Good Road Tire For Terrible Roads?



dshardpolerwas

New Member
Jul 1, 2015
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So... I ride a 2014 Cross Check with the stock tires (Kenda Slant Six, 35s). My commute is about four miles each way, mildly hilly, in NorCal so no real weather issues.

The ride is all pavement (and I don't really do any other off-roading) so I've been planning on buying some slicks, but the catch is that the pavement is -terrible- -- giant potholes, broken glass, metal plates, flaming oil, caltrops, blah blah. I was getting a flat a week on my previous road bike.

Anybody have any recommendations for a super-bulletproof road tire that's still going to be faster than the tires I'm rolling now? Or should I just save the $100 or so and wait till my current tires wear out?
 
I don't suspect this is going to be a unique recommendation, and it probably wont be faster than your current, but if flat protection is the main thing, get the biggest marathon plus's you can fit. If the rough road is the big thing, try the biggest big apples you can fit, and use a flat resistant tube, with a securely installed tire liner.

And of course.. the most important thing. Do you very best to safely avoid the broken glass and other road hazards.
 
I personally would run 700x38 Panaracer Pasela TG's, they roll well, wear really well and are very comfy. To top it off you can usually find them rather cheap.
 
The problem with puncture resistant tires is that they (1) have harder, less penetrable rubber and (2) have layer(s) of puncture resistance in them making the tires heavier and therefore, may work for you in terms of puncture resistance but not in terms of "faster". I like my Continental Tour tires and also the Michelin Pilot Sport that I had on another bike. My Michelins haven't been ridden a lot but have had no punctures, the Continental Tours have about 4,000km on them with only one puncture and little tread wear (at this rate, I expect to get as much as 10,000km out of the rear tire alone but this summer's laden touring may reduce that). You could opt for faster tires and suffer through more flats, flat resistant tires and less speed or somewhere in the middle. Flats annoy the heck out of me so flat resistance is where I'm at.

People here really like the Pasela's as well as the Continental Grand Prix 4 Season.
 
I have similar road conditions to the OP, and I am really happy w/ marathon supremes and extremes (not sure they make the latter anymore). Cost more but worth it. Do avoid the potholes though, and that means not over-riding your headlights. Any tire can only protect your rim so much...

(did you know you could hit something hard enough to dent your rim and not get a pinch flat in the mix?)
 
Road scum yeah? Maybe check Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech (Not the normal Rubino Pros!) or some Conti Gatorskins...

I can vouch for the Vittoria ones... Don't trust Conti much...
 
There are a lot of good tough tires in your size, look into all the ones mentioned except the Conti 4 Seasons they are not tough especially in the sidewalls and will not hold up to the roads you described and they don't come anything larger than a 32; also the Vittoria Rubino Pro mentioned is a nice tire but doesn't come any larger than a 28.. Some others to consider is the Vittoria Randonneur Pro, Michelin Protek Max (not the non Max one), and Specialized Nimbus Armadillo.

All those tires I mentioned will be a bit faster than the Kenda but don't expect a 10 mph increase! And they're all way tougher against flats.

I would wear out the tires you have and save money up. If the old tires still have a lot of life in them then get a Panaracer FlatAway liner for the rear tire. Remember not to use light weight tubes, get standard weight tubes.
 
blastguardgear said:
I personally would run 700x38 Panaracer Pasela TG's, they roll well, wear really well and are very comfy. To top it off you can usually find them rather cheap.
The Pasela is a skinwall tire. They have low rolling resistance but the sidewall has no resistance to cuts. Rough pavement can destroy them.
 
garage sale GT said:
The Pasela is a skinwall tire. They have low rolling resistance but the sidewall has no resistance to cuts. Rough pavement can destroy them.
This is incorrect and misleading information. The Pasela is a GUMWALL tire which is the same sidewall as the Schwalbe Marathon, it is not a skinwall like Conti road tires. The Pasela TG versions toughens up the sidewall further than the regular Pasela by adding a kevlar belt that extends from the tread to the sidewall instead of just the tread.
 
Froze said:
This is incorrect and misleading information. The Pasela is a GUMWALL tire which is the same sidewall as the Schwalbe Marathon, it is not a skinwall like Conti road tires. The Pasela TG versions toughens up the sidewall further than the regular Pasela by adding a kevlar belt that extends from the tread to the sidewall instead of just the tread.
Correction, after going to the panaracer website, both the regular Pasela and the TG version use a puncture resistant belt that extends from the tread and onto the sidewall, the TG adds another layer of puncture resistance to the tread area only.
 
I solved my problem with a Raleigh Tamland with 40mm Clement MSO tires. This thing eats potholes. It's a bit heavy for a road bike, but comfort and stability go a long way toward meeting my needs.
 
Froze said:
This is incorrect and misleading information. The Pasela is a GUMWALL tire which is the same sidewall as the Schwalbe Marathon, it is not a skinwall like Conti road tires. The Pasela TG versions toughens up the sidewall further than the regular Pasela by adding a kevlar belt that extends from the tread to the sidewall instead of just the tread.
OP, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about.

Paselas have low rolling resistance and are strong but they have no protection against sidewall abrasion.

It's a skinwall, I've had several and damaged a few of them by nicking the sidewall. They were the TourGuard version btw.

The sidewall above the black rubber tread cap is just two plies of fabric and enough rubber to glue them together.
 
I've been using Bontrager All-Weather 3s, in 25mm, since October without a cut or flat. They get about 2/3s the mileage of Continentals (Gatorskin, 4-Season, GP4000, etc.). The sidewalls are a bit thin, but the All-Weather 2 has extra plies. Most Trek shops have the 2 for around $35.
 
