# Best large volume commuting tire



## Erik_A (Sep 14, 2008)

What is your recommendation for a large volume commuting tire in 700c x 34c-40c size that would fit a cyclocross bike. I want a smooth tread tire, that is large enough to smooth out broken urban pavement, and with decent puncture resistance.


----------



## rmsmith (Feb 15, 2007)

I have been very happy with the Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe HS420 DD in 700 x 38, which is a folding tire, and I also add a Mr Tuffy liner. Beware, they're expensive.


----------



## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

I have a 25mm Schwabe Marathon. It is just a massive tire. Heavy for a 25mm tire. Unfortunately, 50 miles on the tire, and I got my first flat (from a pretty massive piece of glass). 

I will say, for the size of the piece of glass and gash, the tire has held up well without any booting or filling of the hole. It does appear as if the thickness of the protective layers is thin compared to the amount of rubber on the tire.

Sorry, no experience with 30+mm tires, but perhaps they are similar to what I have, just bigger and heavier.

I do believe the traction of the Schwabe is better than my slicks.


----------



## robt57 (Jul 23, 2011)

Pasella Tour Guard 35C worth a look IMO, used them a few years back and liked them. I have a 47C set of Conti Contact, a bit too portly and heavy feeling for me. They are huge!

Another possible choice if you do not mind a less pavement tire. I got some Conti Speed Ride 42C, which are in real life a 37-8mm tire. I hve used them on pavement and gravel, and fire roads and like them a lot. But perhaps if you do a lot of paved road a little to far in one direction.

For mostly pavement and crap roads I am liking the 27mm Pave Vitts I am running on my Roubaix. They ride as well as a lot bigger tire with less air and not nearly as challenging to keep spinning, if at all.  I also like the Conti All Seasons, again smaller than you speced @ 28, but I have not flatted one yet out of 5 tires. And have traveled a bunch of dirt and gravel roads with them too.

Also have a set of 32mm Specialized wire bead somethings [I can look]
not flatted and really as big as I like to get, except maybe the SpeedRides which I love the feel of.


----------



## St. Urho (Jun 22, 2010)

I have Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 32 mm tires on my commuter. The ride is fantastic and I've gotten 1500 flat-free miles without a lot of visible wear.


----------



## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

For that need I usually just go to a shop and say give me the cheapest tires you have. That's not because I'm looking to pinch pennies necessarily but cheap tires are really tough tires and when they are that big they are going to be smooth not matter what (as long as you don't use to much PSI).


----------



## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

I never found cheap tires to be really tough. 

I agree with the Marathons, if you want a tire that will get you to work without flats then thats the tire to get, but it is a heavy tire not made for fast riding. I don't think you need a flat liner like a Mr Tuffy in a Marathon; and besides Mr Tuffy's are not all that tough, I easily drove a tack with my finger through one but could not do it all with a Panaracer FlatAway liner. I use a Panaracer FlatAway liner in my touring bike and in my main road bike BUT only on the rear tire because most flats occur there, but I also am not riding on Marathon tires.


----------



## harryman (Nov 14, 2014)

> I got some Conti Speed Ride 42C, which are in real life a 37-8mm tire.


I'll second these, especially if you venture off pavement at all. I have these on my commuter right now. They are comfy and roll very well. Not as overbuilt as many touring tires, but they do have puncture protection.


----------



## SlowJoeCrow (Sep 3, 2009)

The Panaracer Pasela PT or Panaracer T-Serv Protex, both are not very expensive compared to Schwalbe and Conti and very well regarded. Plus they come in lots of sizes, I run Paselas in 32C for better fender clearance but you can get them in 35C and 38C. 
I ride in the rain a lot but if I'm going off pavement I have a second set of wheels with knobbies so I don't worry about it.


----------



## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

SlowJoeCrow said:


> The Panaracer Pasela PT or Panaracer T-Serv Protex, both are not very expensive compared to Schwalbe and Conti and very well regarded. Plus they come in lots of sizes, I run Paselas in 32C for better fender clearance but you can get them in 35C and 38C.
> I ride in the rain a lot but if I'm going off pavement I have a second set of wheels with knobbies so I don't worry about it.


