I emailed the owner asking the size and he just said it was 'medium' and he was 5' 7" tall. Someone else with a different 485L for sale (with a rare Nuvinci hub) also said he was 5' 7" tall and it was good for him. I drilled down into Thorn's Sherpa brochure for January 2012 ie the Mk2 version. The 485L is listed on the site table as small. Pity as I might have taken it further.

Supremes are my choice for the best compromise weight/performance and durability for use mainly on tarmac. I don't yet need to replace the Supremes on any of the family bikes.

But I did check out the available alternatives in August 2025.

If they are still around when I need replacements, my current choice would be the Continental Contact Urban wire bead tyre. This is a bit heavier, much cheaper, and according to https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com it is pretty much the same as Supreme as far as rolling resistance is concerned. And reasonably easy to find on German websites.

I have Continental Contact Urban in the 16" size on two of the family Bromptons, so far the tyres have performed very well and seem to be reasonably puncture resistant.

My favourites for mixed on/off road use are the Duremes. I still have a pair in use, but it is a long time since it was possible to buy any.

Last year, Marathon Mondial 50x559 were still available, both in folding and wire bead versions. I bought a pair of these for one of the  bikes I maintain for a nature reserve, where the bikes are used quite a lot on rough tracks. Mondial are a bit heavier than Dureme, probably tougher, but they don't roll so well as Dureme. But if they are still available if/when I need replacements for Dureme, Mondial would probably be my choice.

Hi all,

I'm looking for these tires, i love it ! But saddly it seems not available..

Maybe do you know a website who sell currently this model ?

An alternative otherwise.. ? 

i think I have kept the 2 I used on my Pamir Highway trip.
Still in very good condition.

If you're interested I'll look them out from my loft where I have stored them.
I'm in Scotland.

Matt

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/PamirHighway2015

Here's one, in the U.S.:  www.bicyclehero.com  USD 73 each, plus delivery for orders below USD 100.

Good luck!

A tour in Ethiopia is something special, Matt -- not a walk in the park, for sure.

I was in Ethiopia once, handling security for a convoy delivering wheat to the famished during their civil war. When I got back and with a sigh dropped into my chair at my table in the Langham Long Bar, the CIA guy for Southern Africa said, 'Only the innocent and the ruthless return from Ethiopia alive.'

When I read that from Matt, I wondered whether he is innocent or ruthless. Whichever, a bicycle tour in Ethiopia ranks way higher on the Jute Green Scale (of envy) than any circumnavigation through only civilized countries.

My late chum Andrew McCoy, the leader of that expedition, turned its events into a somewhat colored novel called Lance of God; it's out of print but I have e-copies from his (and my) publishers I can give to anyone interested; drop me a PM with your email address and it follows by return of mail.