Touring tire & Happy new year

[Bernard Duhon]

I first, wish my biker friends a happy new year!

 

I am new to the list and enjoy the tales & profit from the advice.

 

On the touring tire subject I was over thinking it. Just cause I have a great set up my touring bike  (26 inch Marathon Supremes)  Doesn’t mean the Gravelkings sitting in the garage won’t do just fine and fresh tires are always a good idea.   

 

Happy riding

 

[Mathias Steiner]

Hi Bernard,

Since nobody else has spoken up yet:

I ride a lot, but I haven't done any proper loaded touring in a while. 
My tire experience is mostly in the 700c size, and it's like this:

For fast rides on pavement and on dirt roads that are in decent shape: Continental GP5000 in the widest version, 32 mm. Notably fast, and by some miracle, no flats. I'm careful where I ride, though. If I were going on a light & fast solo tour with mostly pavement and outside of cities, that'd be the tire I choose.

For city riding with glass expected, the answer is Schwalbe Marathon. No flats for a decade, and I live in a mid-Michigan college town.
Problem with these is, they don't flex, so pick your width carefully and realize you'll inflate them pretty hard if you want to GO.
In that sense, my 40 mm tires are too large, because there's no extra comfort over the 35 and 37 mm versions I also ride, once they're pumped up so they roll.

In the dark, the reflective strip around the tire is excellent. These tires are more than twice as heavy as the GPs.

Panaracer Paselas, especially in the Kevlar-belted version, pretty much split the difference in terms of rolling resistance, comfort, and flat protection. I just fixed a tiny hole that took me minutes to find.. it was caused by a small glass shard that had worked its way through the Kevlar, but just barely. I have the 700x35c ersion on Dyads on my touring bike, and they actually measure 36 mm wide, the same as the "40" mm Schwalbes did. These are a good choice if some bad dirt roads are part of the mix, and at < 40 PSI,  they're quite comfortable over the rough stuff.

Expensive tires from Herse are on my list to try on the rando bike I'm looking to build up over the winter, but for touring, one of the three tires listed above would be my choice.

cheers -mathias

[Kevin Lu]

Mathias is right on. Since I like some off-road capability, I ride Schwalbe Marathon Mondial, which do well with road as well as dirt and are readily available in 26 and 700c. 

One tire that is also a gem is the Specialized Pathfinder Pro. Rolls super fast on pavement with a smooth mid line, but also has grip from side knobs for gravel. I read a lot of good things about its durability before I got them, and they have lived up to it so far, in my experience. Hundreds of miles so far in goat head filled Tucson, AZ and no flats so far. Plus it's got a pretty tan wall option (which I wish Schwalbe Marathon's had).

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[Heike Larson]

I just put Marathon Mondials on my Appaloosa and love how grippy they are on gravel. No report yet on durability—but I have another type of Schwalbe Marathons on my e-bike commuter and they’ve been very reliable (one flat in 3,000 miles). I’m doing some light touring with a mix of gravel and road (in addition to day trips that also have maybe 20% gravel or beat up fire roads) and the slicker tires that came with the bike just didn’t have enough grip for the not-so-smooth fire roads and creek crossings around here in Southern California.

Oh, and the Marathon Mondials do also come in 650b, which is what I’m riding. If you want a deal, order them from a UK dealer; I paid $66 per tire including shipping and tax from the UK, vs. $89 from US dealers. 

[dougP]

I've used both Marathon Mondials and Supremes. Both are long wearing & flat resistance. The Supremes are a bit lighter & quicker on pavement, and the Mondials have better grip on loose surfaces. Both are great touring tires if you ride both pavement & dirt roads. Can't go wrong with Schwalbe, once you accept their pricing.

dougP