Actually I use Pasela TG which is a bit sturdier than the PT or the Protex which I don't think is being made anymore. The TG is more for light to medium load touring purposes and is the tire I use on my touring bike, but I only for now just tour on weekends so my load that I carry is about 1/2 of what a longer tour would carry. 

Panaracer does make a heavy touring tire called the TourGuard but the Marathon tire mentioned earlier is world renown as the best touring tire on the market, but I wouldn't discount the TourGuard because Panaracer is known to make good products.


----------



## Erik_A (Sep 14, 2008)

Those Vittoria Voyager Hyper 700x38c tires look great: Voyager Hyper - Vittoria.com



> I'm using a 700x38 Hyper on a one cyclocross bike and a 700x40 Schwalbe Marathon Dureme on another. The Hyper is clearly lighter, more supple and faster feeling. The Hyper is tough enough for touring, and has good traction on roads and dry gravel. The Dureme is very tough, with good traction on firm, wet gravel and might last longer. Both tires have been flat free and will last several thousand miles.


----------



## Mr Evil (Aug 12, 2011)

Erik_A said:


> Those Vittoria Voyager Hyper 700x38c tires look great: Voyager Hyper - Vittoria.com


I have some of those in 32c, and they are extremely good. Reasonable weight, very supple and good grip in the wet. I don't get enough punctures to be able to compare their puncture resistance to other tyres, but they have less protection than most other larger tyres (hence the low weight and rolling resistance). You can pick them up cheap from Planet X.


----------



## dcgriz (Feb 13, 2011)

Look at the Compass 700c x 38mm. Supple tire geared for comfort while maintaining good overall performance.


----------



## Migen21 (Oct 28, 2014)

I'll cast my vote for Schwalbe Marathon Plus in whatever width you prefer. 

I ride with 700x35 on my commuter/winter trainer. 

Love them for many reasons. 

They feel great, look great (reflective stripe on the side wall is a plus for winter/night rides), and are more than durable enough for winter riding conditions.


----------



## Erik_A (Sep 14, 2008)

I finally decided on these in 700 x 37

Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pro City Tire

Vittoria Randonneur Cross Pro City Tire


----------



## fedrusion (Jul 26, 2010)

I'm trying out a set of serfas drifters in 700x32, so far they seem pretty good. Though I've spent more time exploring the local dirt roads than pavement.

I've had good performance out of the seca rs tires I've run so I have high expectations.


----------



## Richard L (Jun 16, 2014)

I have the Compass 28mm's and like them a lot.

Soma has some tires that might be of interest. I think they are made by Panaracer.


----------



## vmps (Feb 15, 2013)

Continental contacts, available in a couple of sizes.


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Not sure if you bought a tire yet but I just put on some Vittoria Hypers (700x38) and they are the cat's meow.


----------



## NoCoGreg (Jan 3, 2015)

+1 for Schwalbe Marathon's. My wife and I have had great success commuting on the XR's but these are no longer made. Supposedly the replacement is the Marathon Mondial. These tires are incredibly durable, in several years of commuting neither of us have had a flat. These tires are also the most expensive, and probably the heaviest, tire out there. In the flats these tires roll nicely. Uphill, not so much… My son took my commuter with the Schwalbes when he headed to college so I'm now commuting on a different bike. Oh, and my commute grew from 5 miles to 30 so went from a 26" Frankenbike and Bob trailer to a Soma Saga with 700c wheels and a single pannier.

The Saga came with the Continental CrossRide in a 700x42. It actually measures 38mm on 25mm wide rims. CrossRides give a very supple and would have been perfect for the gravel sections of my commute, but the CrossRide doesn't have good (any?) flat protection. Actually flats weren't a problem until the tread was mostly gone by 1,500 miles. After the 3rd flat I changed to some Clement Explor MSO's 700x40. Explor's are definitely faster than the CrossRide and do great in the 4 miles of gravel on my commute. I only have a couple hundred miles on the new tires, but so far they're great. Here's the review which got me interested in the Explor: Clement X?Plor MSO Tires: Overall Review | Gravel Grinder News

If you're looking for a tire which rolls well on pavement and has decent traction in gravel these are worth a look.


