Fat, slick, FAST tyres for touring on a city bike?

[OnYourRight]

Teodora and I are mulling over the possibility of doing a London to Paris ride in the not too distant future.

She rides an Arcade Coffee bicycle not unlike this one. Since buying a bicycle specifically for touring is out of the question, that’s the bike that will convey her. I’m the stronger cyclist with the more suitable bike, so I’ll carry all our gear (which won’t be much).

Her bike has Mach 1 EXE 622 x 19C rims and beige Kenda Kwest tyres marked 37-622 (700 x 35C). These heavy (510 g) tyres seem to be entirely immune to punctures, but they feel unyielding and sluggish on tarmac. It occurred to me that fitting supple, fast-rolling tyres might make a real difference to how the bike rolls along at our modest cruising speeds. We’re happy to fix any punctures along the route.

So I’m looking for a pair of tyres for 622 x 19C rims that roll as quickly as possible. Ideally the tyres would be available in beige or black with tan sidewalls, to preserve the appearance of her bicycle. I think completely slick tyres would be most likely to roll well, but they seem to be uncommon above 28 mm.

Any suggestions? I found something called a Schwalbe Kojak (details here and here), which is available in 35-622. Black only, but it looks appealing. It weighs only 330 g.

What do you say?

[andrewk]

Have a look at Schwalbe Marathon Supreme Evo, they're puncture resistant, light and roll well.

[jackdaw]

We have Kojaks in 26" on the tandem and love them; fast and light and flexible. We had Schwalbe Marathon Racers, and they were pretty good; probably more puncture protection than the Kojaks.

If you really want to push the boat out, look at Grand Bois, but they might be hard to find in the UK. And probably not much puncture protection.

[OnYourRight]

Thanks for your replies.

Looking at the Schwalbe catalogue, it seems the Kojak is lighter than the Marathon Supreme and even the Marathon Racer, and that it rolls faster than the Marathon Supreme but – interestingly – slower than the Marathon Racer! This despite the Marathon Racer having a substantial tread pattern against the Kojak’s slick design.

Of course this is going by the little “bar” charts in the catalogue (5 bars = fast, etc.). They might be oversimplified.

The Grand Bois tyres look fascinating, but they’re seriously expensive. Even the Schwalbe tyres are quite pricey, it seems to me.

I’m in France, by the way, but I’m happy to order from any EU shop that will have me as a customer.

[alicat]

Check out

http://www.gillesberthoud.fr

They have some Panaracer Pasela Tourguards in 700 x 35 which are reasonably slick and have a tan sidewall.

[Ray]

Check out

http://www.gillesberthoud.fr

They have some Panaracer Pasela Tourguards in 700 x 35 which are reasonably slick and have a tan sidewall.

Cheaper, I think, at Wiggle.

http://tinyurl.com/m87fc35

Ray

[reohn2]

I'm find Vittoria Voyager(formerly Randonneur) Hypers 700x37c fast and very comfortable,with no punctures in around 500miles,despite almost half of the mileage offroad,on b/ways.towpaths etc,though they're only available in black.
Kojaks are the same but again only black,and are like rocking horse droppings ATM .
Marathon racers aren't quite as supple but again only available in blacktacular.
Megga bucks gets you Grand Bois which are by all accounts very,very quick and comfy and have tan walls.
P/racer Paselas are the other option again quick and comfy and tan walls.

[Elizabethsdad]

Another Schwalbe tyre to consider is the Marathon HS Supreme. I got a bike form Rose last year that has them fitted and I like the handling very much.

[Wesh-Laurence]

If you want black tyres with tan (amber) sidewalls then Panaracer Pasela Tourguards are very good. I use these in 25c and 28c widths on my touring bike. I have a pair of used 700c x 32's (in good condition) which I can sell you for £30 for the pair.

They come in many sizes :-

http://www.bikeplus.co.uk/p/33515/Panar ... stant-Tyre

[Vaya]

Kojaks are the same but again only black,and are like rocking horse droppings ATM

What do you mean by that?

I recently changed from Marathon plus to Kojaks - the change was amazing, the ride felt faster, more fun - the older tyres had made the bike feel 'dead' and boring to ride yet the Kojacks made it fun and exciting.

Big fan of them so far.

[Ray]

Kojaks are the same but again only black,and are like rocking horse droppings ATM

What do you mean by that?

I recently changed from Marathon plus to Kojaks - the change was amazing, the ride felt faster, more fun - the older tyres had made the bike feel 'dead' and boring to ride yet the Kojacks made it fun and exciting.

Big fan of them so far.

He means they are difficult to find.

Ray

[Vaya]

Kojaks are the same but again only black,and are like rocking horse droppings ATM

What do you mean by that?

I recently changed from Marathon plus to Kojaks - the change was amazing, the ride felt faster, more fun - the older tyres had made the bike feel 'dead' and boring to ride yet the Kojacks made it fun and exciting.

Big fan of them so far.

He means they are difficult to find.

Ray

ah.... that makes much more sense now

I ended up getting mine from Germany - much cheaper (even with shipping) than the UK options.

[michael42]

These heavy (510 g) tyres seem to be entirely immune to punctures, but they feel unyielding and sluggish on tarmac. It occurred to me that fitting supple, fast-rolling tyres might make a real difference to how the bike rolls along at our modest cruising speeds.

To me this sounds more like issues with the fit or that the tyres are not inflated enough.
If the pedalling feels heavy and laborious and you're not in too high a gear, I'd suspect the saddle is too low rather than the tyres.

(e.g I'd upped the gearing on my bike as well as replacing tyres, chain and doing other stuff. On a whim I lowered the saddle a touch to see if it would stop hurting.
I noticed the pedalling felt a bit heavier, especially uphill, but put it down the new higher gearing. So I rode the bike for most of July
like this, initially slower, but by the end of the month I was back up to speed. Then I was watching the
tour of poland and looking at how far most of the cyclists in the peloton legs extend. I thought, maybe my saddle was fine and it is too low now
So, I put it back up and the next ride I averaged 2kph faster than I've ever been before, and, in the same gear at the same cadence it feels far lighter to pedal)

I've got 700x37 continental sport contacts on my hybrid. They're not completely slick, but there's certainly no
functional tread pattern on them. more of wear indicator perhaps than anything else.

They seem fine but probably weigh over 510g, but one of the first things I bought when I got this bike was
a track pump, because I realised as soon as I left the shop on the new bike that the tyres on my old bike were, to all intents and purposes,
flat whenever I rode it. Now I stick 5 bar in both.

I'm not that convinced by any so-called puncture protection.
I can get a puncture every time I go out at some points and then, as currently, I can go for months without anything.

I suspect the season affects it more than anything else. Sticking to roads seems to reduce the number of punctures a lot more too.

[reohn2]

Kojaks are the same but again only black,and are like rocking horse droppings ATM

What do you mean by that?

I mean trying to buy a pair is like finding a needle in a haystack.

I recently changed from Marathon plus to Kojaks - the change was amazing, the ride felt faster, more fun - the older tyres had made the bike feel 'dead' and boring to ride yet the Kojacks made it fun and exciting.

Big fan of them so far.

M+'s are like riding on lead pipe .
Kojaks are a great tyre,in fact they must be so good Schwalbe can't make them fast enough
That's why I bought a pair of Vittoria Voyager(formerly Randonneur)Hypers,I won't be buying Kojaks again

[123malford]

Look how little leg extension and how low the saddle is. Charly Gaul on a record breaking ascension of Mont Ventoux .

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Aydd_0mAJA/U ... bergop.png