advice on tyres?

[kinega]

I am being extremely unlucky picking up punctures. Now looking to replace tyres/tubes to something a bit more resilient.
Bike is a KTM Macina Action with 29" wheels, tyres are Schwalbe Rocket Ron 29x2.25" 57-622 Evo Folding, they seem paper thin.
Bike is mainly used for commuting on road/cycle path but I do enjoy taking it off-road at the weekend. Would be happy to try some hybrid type tyres.
Anyone got any recommendations?

 

[RobF]

Experience suggests something with Schwalbe Marathon, or preferably, Marathon Plus written on it is best for puncture protection.

Schwalbe make lots of Marathons, so you should be able to find a tread and width to suit.

 

[anniegirl]

I put Marathon Plus tyres on my bike (well a little man did it for me!) a couple of months back. I've since ridden over loads of broken glass which I could not avoid, and no punctures at all. For me money well spent.

 

[martin@onbike]

It's got to be the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour 42-622 (11150405) tyre in my opinion Kinega.
I have fitted these to several 29er's and they roll on Tarmac much faster and offer the best grip available offroad in the Marathon series of tyres.

Obviously they are no where near as good as the tyres you already have offroad, but offer an acceptable compromise for occasional use.

*EDIT: Just been through the catalogue and discovered a new version of the Smart Sam...which is the Smart Sam Plus 54-622 (11100699). These look much better for offroad use whilst offering good puncture protection at Level 5 protection as opposed to Level 6 protection on theMarathon plus tour.
They do them as a 650b too...i'm tempted to get myself some.

 

[drsolly]

I use three defences; tire, inner tube and liner. I haven't had a puncture for a very long time. Details here:

http://blog.drsolly.com/2014/03/puncture-resistance.html

 

[Eaglerider]

I recently fitted a pair of Marathon Plus jobbies. I too have been plagued with punctures in the past, especially in late Spring when the hedge cutting machines are out and about. I must have had around 20 punctures over two and a half years whilst I had the original Kenda tyres on.

I've had zero punctures since fitting the Schwalbe's so I'm very pleased so far, but time will tell.

Moreover, they seem much better balanced than the Kenda's. At speed down a hill, I used to experience vibration at the same frequency as wheel rotation and thought this was normal! With the Shwalbe's it's silky smooth and they roll better and are quieter. I was advised to fit Shwalbe's by the chaps on this site, and jolly good advice it was too.

 

[EddiePJ]

Another vote for Marathon Plus tyres for day to day use.

Another alternative could be a set of Panaracer Kevlar liners. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/panaracer-flataway-tyre-liner/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&utm_source=pla&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=uk&kpid=5300024245

 

[Alan Quay]

A couple of alternatives for you:

Schwalbe Big Apple or Fat Frank. I have done nearly 2000 miles on my Franks, no punctures. (That's jinxed it!). If you want comfort, these are excellent.
http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/fat_frank

I have done about 400 miles on a pair of DMR motos, again no punctures.:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_172175_langId_-1_categoryId_242553

I have also heard good things about the Specialized Armadillo range. I have a pair of Hemispheres, but I've only done a few miles so far. They give a hard ride on pavement.

 

[RobF]

Be very wary of liners.

Lots of reports of them causing punctures due to friction between the liner and the tube.

Could be poor fitting, could be poor liners, could be a load of old tosh - this is the internet.

But I will be sticking with Marathons/decent tyres with inbuilt puncture protection.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Be very wary of liners.

Lots of reports of them causing punctures due to friction between the liner and the tube.

Could be poor fitting, could be poor liners, could be a load of old tosh - this is the internet.

Saneagle tried them. He got one straight away where the join pinched the tube. We feathered and taped all the edges, but a couple of weeks later, we were having a drink in a pub garden down by the river, when suddenly his bike started hissing. The edge of the strip had gone through the tube again, so he pulled it out and chucked it in the river.

 

[oldtom]

Add me also to the list of Schwalbe MP Tour fans.

After being a little concerned about fitting MP Tours on my PC Xion on account of the extra weight and a perceived stiff and unyielding ride with inferior rolling resistance, I now believe it's the best bit of money I have spent on my electric bikes.

These are well engineered tyres and at 85 psi, they roll every bit as well as the Contis they replaced. I really didn't expect them to be as quiet and smooth as they are but the real benefit is in the confidence they engender.

Puncture repair on some of these ebikes can be difficult so if you really want to avoid the aggravation, as far as is possible, these are the tyres to have on your rims. They don't cost a lot more than good quality tyres from a variety of makers which have nowhere near the protection the MPs provide.

Tom

 

[kinega]

Thanks for all replys, the Schwabbe Marathons do seem favourite, but: I think the equivalent size of my existing tyre is a 700 x 45c but largest width I can see available is 700 x 38.
Would that fit Ok & would there be any issues being a little bit narrower?

