Trike tyres...

[[XAP]Bob]

What do you use, and why..

At the moment I run Marathon Racers (the default supplied by ICE) - mostly because they are the default....

On my previous trike I ran some duranos, and some Schwalbe HS110 Rigid Road Tyre.
Finding 451 tyres was difficult - but the £5 HS110s did very well...
The rear on that trike was a Blizzard sport - razor thin 110psi, never had to think about replacing it...

I also have a studded tyre for the rear in winter.

[byegad]

Big Apples are my tyre of choice. I run them pretty close to the upper limit and they are fast and comfortable. I buy them when I see them on offer and always have a few in stock. I don't like to risk punctures so swap them once they start to get slick on the running area. Experience has taught me when to swap, I do know people who run them until they are practically falling apart, but I'd rather ride than repair punctures.

[hercule]

Big Apples on the Kettwiesel. The Kett is a rigid trike, and Marathon Racers I found just too hard and narrow to be comfortable. The Conti tyres it came with were low pressure and slow rolling. Big Apples seem supple, quick, and at low pressures offer good suspension effect at minimal extra rolling resistance cost.

The Trice came with Marathon Slicks and a standard Marathon on the rear - switched to Marathon Racers all round as I find them more comfortable and have better rolling resistance than the standard Marathon. Not been inclined to put BAs on the Trice which I see as the faster and sportier trike - for me it just wouldn't look right!

By contrast on my Ken Rogers upright trike I run 25mm Michelin Dynamics at 90psi...

Big Apples I tend to run at 40-50psi, the Racers at 70psi.

[byegad]

I can assure you that the QNT is plenty fast enough on the BAs! run at 60+psi they roll on the middle third of the tyre on the road, while still giving a comfortable ride.

[Joe.B]

My wife's ICE Sprint still runs on the Marathon Races that it came with. They seen light and fast, however she did have a puncture on the rear marathon last week, (the first one for this bike), leaving her stranded with our little guy in tow in a trailer. As I've never had any punctures on my uprights (sorry, upwrongs) running regular marathons I've wondered weather we should use these on the ICE.

Does anyone have any observations regarding the differences between these two tyres.

[byegad]

My wife's ICE Sprint still runs on the Marathon Races that it came with. They seen light and fast, however she did have a puncture on the rear marathon last week, (the first one for this bike), leaving her stranded with our little guy in tow in a trailer. As I've never had any punctures on my uprights (sorry, upwrongs) running regular marathons I've wondered weather we should use these on the ICE.

Does anyone have any observations regarding the differences between these two tyres.

I used them on my Kettwiesel for 50 miles. It was like pedalling in cold treacle!

[Cunobelin]

There is always going to be a compromise

Cost v rideability v comfort v puncture proofing

I found that the best option for my trikes was the Marathon Supreme, but they are costly.

Best investment I ever on the old Trice was to change the 451 rims to 406 and increase the tyre range available

[drossall]

Marathon Pluses on my upright trike.

[squeaker]

Marathon Racers on the front of my 'S' (replaced Stelvios ) as they were spare in the garage (cut up too much on a bike, been fine on the trike ), and a Supreme on the rear (another 'seemed like a good idea at the time' tyre - find them draggy, but it's either that or a very harsh 28mm Conti Sport Contact....).
40mm (low pressure) Kenda K-West on the front of wife's 'T' (I wanted the Marathons for my folder ) and a notionally 32mm (actually 28) Conti City Contact on the rear - (I wanted the 35mm Marathon Plus for the back of my Grasshopper - Dual Drive).
HTH

[markg0vbr]

Schwalbe Durano 28-406 (RaceGuard)on the trice and Schwalbe Durano 28-451(RaceGuard)on the hand bike at 110 psi in all of them, the ride is better than the 1.5 kendra slicks at 80psi , rolling is excellent the best i have had so far and at around £12 to £14 a tyre good value they reckon you should get around 6.5k miles on them, time will tell as tadpole trikes can be brutal on tyres so i am told, i would not know as i am a proper sedate gentleman trikanught and don't go hooning about like some of you

[ajs]

Continental Sport Contacts all round on my Windcheetah - Rear 32-559:Front 28-406 - fitted to Velocity Razor rims and running ~80psi and ~60psi at rear and front, respectively.
When I first started using these they offered the best clearance between the front tyres and the hideously expensive carbon fibre mudguards. I can't leave the house without running on rural roads, none guaranteed to have a fully intact surface, and it would be galling to "pick up" a small stone and, thence, a £170+ bill for new 'guards.
Mudguard characteristics also influence the choice of front tyre pressure. At speeds of ~18mph or higher on rough roads the mudguards + stays have an irritating resonance which I can't "tune out" sufficiently by varying the mass or stiffness of the mudguard assembly but can reduce to a tolerable level by running a slightly lower front tyre pressure; hence the ~60psi.
I achieve a little over 2K miles / set of tyres. Although, when I acquired the trike some years ago I wore down to the canvas the first set of Sport Contact fronts in 710 miles. On checking the steering geometry I found I had 13.5mm of toe-in (but with no obvious, adverse effects on steering or handling). Resetting the toe-in to 1.5mm improved tyre life!
I can say, with feeling, that fitting the 28-406s to the Velocity Razor rims is the worst tyre fitting operation I have ever experienced. The geometry of the rim is a major factor (particularly the shallow well into which to work the tyre bead). Fortunately, I have never had a conventional puncture in a front wheel (although I did burst a tyre/tube during one of my annual, trike "inversions" - but no mudguard damage!). I could never repair a front puncture "at the roadside" with one of these tyres fitted.
I agree with earlier comments about the harsh(ish) ride with these small section Continental Sport Contacts fitted.

[squeaker]

I can say, with feeling, that fitting the 28-406s to the Velocity Razor rims is the worst tyre fitting operation I have ever experienced. The geometry of the rim is a major factor (particularly the shallow well into which to work the tyre bead).

I forgot to add that Conti Sport Contacts were a tight fit, to boot

[CW]

quote]I forgot to add that Conti Sport Contacts were a tight fit, to boot [/quote]

I only saw this after I had ordered a set for my Q. So kept quiet..I`ve been using marathon plus for the last 12 months, that was until I built a new back wheel around a hub gear (he says quietly). I spent an hour getting the plus on the new rim, then 1/2 hour getting it off. Now I know that i have them for their puncture resistance, but fate will dictate that I`ll get a puncture when I struggle to get them off.
So I decided to try the Sport contacts. Why I dont know really, I have put Conti g prix on my Rapto so thought i`d give them a try.
They went on the front standard rims without tools and was a bit tight on the rear needed some assistance
Just had my first ride into work this morning and they run smoother that the plus. So I`ll have to see

[Joe.B]

Does anyone here use a knobbly rear tyre on their trike when riding on off road trails and paths?
We where out with some friends for a family ride yesterday on a piece of old railway line, now a cycle/bridle way and not for the first time on such rides the trike would sometimes struggle with rear traction. I decided that a cheep knobbly might be a good idea for these sort of rides, however finding one in 20 (406) x 1.5 is proving difficult. Loads of choice in wider sizes but these will not match the rear mudguard.

[[XAP]Bob]

I have a studded Tyre for the rear in winter. Not needed a knobbly yet.