26x2 tyre choice

[Moonwrasse]

Hello. This has possibly been asked many times. I have marathon plus tour tyres on my touring bike atm. 26x2. I am finding them very slow on the road when used as an everyday run about bike. What would be a faster rolling alternative, still with a decent puncture protection?

[Cadence]

Schwalbe Big Apple. Low rolling resistance and very comfortable on road or light trails at 35-40 psi.

[cycle tramp]

A few years ago I swapped my 1.75 x 26 mixed use tyres for a set of schwalbe 365gt all weather tyres size 26 x 2 and.... immediately hated doing so... suddenly 2 mph was knocked of my speed and the bike felt heavier... admittedly the tyres may have helped me stayed more upright in conditions approaching 1 or 2 degrees...

2 inch wide tyres, especially in 26 inch wheel size look great.. but unless you're travelling over lots of very uneven ground, fairly pointless....

I think everyone is utterly bored we me saying that between 2001 and 2004 I toured around on some fairly basic mountain bikes, the performance of which were improved no end by fitting some 1.5 inch wide slick tyres..

..because of the roads and paths I ride, I'm not sure I would return to 1.5 widths, but there are lots of choices in 1.75 widths...This is still one of my favourite tyres. https://fawkes-cycles.co.uk/schwalbe-si ... nch-p17808
I bought mine from halfords about three years ago.. simply because I couldn't find anything in 26 inch size and I needed a replacement as soon as possible.... I fitted it expecting to hate it, and replace it as soon as possible (I think it was 13 squids) however I found it to be amazingly good given its price...

.from a practical point of view, there are other reasons to like the 1.75 including better frame clearance and better mudguard cover over the tyres... just writing about it, makes me what to change my 2x26 gt tyres right now for something a little more fun...

The other tyres I really rate are schwalbe's land cruiser tyres, also fairly inexpensive.. and also fairly light in the 26 x 1.75 size...
..if you're doing any sort of commuting, to and from work or the shops or whatever and the bike is simply a tool to do that, and the bike has 26 inch wheels, then the 26 x 1.75 size offers a very good range of tyres at all prices..

[Brucey]

Schwalbe Kojaks are quite good and not too pricey. For some reason your picture didn't display, and it is possible that 27" tyres have nothing to do with anything.

[toontra]

I've been using Continental Contact Travel 26" x 1'75" for commuting and touring for many years. Covered just about every conceivable terrain in that time and never let me down. You can let the pressure down if more grip is needed from the outer tread (came in handy riding through soft volcanic ash on the upper slopes of Mount Etna )

Yet to find anything better in terms of rolling resistance, puncture protection and ride comfort. I think they've been discontinued but can still be found (e.g. SJS). I like them so much I always have a couple of pairs stashed away in case the supply dries up.

[cycle tramp]

Schwalbe Kojaks are quite good and not too pricey. For some reason your picture didn't display, and it is possible that 27" tyres have nothing to do with anything.

Sorry... that should have read 26"... massive fingers, small fiddly little keypad...

[brumster]

I have pretty much worn the file tread pattern off the central section of my Continental Speed Contact 26 x 2" tyres. The rubber is probably 2-3mm thick in the middle, and I cannot recall having a single puncture in maybe 3 - 5000 miles commuting both on and off road. Probably my favourite 26" tyre.

[NickJP]

On our tandem we're using Schwalbe Marathon Almotion 26x2.15. They seem to roll out pretty well, certainly a lot better than some of the cheaper versions of the Marathon, such as the ones you're complaining about.

Rene Herse have a couple of nice lightweight 26" file tread road tyres, in either 1.8" or 2.3". However, they're decidedly not cheap, but are probably the fastest tyres you can find in that size.

[Bice]

Hello. This has possibly been asked many times. I have marathon plus tour tyres on my touring bike atm. 26x2. I am finding them very slow on the road when used as an everyday run about bike. What would be a faster rolling alternative, still with a decent puncture protection?

I have been touring around Normandy and down to Provence (14 days) on the same sort of set-up, but with 26x1.75 Marathon Pluses (admittedly, softened up second hand ones) and found them to be pretty good rollers. But I have swapped them out back home for something much lighter (Schwalbe City Jet - discontinued) and the bike feels sprightly by comparison (although it is a heavy 26 inch steel frame, nonetheless). I mainly use this bike with two panniers for a big supermarket shop.

[hamster]

Marathon Plus is a beast of a tyre - good for horrid roads but on the slow side.

My touring preference is the Marathon Greenguard 1.5" (40mm). It's surprisingly fast and I have used it for everything from roads to Voies Vertes to Dartmoor tracks.
If you want something with a bit more tread, the Schwalbe Billy Bonkers is a 2.1" and rolls fast and seems surprisingly puncture resistant in the flinty New Forest where I live.

[Brucey]

you could try looking at Panaracer tyres in 26x1.75" size; Panaracer are the people that actually make Rene Herse branded tyres (amongst others eg. Rivendell) thus making some of their offerings comparatively good value.

[mjr]

26"x2" or 26"x2.0"? The first is something like 590mm bead diameter, the second 559mm, and together they illustrate why imperial tyre sizes should die a firey death! Go ISO!

[Brucey]

26"x2" or 26"x2.0"? The first is something like 590mm bead diameter, the second 559mm, and together they illustrate why imperial tyre sizes should die a firey death! Go ISO!

I agree the ISO system is the way ahead, but in this case are 26x2 and 26x2.0 not the same thing? A kind of 650D if you will.....

[mjr]

26"x2" or 26"x2.0"? The first is something like 590mm bead diameter, the second 559mm, and together they illustrate why imperial tyre sizes should die a firey death! Go ISO!

I agree the ISO system is the way ahead, but in this case are 26x2 and 26x2.0 not the same thing? A kind of 650D if you will.....

I suspect nobody really knows for sure and that's another reason they should die! Also, it looks like CJ's excellent page https://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-libr ... tyre-sizes has been mangled at some point, with no " markings in the table any more, entries that I'm sure are incorrect like 28×15/8×11/8 (instead of 28"×1⅝"×1⅛") and entries with vulgar fractions in the American column that I suspect are incorrect.

[Brucey]

.....I suspect nobody really knows for sure ....

the 590 mm rim size is for 650A tyres (aka 26x1-3/8") IIRC all decimal 26 inch tyres derive from the dunlop 26x2" specification, which calls for a BSD of 559 mm.

I have yet to see a tyre made without the correct ETRTO/ISO marking.