Cycling UK Forum

Hi everyone, I'm currently using Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres on my new bike, I'm going to use the bike for some training over the next few months so I'm gonna fit road tyres.
I like the sound of Schwalbe One road tyres, but realistically I'll probably buy Continental Gatorskins.

I have a few questions that I'd like to get peoples views on.

1. Which is better, wire bead or folding tyres?
2. Is there much difference between standard Gatorskins and Gatorskin hard-shell?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards Padraic.

Folding tyres are a bit lighter and somewhat more expensive than rigid tyres. For the gator hardshell, that amounts to 80-90g and £10 (rrp).
As far as I'm concerned, the cost wins, so I generally get rigid unless I think I may want to carry the tyre as a spare. I also find new folders a bit annoying to fit; they don't like being tyre-shaped, and revert to the folded shape every time you take your hands off them.

The gator hardshell has a 3rd layer of nylon in the sidewall, which should make it more cut resistant, probably at some small cost in rolling resistance, and other enhancements to the puncture protection (compared to the regular gatorskin).

andrew_s wrote:Folding tyres are a bit lighter and somewhat more expensive than rigid tyres. For the gator hardshell, that amounts to 80-90g and £10 (rrp).
As far as I'm concerned, the cost wins, so I generally get rigid unless I think I may want to carry the tyre as a spare. I also find new folders a bit annoying to fit; they don't like being tyre-shaped, and revert to the folded shape every time you take your hands off them.

The gator hardshell has a 3rd layer of nylon in the sidewall, which should make it more cut resistant, probably at some small cost in rolling resistance, and other enhancements to the puncture protection (compared to the regular gatorskin).

Hi Andrew, its hard to choose, getting home without a puncture is my first priority, but how feasible is it to carry a spare tyre and tube?
I've used rigid gatorskins in the past for a short while and found them ok. The rigid gatorskins are cheaper for sure.

In recent years I've used folding tyres and am now a convert..... why? Because I used to find the steel beads on my tyres rusted before the tyres wore out, and of course that's not an issue with a folding tyre!

Padraic wrote:.............. how feasible is it to carry a spare tyre and tube? ..........

Don't carry a spare tyre, just some strong fabric tape to go inside the tyre if you get a big cut.

531colin wrote:

Padraic wrote:.............. how feasible is it to carry a spare tyre and tube? ..........

Don't carry a spare tyre, just some strong fabric tape to go inside the tyre if you get a big cut.

Good advice, I suppose when training and taking part in sportive's, keeping the weight down is important.

Milk bottle plastic makes a really good tyre boot. Obviously any spare tyre to take on rides needs to be a folder.

If you're using the bike for training, why change tyres? The ones you've got will make you work harder (train better), while reducing the chance of you wasting your time changing punctures.

rfryer wrote:If you're using the bike for training, why change tyres? The ones you've got will make you work harder (train better), while reducing the chance of you wasting your time changing punctures.

I did think of this, you are right I would have to work harder for sure, but don't want to make it any harder than it is to keep up with the group!!!

If you want a tyre that’s greatly different from the Marathon Plus, I would not get a Gatorskin or Gator Hardshell, neither of which are very fast or comfortable.

The Schwalbe One is a better bet, though you’re definitely opening yourself up to a puncture risk. But that’s the trade-off: a fast tyre that’s also comfortable and highly puncture resistant does not exist.

A more affordable tyre that is still known to be fast and comfortable is the Vittoria Rubino Pro.

a good (if old school) way of boosting the puncture resistance of lightweight tyres is to use tyre savers. This works pretty well if you usually puncture through small flints etc.

BTW if you do carry a folding spare tyre, be careful about how you do it; if you lug it around for a year or so, strapped under the saddle or something, you may find that the tyre has chafed through in the meantime and is no good now anyway.

cheers

Be a bit careful comparing folding and rigid tyres even of the same or similar sounding models, I'm sure sometimes the difference is more than just the bead.

Hi all, I think I'll try the Schwalbe One Folding Road Tire, they sound pretty good.

PH wrote:Be a bit careful comparing folding and rigid tyres even of the same or similar sounding models, I'm sure sometimes the difference is more than just the bead.

That is a good point. Some manufacturers will have a number of sub variants for each tyre model name with different compounds, casings and protection levels, the more expensive compounds tend to be in the folding beads only. Also sometimes within the folding ones can be lurking a somewhat 'race day' variant where mileage durability will be bottom of the priority list. It can be worth checking the manufacture's code listed by the retailer.

Hi,

rfryer wrote:If you're using the bike for training, why change tyres? The ones you've got will make you work harder (train better), while reducing the chance of you wasting your time changing punctures.

My thoughts exactly on first reading.
The key word is training or are you wanting to keep up with faster guys / look faster................

Edited, Ah I see you are riding in a gang ...................Not sportives then....................