 

[kinega]

I use three defences; tire, inner tube and liner. I haven't had a puncture for a very long time. Details here:

http://blog.drsolly.com/2014/03/puncture-resistance.html

Interesting points, thanks

 

[kinega]

It's got to be the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour 42-622 (11150405) tyre in my opinion Kinega.
I have fitted these to several 29er's and they roll on Tarmac much faster and offer the best grip available offroad in the Marathon series of tyres.

Obviously they are no where near as good as the tyres you already have offroad, but offer an acceptable compromise for occasional use.

*EDIT: Just been through the catalogue and discovered a new version of the Smart Sam...which is the Smart Sam Plus 54-622 (11100699). These look much better for offroad use whilst offering good puncture protection at Level 5 protection as opposed to Level 6 protection on theMarathon plus tour.
They do them as a 650b too...i'm tempted to get myself some.

Thanks for detailed info.

 

[kinega]

It's got to be the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour 42-622 (11150405) tyre in my opinion Kinega.
I have fitted these to several 29er's and they roll on Tarmac much faster and offer the best grip available offroad in the Marathon series of tyres.

Obviously they are no where near as good as the tyres you already have offroad, but offer an acceptable compromise for occasional use.

*EDIT: Just been through the catalogue and discovered a new version of the Smart Sam...which is the Smart Sam Plus 54-622 (11100699). These look much better for offroad use whilst offering good puncture protection at Level 5 protection as opposed to Level 6 protection on theMarathon plus tour.
They do them as a 650b too...i'm tempted to get myself some.

these tyre sizes are all a bit confusing!
You suggest Marathon Plus Tour 42-622. A couple of sites I have looked at say my 29 x 2.25 is equivalent to either 55-622 or 57-622 and my current tyre is 29" yet the tyre you suggest is 28"
Can you confirm that if you were fitting tyres to my bike that these are the tyres you would fit & can you explain the sizing information?
many thanks

 

[martin@onbike]

I've fitted these on 3 occasions to the Neo 29er no problems at all...the magic number is the -622.

Have a look at the Schwalbe site to find further info on THEIR tyre sizes...

 

[Gringo]

Kinega, in your first post you quoted your tyre size as "Schwalbe Rocket Ron 29x2.25" 57-622" that's 57mm wide, the correct size.
Some how in a later post your quoting 700x45c, these are not 29" tyres but closer to 28". Anything marked as either 700c or 622 will fit your rims and work but width wise I'd recommend something over 2" or 50mm.
Personally I'm running both big apples & smart sam plus's both in 2.1" (54mm)
The smart Sam's roll quite quickly on Tarmac but not as quick as the Apples.
The Apples are ok on dry hard pack but I wouldn't feel comfortable using them on wet grass or mud.
Here's my bike with the two tyres on.
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/cube-reaction-hybrid-pro29-first-impressions.17754/#post-219288

On a foot note.
if you do go down to something as narrow as 38mm, your speedo will be out quit notably.
Happy hunting

 

[kinega]

Kinega, in your first post you quoted your tyre size as "Schwalbe Rocket Ron 29x2.25" 57-622" that's 57mm wide, the correct size.
Some how in a later post your quoting 700x45c, these are not 29" tyres but closer to 28". Anything marked as either 700c or 622 will fit your rims and work but width wise I'd recommend something over 2" or 50mm.
Personally I'm running both big apples & smart sam plus's both in 2.1" (54mm)
The smart Sam's roll quite quickly on Tarmac but not as quick as the Apples.
The Apples are ok on dry hard pack but I wouldn't feel comfortable using them on wet grass or mud.
Here's my bike with the two tyres on.
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/cube-reaction-hybrid-pro29-first-impressions.17754/#post-219288

On a foot note.
if you do go down to something as narrow as 38mm, your speedo will be out quit notably.
Happy hunting

The 700x45c figure is because I was recommended a Specialised Borough Armadillo in 700 x45c, supposedly the equivalent to the original tyre size.
The Marathon Plus that Martin@onbike recommends is a 42-622, so presumably 42mm width.
I think there is a setting in the menu on the bike to set wheel circumference so could change if required.

 

[Gringo]

700c is an old way of measuring rims/tyres (French I think) but it's stuck and is now fairly standard (in Europe) the actual rim size for a 700c is 622mm. Now the Americans on the other hand like to quote the outside diameter of there tyres, so if you put some fat (2.25 inch) tyres on to a 622mm (700c) rim and then measure the overall diameter it will come out at 29" or there abouts. Stick some 25mm racing type tyres on the same rims & the overall diameter will be around 27"
So the bottom line is down to personal choice, how fat do you want it
Again it's only my opinion but buy putting skinny tyres on a bike built to be a 29er kind'a seams wrong somehow

Mr brown has a bit to say about tyres/wheels
http://sheldonbrown.com/rim-sizing.html

 

[jackhandy]

I've got Schwalbe Smart Sam plusses (with green guard) on my 29er.
They seem to be a pretty good compromise between road & off-road tyres.
As always with a multi-purpose tool, they probably don't do as good a job as either specialised ones, but I find them ideal trekking tyres that roll well & behave in a civilised manner when the going gets clarty.
Haven't had to have either one off yet, possibly because I run them with Slime tubes.