Absolutely the Best Tire for Touring....

[rachelicious]

I'm researching and trying to decide what tire to buy for a long tour I'm taking this summer. Flat resistant is the name of my game!
I've heard some good things about the Armadillo, but also that it wears out after about 1000 miles and that simply is not far enough, in my opinion, for what they cost. Are all tires with kevlar tubes like this?
I want a tire that can go about 2500 miles and also want one that is rough and tough....... Does such a tire exist? I realize this might be a topic for the epuipment forum, but I'm interested in what the fellow touring gurus think. I don't care a lot about speed....I want durability and longevity.
Thanks for your help,
Rachel

 

[daveornee]

Originally posted by rachelicious
I'm researching and trying to decide what tire to buy for a long tour I'm taking this summer. Flat resistant is the name of my game!
I've heard some good things about the Armadillo, but also that it wears out after about 1000 miles and that simply is not far enough, in my opinion, for what they cost. Are all tires with kevlar tubes like this?
I want a tire that can go about 2500 miles and also want one that is rough and tough....... Does such a tire exist? I realize this might be a topic for the epuipment forum, but I'm interested in what the fellow touring gurus think. I don't care a lot about speed....I want durability and longevity.
Thanks for your help,
Rachel

http://tinyurl.com/34url
Schwalbe Marathon XR
or
http://tinyurl.com/3hn37
Continental Top Touring 2000

 

[byfred]

Originally posted by rachelicious
I'm researching and trying to decide what tire to buy for a long tour I'm taking this summer. Flat resistant is the name of my game!
I've heard some good things about the Armadillo, but also that it wears out after about 1000 miles and that simply is not far enough, in my opinion, for what they cost. Are all tires with kevlar tubes like this?
I want a tire that can go about 2500 miles and also want one that is rough and tough....... Does such a tire exist? I realize this might be a topic for the epuipment forum, but I'm interested in what the fellow touring gurus think. I don't care a lot about speed....I want durability and longevity.
Thanks for your help,
Rachel

I don't think you can go wrong with "Continental Top Touring 2000". They cost over $40. a piece, here in Canada, but I have had great satisfaction with them on several tours, riding mainly on paved shoulders of highways.......byfred

 

[ycookmd]

Originally posted by rachelicious
Flat resistant is the name of my game!
I've heard some good things about the Armadillo, but also that it wears out after about 1000 miles and that simply is not far enough, in my opinion, for what they cost.
Rachel

If flat resistance is truly your Holy Grail, I don't think you can beat the Armadillo. Just pay the price and replace the tires. I've run through more than one pile of glass on those without a single flat in over 1000 miles of road riding. They're heavy and expensive, but definitely highly flat resistant.

Besides, I'd disagree about the thousand mile tread wear. I put about 1000-1500 total miles on my 26" MTB Armadillo Nimbus tires and they still have plenty of tread left.

I have the Conti Top Touring tires on my touring bike, but they don't have nearly as many miles (yet) so I can't compare them directly.

 

[leebm]

I'll assume that you are going to be solely on paved roads and will not be spending much time on dirt. The width of the tire and the pressure you inflate to are going to play a significant role in the longevity as well as your total weight (rider, bike, gear, etc.)

The Armadillo is a great tire and people have had great experiences with them. Other great tires that haven't been mentioned include the Avocet Cross-K (inverted tread design). I used the older version for thousands of miles with minimal flats. I'm now using the Panaracer T-Servs (kevlar belt, kevlar bead) on my touring bike. It's an upgraded version of the Pasela Tourguard which is a popular touring tire. It comes in widths from 25 to at least 38 (runs narrower than measured). My 700x28's on my touring bike measure about 26. If you're wondering why I have such narrow tires mounted, it's because I haven't had the time to go on a self-supported tour for several years and don't need the extra width.

I only have 1200 miles on the T-Servs from a supported tour (Vancouver to Calgary) as well as random training around home. They have very little wear (total wt < 180 lb) and I've had no flats despite riding through some crappy conditions.

This year I'm taking my road bike on a supported tour. (I'll be using a Carradice saddlebag as I can't easily mount a rack.) I've been impressed enough with the T-servs to pull my wonderful Michelin Pro Races off for the tour and mount something more durable.

 

[John Picton]

I used to use Shwalbe Marathons which were pretty good, but ineffective against glass as the splinters can work through the weave of the kevlar belt. My requirements were also absolute bombproof tires for my commute (didn't want to be late for work after having to replace a tube!) so I went for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus. They weight a little more but I don't notice a difference and rolling resitance is the same as the standard Marathon, and so far when I normally would have expected around 3 - 4 punctures I have had none.

 

[rtara]

Armadillos are the best! I just went from California to Massachusetts (3500 miles) on one pair. I did get 5 punctures but that is because I ride more to the right than most peoples and that is wheret the crud is. Another person in my group with Armadillos got NO flats!

BTW, the tires still look good. There are some little cuts but nothing that would result in a hernia. I did check the tires every other day and dug out whatever was imbedded in the tires. I also switched front and rear tires about 2,000 miles into the trip.

We had 22 people do this ride. One person had 22 flats. The 3 of us with Armadillos were clearly leaders in the minumum flat category.

I'd have to say the second best tire was probably the Continental Gatorskin.

 

[Trekker2017]

I've cycled from CT to New Orleans to Los Angeles and from CT to Key West... I've had the best ride and the least punctures on Ritchies.