----------



## steinman (Apr 29, 2013)

I love the 700x32 Panaracer Pasela TGs that came on my casseroll. Commuted on potholed streets for about 1500 miles before my first flat (which was entirely my fault). Really enjoy the ride. Regarding my flat, I did want to mention the sidewalls. I ended up with a tear in mine which blew my tube, luckily not while riding. That said it was entirely my own lazy fault. I routinely ran these guys on extremely low pressure (I'm taking like 20-30 psi) because I was too lazy to bust out the pump two feet away. Thought it was worth mentioning that the sidewall will tear if abused but I think under normal use with proper care/inflation, there's nothing to worry about. I did just order a Vittoria Hyper 700x32 to replace it as it gets outstanding reviews.


----------



## SantaCruz (Mar 22, 2002)

There's a lot of Schwalbe Marathon talk on this thread and I just bought Marathon Plus in 700X32, so my questions are:
1. Do they run big? (as I have heard) and How big?
2. Would it be safe to use near max rated 95 psi with 400lbs (loaded tandem = riders + baggage + bike).
3. For smooth roads/trails I'm surely OK, but how about occasional dirt/light gravel roads? Minus any baggage weight for gravel.
4. Better choices for a nice rolling tire bigger than 30mm? It's only worn Conti 28s.


Thanks in advance.


----------



## Migen21 (Oct 28, 2014)

I don't have any real information that applies to your loaded tandem situation. I run mine at 90 psi, just because I prefer a more solid feel. FWIW, I weigh ~250lbs.

I rode mine (32x700) on gravel bike paths (city maintained, well groomed, fairly tightly packed) and on the John Wayne trail (dirt/gravel rail to trail area in Washington State) with no problems. Being a big (heavy) guy, if I hit an area with loose/soft gravel, I'd have to take care to not bog down as the tired might tend to dig in a bit.

Overall, I was able to maintain good control and speeds in decent non-paved surfaces, but they would not be ideal for loose/deep gravel or sand.


----------



## SantaCruz (Mar 22, 2002)

Migen21 said:


> . I rode mine (32x700) on gravel bike paths (city maintained, well groomed, fairly tightly packed) and on the John Wayne trail (dirt/gravel rail to trail area in Washington State) with no problems.
> 
> Overall, I was able to maintain good control and speeds in decent non-paved surfaces, but they would not be ideal for loose/deep gravel or sand.


Thx. Do they seem to be larger than other 32s? If you rode the John Wayne/Iron Horse Trail, was it the section from NBend to the Summit or on the East side? North Bend to Summit can be nasty in spots for 32mm, esp at speed. For any margin of safety, I only take a 700/35 + 2 spare tubes. I've never ridden east of Kachelus (?) Lake. Understand your comment about sand or deep gravel.


----------



## Migen21 (Oct 28, 2014)

I rode from Easton Lakes up to the tunnel and back.

There were definitely times when I wished I had a slightly larger tire, or even a 29'er mountain bike, but the majority of the ride the 32's were adequate and at 90psi, it was a nice fast run back (it was getting dark).

As far as how they compare to other tires, I really can't say. This is the only commuter bike I've had, and this is the only tire I've run on it (after replacing the original 700x28 Conti 4 seasons). 

I'd say if you are planning long tour type rides on variable offroad conditions, you'd be safer with something a little larger. Especially if there is anything particularly muddy involved. I mainly use this bike for commuting to/from work on mostly paved surfaces. The occasional off-road adventure is the exception. 

I plan to ride the entirety of the JWT this summer, but I'm going to do it on a hardtail 29'er with some fast rollers (Schwalbe Thunder Burt I think).


----------



## NoCoGreg (Jan 3, 2015)

Per Schwalbe's spec, at 400 lb. you're going to be at the max load rating for this tire.
Marathon Plus - Schwalbe Professional Bike Tires

I haven't used the Marathon Plus but the other models of Marathon's I've purchased have been close to the rated size. Since more weight is in the rear of the tandem I'd be inclined to run max pressure back there and maybe 5 PSI less up front. 

My experience with Marathon's (XR's and the newer Mondial) is that they're a very heavy duty, and heavy, tire. Great flat resistance, durability and slow wear. I've used Conti's on my tandem and road bikes - there is no comparison. The Conti is a much lighter, faster, less durable and faster wearing tire. IMO, for touring there isn't going to be much speed difference by going with a lighter/faster tire. On a long tour you likely will have to replace the rear tire one or two times. If you were racing or going on spirited group rides then I'd definitely go with the Conti's.


----------

