BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I've had very good luck with the following:

* Vittoria Randonneurs and Randonneur Cross

* Bontrager RaceLite Hard Case

* Specialized Armadillos

* Specialized All-Condition Sports

I've yet to flat the Randonneurs (which means it'll happen today). They are not, however, very spry.

The Bontragers are nice tires, too, and I've only flatted those once the rubber was really, really worn down. Same goes for the Armadillos.

The All-Conditions are definitely lighter, but I'm not sure how they hold up. They're my "training" tires, so I'm not as careless with them (meaning I actually avoid glass and whatnot), but I've done a fair amount of dirt riding with them with no issues.

Both the Randos and the All-Conditions have a reflective sidewall, which is nice.

What do you think of the Conti Contacts 700x37?

To burly?

i have used conti top touring for well over 5000 miles with no flats in my touring bike

i've also had good luck with tserv's

had good luck with the bontrager hard case's mentioned

had lots of bad luck with michelens of a couple different kinds and kind of stay away from them as a rule now.

I've not used the Contacts, though a friend has a set of the 559x45 models, and they look swell. I'd probably say unless you plan on regularly hitting dirt, they may be a bit too burly. But that's just me.

The T-Servs and Randos are similarly priced, and the Bontragers are a bit more expensive. Initially, it's hard to swallow $60-70 for a set of tires, but the headaches saved by not having flats are completely worth it.

4000+ miles of brevets, commuting, and training with Schwalbe Marathon Racers, on everything from smooth pavement to gravel, no flats. Include reflective sidewall, as Brian mentioned above, and are available with Kevlar bead for foldable goodness.

Ain't cheap, though.

I'll second Brian's rec of Vittoria Randonneurs. Reliable if un-spry - a first-rate commuting tire.

How do you guys feel about Mr Tuffy's to buttress cheaper tires? Kranick likes them...

I used Mr Tuffys with a set of (non-TourGuard) Paselas for awhile. Better than nothing, but I still managed to get a flat, and they make the Randos feel like a handmade racing tire

They can also be a pain to install, especially you have a particularly tight tire/rim combo.

Forget to mention.... I have a Specialize Allez Elite with standard brakes.

Anyone know the largerst tire that'll fit? 28?

I assume by "standard" you mean short reach (i.e. what comes on the majority of road bikes these days) brakes...

You _could_ run into fit issues depending on the fork. I have a Bianchi Vigorelli for awhile, and 28mm Vittoria Randos just barely fit. That said, most 28mm tires are smaller than advertised. Best to measure what you have now, find real world measurements for the tires you might purchase, and see what might work.

Thanks everone for the advice.

I got the Vittoria Randonneur Cross 700x28 and the fit between the brakes just fine!

They were a son-of-a-***** to fit though - had to take the rime strip out and replace with electrical tape to get those little blighters to fit.

Today suffering from tire-thumb!!!!!

What kind of rims do you have?

I recommend either a Crank Brothers Speed Lever or a QuikStik (REI has both, btw).