Tire Selection

[Johnny]

Currently I have 622-42mm Marathon Mondials on my cross bike. Unfortunately while on a trail the sidewall rubbed to some horns and I had a flat. I fixed the flat and since than didn't have a flat but just realized that My rear tire has a ballooned up spot on the sidewall. I assume that it is no longer safe to ride this tire.

Too bad, the mondials were holding up very well, front tire is in great shape shows almost no sign of wear and my rear tire still has some good thread(though the thread depth is visibly shorter compared to a new tire). I can just change the rear tire but I am planning to go wider so I think it is a good idea to change both.

I will be riding mostly on roads, country roads and rarely on light trails. I think the frame may allow 55-60mm but it seems to be tight so not to risk it I decided to go for 700cx50mm(29x2.0) tires.

So far I have the following tires on my mind:

Big Ben Raceguard
Big Ben Plus
Energizer Plus
Almotion

I will more likely to make a selection between the big ben and big ben plus. The tires are similarly priced but plus seem to have DD protection and slightly more rolling resistance. Is DD protection worth sacrificing some efficiency ? Mondials were not very good at sidewall protection though they had great durability. I also like a tire which will not give me trouble when climbing over parallel cracks.

I will be happy to hear suggestions on different brands different models etc.

Oh one last thing. I have been using tubes with slime and so far I have prevented 2 flats (I saw the green stuff on the tire). I had a couple of torn resistant qtubes around with removable presta cores. They are for 43mm tires , do you think I can use them for 50mm tires(these tubes can expand quite a lot)?

 

[steve mercier]

Currently I have 622-42mm Marathon Mondials on my cross bike. Unfortunately while on a trail the sidewall rubbed to some horns and I had a flat. I fixed the flat and since than didn't have a flat but just realized that My rear tire has a ballooned up spot on the sidewall. I assume that it is no longer safe to ride this tire.

Too bad, the mondials were holding up very well, front tire is in great shape shows almost no sign of wear and my rear tire still has some good thread(though the thread depth is visibly shorter compared to a new tire). I can just change the rear tire but I am planning to go wider so I think it is a good idea to change both.

I will be riding mostly on roads, country roads and rarely on light trails. I think the frame may allow 55-60mm but it seems to be tight so not to risk it I decided to go for 700cx50mm(29x2.0) tires.

So far I have the following tires on my mind:

Big Ben Raceguard
Big Ben Plus
Energizer Plus
Almotion

I will more likely to make a selection between the big ben and big ben plus. The tires are similarly priced but plus seem to have DD protection and slightly more rolling resistance. Is DD protection worth sacrificing some efficiency ? Mondials were not very good at sidewall protection though they had great durability. I also like a tire which will not give me trouble when climbing over parallel cracks.

I will be happy to hear suggestions on different brands different models etc.

Oh one last thing. I have been using tubes with slime and so far I have prevented 2 flats (I saw the green stuff on the tire). I had a couple of torn resistant qtubes around with removable presta cores. They are for 43mm tires , do you think I can use them for 50mm tires(these tubes can expand quite a lot)?

My vote is always for Tannus Armour over slime combined with a Smart Sam plus. I still have never had a flat on a Smart Sam Plus in over 10 years. We have them on 3 bikes. You can get them in 700 x 40CC

 

[Johnny]

My vote is always for Tannus Armour over slime combined with a Smart Sam plus. I still have never had a flat on a Smart Sam Plus in over 10 years. We have them on 3 bikes. You can get them in 700 x 40CC

That is a great suggestion. Unfortunately they don't make it in 50C , I probably can fit 2.1" ones but it is a risk(also it is hard to find). The 40c is the exact size of the marathons I have and I was not very happy with it(you can not run them at a low psi and have trouble with parallel cracks on the road at higher speeds).

Big ben Plus is closer to it in terms of protection but it is slightly more oriented towards road riding.

I also saw Energizer Plus HS492, seems nice and has very good durability rating and will put it on my list.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

My vote is always for Tannus Armour over slime combined with a Smart Sam Plus.

I second Steve's recommendation of Tannus Armour and Schwalbe tyres with Plus in their name but see no reason to give up on sealant.

I also use Panaracer Flataway Kevlar liners glued to the inside of tyres.

Embrace paranoia!
… David

 

[steve mercier]

Now that is what I am talking about!!

 

[indianajo]

I kenda knobbies, which have 3/16" bumps all over, even on the sidewall. As long as I don't ride them down to 1/16" thick, I don't get flats. I don't use slime tubes. I use the 1.95 or 2.1" size depending what is in stock. They cost about half as much as schalbes, IMHO.