Technical > Wheels, Tyres and Brakes

Tyres and Tribulations

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steve216c:
Hi Lonerider,

There are differences between individual models that tyre manufactures make. From personal experience, the Schwalbe Marathon Plus models I have on various family bikes do what they promise on puncture resistance and for which I am grateful NOT to have been caught out in the cold on a rainy day having to fix a flat while running late for an important meeting.

Saying that, a Schwalbe Marathon Plus checks all the boxes on puncture resistance, but does not roll as well as e.g. Schwalbe's Big Apple or Cityline tyres in the same size. For me, as a 20 mile a day commuter, the priority to me is reliability and puncture proof ability over a slightly sportier or slightly more comfortable ride of the other two- which might shave a couple of minutes of from my commute- but are more likely to cost me 20 minutes or more if I ride over something sharp. When the bikes I have with the latter mentioned tyres require new rubber, I will almost certainly get Marathon Plus tyres just to save me the likely bother of getting a puncture.

I have tried adding self sealant to non Marathon tyres but found they the sealant seems to make the bike roll less well too, and where the Marathon Plus offers me the best compromise for my circumstances. The other downside of sealant I have experienced is that sealant has caused 'slow' punctures by not letting the valve close fully. I generally choose car-valve tubes (so I can pump at petrol stations if I want) which may be more susceptible to sealant stopping the valve close correctly over alternative valve options.

Good luck at finding the right tyre for you. Wishing you a long and flat free experience  ;D

It really depends on you and your riding style. If speed is your thing, then puncture resistant tyres are not going to be your first choice. If you are happy to trade

Lonerider:
Hi Steve - thank you for your comments.

My riding requirements are similar to yours. Not interested in speed. I count the smiles not the miles! Functionality and reliability are my key requirements. As I get older hassle free is good. I'll take a look at the Marathon Plus option.

Something was bugging me about my most recent 'puncture' so I went bin diving to recover the tube for further investigation. Interesting! Before fitting the new tube I had thoroughly inspected the tyre carcass and the rim tape. No obvious signs of a problem. Hence my unease about things. With the benefit of a comfortable sofa and a good cup of coffee I looked at the tube again. The leak was on the inside of the tube and could not have resulted from something sharp on the road. Having eliminated problems with rim tape and spokes I looked really closely at the tube. There seemed to be a lack of rubber on the seam of the tube where the leak occurred. As I run the tyres at the pressures recommended by Thorn, I should not have fallen foul on friction and movement between tube and tyre. It looks as though the tube failed. It was a Schwalbe Extralight. The replacement is an Air Plus hopefully that will be more robust.

The position of the leak also offers an explanation as to why the sealant did not work. The damage, albeit small, was linear not something like a thorn puncture. That combined with centrifugal force 'throwing' the sealant to the outer edge of the tube resulted in a failure to seal. Lessons learnt!
I've posted a couple of images.

Happy cycling.

Ray

KDean:
I've seen some chap running   a Ryde Andra 30  rim tubeless apparently successfully .Has anyone else tried it ? I've written to  Ryde  for there thoughts .

Moronic:
Really interesting result, Ray. Thanks for posting as it mitigates somewhat the anecdotal failures of the tube plus sealant solution.

Nevertheless from your post it doesn't account for most of those failures.

I'd have thought a 700c x 38 tyre would be on the border of being pluggable tubeless, so I would see that as a sound option to explore.

OTOH my riding is mainly on cycle paths and gravel roads and tracks, where puncturing debris is less prevalent than on tarmac roads shared with motor vehilces. And I have still had a couple of deflating punctures in less than a couple of thousand miles (albeit well serviced sealant would have auto-repaired the second). So I can see why a move to a more resistant tyre tread might be prudent for your use envelope.

PH:

--- Quote from: Lonerider on February 22, 2022, 03:46:43 pm ---My riding requirements are similar to yours. Not interested in speed. I count the smiles not the miles! Functionality and reliability are my key requirements. As I get older hassle free is good. I'll take a look at the Marathon Plus option.
Ray

--- End quote ---
Well, Marathon Plus get a few mentions on here. IMO they're the surest way to take the smiles out of my riding.  They're great in the scenario where a puncture is a disaster, but as soon as you mitigate that, I don't understand why anyone would take a three grand bike and dilute it's attributes.

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