What tyre?

[DavidH]

Well it looks like I've worn out the 1.5" Pasela TG's on my RST after about 5000km - I think the commute across heathy forest tracks has brought them to an early end, with the sidewall tearing away nicely. With my previous bike I just used to keep going with Conti Top tours.

I would like people's thoughts on the relative merits of:
Conti Top Contact (50-559) - has anyone used these - are they worth that much? are they not a bit heavy?
Conti Travel Contact (47-559)
Schwalbe Marathon Supreme (42-559)
Pasela TG's - should I go for the 1.75" this time? - I'm not sure these will give me much more grip.

As far as I have gathered, the key issues are - rolling resistance (and thus speed / effort);

About 80% of my commute and regular riding is on country roads, the rest is on on forest tracks, sections of which are soft sand, and one section of clay. So although I want speed most of the time, I do need to have something to pull me through rougher ground.

[geocycle]

I don't have experience of the conti's but have used the pasela TGs and Schwalbe marathons.  The main problem with TGs is the side wall which is very thin and also split with me when used off road.  It was a very comfortable ride but I quickly switched back to Schwalbe.  I've always been pretty happy with standard marathons and I hear the supremes are even better if a bit pricey.  The lack of tread on all these tyres (probably especially the supreme) would limit performance on mud.  My use is similar to yours and I think my next tyres will be supremes.

[kwkirby01]

I recently changed to Marathon Supreme tyres (albeit 50mm) and have been very pleased with them, off road and on. Fast and comfortable in all conditions when used with appropriate pressure. Kevin

[ians]

I've been commuting for the past 6 months on marathon supremes (26x1.6) on my RST.  Also did the Hadrian's Wall route on them (mud, track, gravel, tarmac) - absolutely fine.

ian

[PH]

There's another Panarecer tyre worth looking at, the T-Serve.  It's like a Pasela but with a thicker sidewall.
http://www.panaracer.com/urban.php

I've had the 1.5" version on my Raven for the last 9 months, they seem an ideal compromise tyre, reasonable in all aspects though I wouldn't call them outstanding at anything. 

[davefife]

On the RST:  After panaracer when new, a selection of schwalbes I have now fitted 1.5" conti sports (Sept09) that come with the 1 year guarantee on tyre and tube, my commute/cycling is about 10% off road on tracks as DavidH describes, and 10% on the worst Edinburgh routes for broken glass bottles, tv screens etc, (anyone else noticed the profusion of crt's littering the country?) the remainder on road.  So far the contis are the most resistant to the dreaded and i have only used the guarantee once after 1000 miles and a thorn penetrated.  As a new guarantee starts with each new tyre and tube, this could be a good thing for an economy minded cyclist like myself.

I would recommend them.

[freddered]

I use the standard Marathon (£15ish) and am very pleased with them.

I recently acquired a new bike with Conti Gatorskins and wrecked them in a couple of hundred miles.  In winter, on gravel-strewn lanes, I like the reassurance of Marathons.

[blair]

I've used Conti City Contacts on my commuter bike with good results.
Had 1 puncture in a couple of years, which is pretty good considering the amount of glass the yobbos throw into the gutters and bike paths.
I used Panaracer T-servs for quite a while on my Club Tour, after giving up on Paselas and Conti Gatorskind because of sidewall vulnerability. Sadly, the T-Servs are no longer available in Oz, so I've shifted to Conti Contacts. They seem to be quite puncture resistant.

We have just acquired 2 Bike Fridays with 1.5 Schwalbe Marathons for a European trip next year, (travelling with full size bikes is getting increasingly difficult) but I haven't had enough experience with them to comment yet. They seem to handle varied surfaces pretty well.