I'm probably the wrong person to comment on this (I have never flatted) but I run Conti Four Seasons. Keep them pumped. Thousands of miles with no problems. But, I ride mostly on decent roads. But the times I have ridden on rough stuff, no problems.
 
oldbobcat said:
I've been using Bontrager All-Weather 3s, in 25mm, since October without a cut or flat. They get about 2/3s the mileage of Continentals (Gatorskin, 4-Season, GP4000, etc.). The sidewalls are a bit thin, but the All-Weather 2 has extra plies. Most Trek shops have the 2 for around $35.

I never managed to actually wear down the tread on the gp4000s ii. First one got torn on the sidewall at 2000km and used them another 3000 with a tire boot on one.

Then they had some nasty cuts all over and eventually replaced them with the Rubino Pro Techs. Still keep one as a back up in case I go for a century ride in the middle of nowhere or something.
 
garage sale GT said:
OP, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about.

Paselas have low rolling resistance and are strong but they have no protection against sidewall abrasion.

It's a skinwall, I've had several and damaged a few of them by nicking the sidewall. They were the TourGuard version btw.

The sidewall above the black rubber tread cap is just two plies of fabric and enough rubber to glue them together.
OP this guy doesn't know what's he's talking about, but I also made a mistake in the true definition of what a skin wall vs a gum wall is. If youdo a internet search for yourself by asking in Google "is Panaracer Pasela tires gumwall or skinwall, some sites say gumwall some say skinwll. Next go to the Panaracer website and find Pasela tires and look at the small icons under each tire's picture, the first is 400D lite extra cord, this is puncture resistant belt that extends all the way from one bead across the tread to the other bead and the description even says for side (wall) cut protection. Then with Pasela TG they add in another belt called the Tour Guard for puncture resistance but this one does not extend into the sidewall. Not all skinwall tires are bad against sidewall cuts, only the ones that don't have the extra belt protection. Conti tires are skinwalled but are black instead of tan colored, once I give the description of the the two you see that technically the Pasela is a skinwall but with robust fabric in the sidewall as mentioned above.

The gumwall and skinwall translation is loosely defined by a lot people, and because the terms are thrown around loosely I too got confused. So here is the legal definition as promised.

Skinwall tires are a far more superior & complex tire, a skinwall is made up of (In most cases) a thread count of 44 TPI, each individual thread is sealed & protected in a durable coating for added strength & life, (Gumwalls are not, just a side coating that does not penetrate into the wall) the threads are then woven into the sidewall to form the bag of the tire, the rider surface area is then applied on the outer portion of the bag & is in almost all cases a proper rubber form for better life and a far more superior traction surface...

Noteable points

#1 - A Skinwall tire has all the threads in the sidewall visible & very noticeable, a Gumwall tire does not....
#2 - A skinwall tire is app 30% lighter than a gumwall based on material qualities & less gum used for strength.
#3 - A Skinwall tire has tire pressures of 60PSI & higher, as it has a far more structural sidewall.
#4 - A Skinwall tire is only ever used in comparison to a Gumwall when talking about the colour of a tire, but the phrase should be TAN WALL or BLACK WALL - I believe this is where many get confused when calling a skinwall a gumwall.

See: http://www.ozbmx.com.au/?showtopic=13062 This is the site the info above came from.

I own a pair of Pasela TG's and I've owned Conti tires, the Pasela is definitely superior, maybe Conti should call their's thinwall, Pasela is bit more robust, so much so that on my touring bike that I have the Pasela's on I ride on gravel roads occasionally and never had so much as a nick. So without emailing Panaracer directly to get the exact sidewall tread count I would venture to say that the tread consist of a 400D extralight cut resistant belt with another 44 TPI belt on top or behind that belt.

The Panaracer is not a fragile tire, this tire is used in medium to light touring applications which is what the TG stands for and is recognized as being a very capable tire in that regard, some commuters use this tire as well for without issues, if the tire was fragile touring cyclists would have railed against the tire, this is not happening, and the same is with commuters. This is a great durable tire without getting a really heavy sluggish tire that would be superior in flat protection but an overkill for your needs like a Schwalbe Marathon or the Panaracer Tourguard Plus just to name a couple.

There are a lot of tires on the market, you just have to decide which one is best for you at a price you can afford.
 
OP, Froze is a little confused by the fact that some skinwalls have a finer thread count than the Pasela.

In other words, it's made of coarser fabric.

"400D" is just Panaracer's trade name for their fabric.

An excellent tire for rough roads IMHO, if they still make it, is the Bell Streetster. It's inexpensive and it has about a millimeter of rubber over the sidewall. It's available at Wal-Mart. I have only seen them for 27" bikes though.

There may be other low cost tires available that simply had a 27TPI construction and some rubber on the sidewalls. Those would be plenty tough for everything but extreme punctures from nails or wires.

Try tire sealant.
 
These would be faster though only by a bit, a lot more robust than what you have now, bit wider at 37 so make sure they'll fit if you decide to go this way, high reviews, and on sale for really good price; see: https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/vredestein-perfect-xtreme-road-tire?dc=a1clear0615&psb=2734&ecn=585f6dd27096ac9e73f9407bd9874d61&ln=211300919&utm_source=BTD+2.0&utm_campaign=1833e8279a-BTD_070415_public_a1clear0615_door0715_usa0715&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bcabc9a71b-1833e8279a-71332101
 
Terrible roads? That sounds familiar because our village have a lot of that. Only a few roads are concrete here and most roads have potholes especially now that the rains are coming. So if the road is wet then it is muddy and if you are meticulous with your bike, you don't ride it here because your bike will be dirty. For the tires, flats are not that common although for bad roads, we really cannot say. The village head said that the roads can only be repaired if we surrender the authority to the government, that means this will not be an exclusive village anymore.
 

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