Best touring tires

[colini39]

Can you all give me your 2 cents worth on which is your top 700c touring tires for the Trans AM.

Thanks

Colin

[Pat Lamb]

My best tire was a Specialized Armadillo Nimbus.  Great tread wear, good puncture resistance.  Downside is it wasn't a lively feeling tire, but that was a trade I was happy to make.

Panaracer Paselas are nice tires.  Downsides are relatively limited tread life, and (for me) a batch of bad tires the last time I bought some -- tread delaminated, massive failures, 2 of 3 ended in rides of shame. 

I can't recommend Vittoria Randonneurs.  See http://pdlamb.wordpress.com/lamb-trans-am/fixing-things-buffalo-ky/  for details.  That one's replacement, also a Randonneur, only lasted 2,000 miles (about 2,500 miles short of its replacement, the Nimbus).

Schwalbe Marathon and Continental Gatorskins get pretty good reviews.  The Marathon has too much tread for my taste, and I just put a Gatorskin on one bike recently, but haven't had time to evaluate it fully.

[litespeed]

I use 700x35 Schwalbe Marathon Supreme touring tires on my custom touring wheels (Rhynolite Sunrims). They wear longer and flat less than the Continental 2000's I used to use. I use Mr. Tuffy tire liners.

[DaveB]

I can't recommend Vittoria Randonneurs.  See http://pdlamb.wordpress.com/lamb-trans-am/fixing-things-buffalo-ky/  for details.  That one's replacement, also a Randonneur, only lasted 2,000 miles (about 2,500 miles short of its replacement, the Nimbus).

Hmmm, that's unfortunate.  i just installed Randonneurs on my Surly Cross Check rain/errand bike.  I only have about 60 miles on them so it's way too early to tell but I hope my experience is better than yours.

[Mark Manley]

For long life and durability I would recommend something from the Schwalbe marathon range, not sure exactly what they do in your size. I would also recommend slime filled tubes which I have found work very well and swopping front and rear tyres every 1,000 miles or so to even out wear.

[staehpj1]

Can you all give me your 2 cents worth on which is your top 700c touring tires for the Trans AM.

Everyone has their own preferences, but...
Gatorskins work well for me.  I prefer thin tubes and like them on the small size for the tire (or even a bit under the size rating).  Width varies depending on the load carried.  for 40+ pounds of gear I'd use 32mm, for 30-ish pounds of gear 28mm, and for ultralight touring 25mm.  I avoid both slime and thorn proof tubes like the plague.

The best hint that I can give is to know what the goat head thorn plants look like and where they grow.  That is more important than tire choice for the TA.  Check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribulus_terrestris

Also realize that the plants can be tiny stunted things growing in the crack of the shoulder or just off the shoulder.  When in doubt stay on the pavement.  when you do go off pavement in goat head territory, check the tires for goat heads before getting under way.

[sspeed]

Thanks for the info on goathead plants, I never knew quite what those plants looked like. 

Adventure Cycling sells a couple of Schwalbe Marathons I was considering...

Marathon Supreme HS 382
http://www.adventurecycling.org/store/index.cfm/product/597_79/schwalbe-marathon-supreme-hs-382-tire.cfm

The Marathon HS 420
http://www.adventurecycling.org/store/index.cfm/product/451_79/schwalbe-marathon-hs-420-tire.cfm

The 420 seems to get great reviews.  The 382 *looks* faster rolling and it's a little lighter, but the reviews on the site aren't as good.  Any thoughts on those two?

[Rick.in.AZ]

Your question holds part of it "Top 700c touring" or more specifically "Top Touring" which is what Continental used to call their touring tires.
Expensive to buy, but less $ / mile.  When I used them from Portland OR to SF I never even craked my pump in the 2 1/2 weeks, and continued to use them for another couple thousand miles of commuting.

Now they are called the Touring Plus (the plus is a reflective sizewall stripe).

I like pdlamb have tried the paselas, but found then to not last nearly as long, and to come apart. - cheaper to buy, more $ / mile.

I hear good things about the Schwalbe Marathons, but have never tried them.

Staehpj1 mentioned gatorskins - I use those on my road bike to protect against the goat head thorns here in Arizona and love them, but haven't tried them for extended or loaded usage.

When I do the TransAm next summer I intend to use Conti's

[dkoloko]

Your question holds part of it "Top 700c touring" or more specifically "Top Touring" which is what Continental used to call their touring tires.
Expensive to buy, but less $ / mile.  When I used them from Portland OR to SF I never even craked my pump in the 2 1/2 weeks, and continued to use them for another couple thousand miles of commuting.

"I never even craked my pump". If means not need replenishing of air, all tires lose air. If means not gotten flats, luck on flats can be just that, granting that some tires have better reputation for flat resistance than others. I used Top Touring tires and had flats. In general, the tires that have the best reputation for flat resistance are the heaviest.

[Rick.in.AZ]

@dkoloko - Yes, tires loose air over time. But in the 2 1/2 weeks for that ride, they didn't lose enough to bother adding.  And yes, perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but I stand behind me recomendation to the OP.  I have tried a lot of tires over the years, and my experience has been nother but positive with Conti's. Also note that this is a general recomendation, not just based on puncture resistance.
As usual, YMMV...

[MDGColorado]

I love Paselas by Panaracer at about 55 psi. I've used the 35's for about 6 years now, and now trying out the 37's. For some reason the 37's are harder to get (Harris Cyclery carries them) and not discounted as often. They may be a little more supple than 35's, not much though, but I will say the lost 2mm of fender clearance is noticeable in more little pebbles dragging in my fenders.

Thinking of trying the BG Rock & Roads for an unpaved tour; I would have to remove fenders but that is feasible in CO/WY.

Mark