Road Cyclists: what tyres are you using?

strtdv

Just got a puncture from a nasty cut in the centre of a Conti GP4000 (honestly don't know what caused it, it was over a speed bump so I initially thought it was a pinch flat!). Great rolling resistance, but I can't help but feel that the Michelin Pro4 Endurance tyres I have on my other bike would have held up better.

What is everyone using?

I ride on plenty of rough roads, so while I'd like decent rolling resistance, I'm really looking for something tough so I don't get left at the roadside.

A friend uses Gatorskins, but I've read they're fairly slow, and the new GP 4 seasons are possibly a better bet?

octatonic

Conti GP4000's on my carbon racer.
Schwalbe Marathons on my road-oriented cyclocross/general purpose/winter bike.

I do get flats in the GP4000's fairly often.

Drew_TNBD

No idea.

stonevibe

Mine are black... That's all I know.

jimmyd

Conti 4 seasons on the do it all bike. Michelin Pro Service Course on the fast bike. Both good, Pro Service probably are as tough as GP4000s.

Not a fan of Gatorskins. Just feel dead to me.

the_twin

Schwalbe Durano, but you don't get much choice in 20"

DrJazzTap

I have a set of marathon pluses on my winter bike. I've done about three thousand miles on them and had one puncture. They do add weight to your wheels and can be a pain to fit. But if you never want a puncture...

strtdv

I've changed the pro4 endurance from my other bike, is now running a mixture of whatever I had in the garage. Weight difference is only about 80 grams a pair and on a quick spin there I can't see any difference in the rolling resistance. 

I was expecting the GP4000s to be a bit tougher tbh, the Canyon is an endurance bike after all so it's a given you'll be riding it on less than perfect road surfaces.

Oh well, when the tyres on my commuter get knackered I'll try a set of 4 seasons on it to see how they compare to the pro4 endurance.

Babones

Cycling on London roads, requires puncture proof tyres. The slicks I used to have were light/fast, but rubbish on London roads. Gatorskins were better, but still punctured. I invested in Marathon Plus tyres and have not got a puncture after maybe 3 years now. Sure at first they feel heavier/slower, but that becomes normal after a while. I'd take that over get regular flats, any day.

NeilMcG

Schwalbe durano on the summer bike, durano plus on the winter bike. Both very good.

My wife commutes by bike and she uses Marathon plus. Very heavy and stiff, but they never puncture and last ages.

BigMonka

I've got Vittoria Randoneurs on my hybrid commuter which I've found to be pretty tough although a little dead feeling. I've heard good things about the Vittoria Hyper Voyagers but haven't tried them yet

crunchman

I'm mainly using it for commuting (with the odd ride around Richmond park) so I've got Gatorskins.  They are pretty good puncture wise and they are easy to fit.  They also last a good while, and are a bit cheaper.

I've used one or two other puncture resistant tyres in the past that were an absolute pain to fit so I like the soft sidewalls on the Gatorskins.

strumjoughlamps

stonevibe said:

Mine are black... That's all I know.

racist ;p

axisus

stonevibe said:

Mine are black... That's all I know.

This reminds me of a conversation with the Mother in Law

MIL: I have a new car
Me: Oh, what have you bought?
MIL: A red one

Niallmo

Conti Ultra Sport II's on one, Vitoria Rubinho Pro on another, new Schwalbe Luganos just fitted to one of the recent acquisitions. Maxxis Ikon on my 29'er. 1800 miles and I can only think of two punctures

stimpsonslostson

Specialised Armadillo.

I've tried GatorSkins and still got punctures (I liked them- they felt fast and still gripped well), Marathons and thought they were very heavy and slow (but the puncture protection worked). 

The Specialised are the best of both worlds: bulletproof and quite fast, my main gripes are that they are a devil to fit- VERY rigid and tight on the rims (ooh er) and also that they don't develop tonnes of grip in the wet making fast cornering/hard braking an unnecessarily exciting experience.  
They're a great fit and forget tyre- I've had my current set on for 12months (doing 15miles a day of urban commuting) no punctures at all. 

thermionic

Veloflex Master on my nice old steel bike. Rather fragile and not so good in the wet (like Vittoria Corsa CXs), but that bike only comes out on a few nice days anyway.

Gatorskins on my converted singlespeed. Relatively bombproof and I don't care about speed or rolling resistance here.

GP 4 Seasons on my winter bike. Good grip, puncture resistance practically as good as Gatorskins and they last a *long* time.

Michelin Pro 4 SC on my summer bike. The best compromise I've found for feel, puncture resistance, grip and price. Been riding the current variation of Michelin Pros for a very long time. In fact I just ordered another pair last night as my rear is visibly squaring off (from experience, when you notice this, the tread is paper-thin).

I'd go for some type of Contis on my summer bike but they're widely reported as being impractically tight on the rims I currently have, so I'll stick with the Michelins.

Bowks

For winter, I have Schwalbe Duranos, but currently I'm running tubeless with a pair of Schwalbe Pro Ones. 

Tempted to get some Hutchinson Sector 28 tubeless for winter/commute once the Duranos have worn out/I get bored and want winter tubeless setup.

crunchman

stimpsonslostson said:

Specialised Armadillo.

I've tried GatorSkins and still got punctures (I liked them- they felt fast and still gripped well), Marathons and thought they were very heavy and slow (but the puncture protection worked). 

The Specialised are the best of both worlds: bulletproof and quite fast, my main gripes are that they are a devil to fit- VERY rigid and tight on the rims (ooh er) and also that they don't develop tonnes of grip in the wet making fast cornering/hard braking an unnecessarily exciting experience.  
They're a great fit and forget tyre- I've had my current set on for 12months (doing 15miles a day of urban commuting) no punctures at all. 

I got put off these by how hard they are to fit.  They didn't completely stop punctures either.  I much prefer the Gatorskins.

I did have a GP4000S on the front in the hope of better grip and a cheaper Gatorskin on the back at one point.

Benson

Conti Four Season 28mm on the winter Ti-fighter, Conti Gatorskin 25mm on the summer missle.

Drew_TNBD

Okay, I have some idea now.

Vera citywide 700 × 32c