube at the road side, in the dark, in the rain.

fwiw, my (ever stalled) commuter project will most likely have solid tyres.

uck51js9zml2yt

I bought some durano defence tyres last night for my new bike. They have a rubber strip inside them. Weight is better than the marathons

smacl

Canis Lupus wrote: »

I've become a big Schwalbe fan in recent years. Currently commuting on supremes.

I've been running supreme's myself now on the CX and hybrid for years, great tyre if a bit expensive. Average about 1 puncture every 18 months or so.

07Lapierre

700x23 in the summer
700x25 in the winter.

Tires are Conti GT4000 chili compound.

No problems all year, then TWO punctures last Wednesday.

beans

It's never been my experience that thinner tyres have lead to more punctures or less grip.

Certain tyre brands are better or less suited to certain conditions, eg Gatorskins are not grippy in the wet, etc.

(I knew it would happen when typing this, but I had a ****ing puncture waiting for me when I went to cycle home yesterday!)

Diemos

Why not go half way? 32 to 23 is a big jump.
I commute 19km each way a few times per week and coming from a mounatin bike, 28, for me, was thin but not too thin, my bike came with:
Kenda K1098 700x28C Reflective type+puncture protection

So far I've covered nearly 1000km, no punctures and they have really good grip and stopping power.

cdaly_

karlitob wrote: »

Thanks all. More the sizes of the tyres I’m wondering about. I’m a big guy and the narrow tyres and miserable winters make me a little nervous. Wondering if I should swap out to 32c on the road bike if it’s fits.

If they'll fit, 32mm tyres will be more comfortable and just as quick.

karlitob

cdaly_ wrote: »

If they'll fit, 32mm tyres will be more comfortable and just as quick.

Thanks for that. As I’m getting more into bikes I’m wondering would I be a little faster on the 26c (or I could squeeze a 28c tyre on the 14mm inner rim). Or am I not seeing the wood from the trees and thinking I’m the undiscovered Miguel Induran.....but only if I had narrow tyres.

Pinch Flat

I’m on 23c gatorskins - Can be tricky in the wet but other than that no issues on that size of tyre.

karlitob

Diemos wrote: »

Why not go half way? 32 to 23 is a big jump.
I commute 19km each way a few times per week and coming from a mounatin bike, 28, for me, was thin but not too thin, my bike came with:
Kenda K1098 700x28C Reflective type+puncture protection

So far I've covered nearly 1000km, no punctures and they have really good grip and stopping power.

Thank you. You’re right about the stark difference being a big jump. Have 26c in at the moment so might see about 28c tyres for the road bike.

karlitob

Macy0161 wrote: »

I've run either 25 or 28 marathon plus on my commuter since I started (and I was circa 20 stone when I started) without issue. They are heavy, but when I started weight of the tyre was way down the list of where to look at losing it, and I'm under time pressure with childcare arrangements when commuting so I needed them fit and forget really. I reckon these are as good as you can get without going solid. It also depends on how competent/ confident you are changing a tube at the road side, in the dark, in the rain.

fwiw, my (ever stalled) commuter project will most likely have solid tyres.

Thanks for that. What’s the plan for the commuter bike. Just did my first ‘build’ - changed a free road bike into a single speed. Delighted with it.

Surprised at how light it is versus my commuter - started me on this thread.

Ferris

I got 28c marathons on a trek 1.5, really close to the downtube and on the chainstays but no rubbing. Also will not fit around the brakes so I have to inflate on the bike, pressure is 100-120 psi. No punctures in 1000km and really good grip and I run over the s*** cycle paths around east wall.

Had lifeline commuters on before that which were a nightmare incidentally.

Alanstrainor

Marathon Plus tyres really are the best in terms of commuting IMO. I'll take a bit of extra weight on the bike over getting punctures any day. I've never had a puncture on my Marathon Plus tyres, I had 10,000km on them before I changed bike.

Rayna Bumpy Playpen wrote: »

I bought some durano defence tyres last night for my new bike. They have a rubber strip inside them. Weight is better than the marathons

I just changed out a Durano Double Defense for a GP4000II. I had 3 punctures in 3 months and 2000km or so. That wasn't acceptable for me, I found that very small shards of glass would be enough to puncture. Not ideal for a commuter. Grand grip and speed though.

Brian

Using 25 mm Conti 4 Seasons on my commuter, I think they're meant to be close to GP 4000s but a bit more hardy.

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike-reviews/continental-grand-prix-4-season-2015

uck51js9zml2yt

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Marathon Plus tyres really are the best in terms of commuting IMO. I'll take a bit of extra weight on the bike over getting punctures any day. I've never had a puncture on my Marathon Plus tyres, I had 10,000km on them before I changed bike.



I just changed out a Durano Double Defense for a GP4000II. I had 3 punctures in 3 months and 2000km or so. That wasn't acceptable for me, I found that very small shards of glass would be enough to puncture. Not ideal for a commuter. Grand grip and speed though.

Now you tell me

Alanstrainor

Rayna Bumpy Playpen wrote: »

Now you tell me

Ah, I think I might have gotten a tad unlucky, definitely not a bad tyre, just not quite up there with others as commuter tyres!