new bike tyres advice

wallofbeans

Hi All,

I'm trying to be a better bike owner by knowing what I'm buying and hopefully improving my ride and saving some money!

I have a Dahon Mu Uno folding bike that I travel to work on. My ride is on road, bike paths and some dirt tracks as I commute from central London to the countryside. I've had my rear tyre replaced before (the front is still the same the bike came with) and now again the rear has a puncture and quite possibly the front is worn enough that it'll need replacing too.

So I want to get the best tyres for my bike and for my needs. Last time the bike shop replaced the rear tyre with a thinner one than is at the front and it was only when I got it back that I realised it was different, before that I had no idea there so many options to choose from.

This time I want to do some research and buy the tyres myself for a good price, just asking the bike shop to fit them, as I'm not quite confident enough to do that myself (yet).

Right now my bike has a Schwalbe Marathon Racer 20 x 1.50 on the front (this was the tyres it came with) and Schwalbe Marathon Plus 20 x 1.35 on the back.

I like the look of the slightly wider tyre but wonder if they make the bike heavier, also an issue as I have to carry it quite a lot.

Any advice on what to get next?

custardy

weight difference for carrying is negligible. rolling resistance may increase for pedalling though.
A quick google shows your bike sold with 1.75 width tyres,does your model come with 1.50 as standard?

wallofbeans

custardy wrote: »

weight difference for carrying is negligible. rolling resistance may increase for pedalling though.
A quick google shows your bike sold with 1.75 width tyres,does your model come with 1.50 as standard?

I bought the bike second hand, but it had been hardly used at all so I assumed the tyres on it were what it was sold with originally (the Schwalbe Marathon Racer 20 x 1.50) but maybe I'm wrong.. or perhaps the specs have changed as my bike is a few years old now...

I don't know anything about rolling resistance though. I do know the bike has no gears so is a hard slog up hill so any peddling help would be great!

custardy

most sites I find list a 1.75 tyre but specs can change over years.
It could just be the last model had 1.75's
The Marathons are good tyres. Given you dont feel comfortable removing the tyres,what is your plan for punctures? For the summer I would be looking to run a low tread,faster tyre. Eg on my commuter I run Gatorskins



So smoother and rolls faster = less pedalling effort to move it.
However not as tough as a Marathon with regards to puncture prevention and not as good on the dirt.

You can see here the various sort of options with regard tread/strength.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Schwalbe-Kojak-Slick-Performance-Tyre-With-RaceGuard-Protection_51819.htm


changing tyres is very easy if not requiring a bit of knack/experience with the tyre levers.

wallofbeans

custardy wrote: »

most sites I find list a 1.75 tyre but specs can change over years.
It could just be the last model had 1.75's
The Marathons are good tyres. Given you dont feel comfortable removing the tyres,what is your plan for punctures? For the summer I would be looking to run a low tread,faster tyre. Eg on my commuter I run Gatorskins



So smoother and rolls faster = less pedalling effort to move it.
However not as tough as a Marathon with regards to puncture prevention and not as good on the dirt.

You can see here the various sort of options with regard tread/strength.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Schwalbe-Kojak-Slick-Performance-Tyre-With-RaceGuard-Protection_51819.htm


changing tyres is very easy if not requiring a bit of knack/experience with the tyre levers.

I just a google and it looks like the 2011/2012 model had Schwalbe Marathon Racers but it doesn't mentions the size. Since then they seem to have changed..

The current plan for punctures is that if they happen (twice in 3 years so far - but I only do the commute twice a week) is to fold up the bike and get on a bus or train and take it to my local bike shop when I get home! Luckily so far, this is tied in with my bike needing a proper service anyway.

wallofbeans

Any thoughts on the difference between the two tyres I have (Marathon Racer vs Marathon Plus)?

For example, I wonder if the thinner width is helpful to me or not? And I can see that the "plus" version seem to have some kind of puncture protection - "smart guard layer" that the "racer" do not.

Nasqueron

Thinner tyres don't always mean faster - the debate rages on whether say 23c or 25c for normal road bikes is faster, some even swear by 28c; the consensus on my bike group is 25c is best for comfort and speed.


Thinner when talking about 1.35 vs 1.75 however may be noticeable both in terms of balancing speed and resistance.


I use 25c marathon plus on my commuter bike now (having previously used Continental 4 seasons) and while they are a pain to put on (I bought the beaded ones) in the 5 months I've had them on I have yet to have a puncture, I don't know if they even have any cuts while the 4 seasons would quickly cut up and have to have stones taken out with the inherent risk of more punctures. Yes the bike is slower than slicks but I save time not having to change tyres.


I use conti gp 4000IIs on my main road bike and they are certainly quicker but when I am riding that I have time to change the tyre if I need and so far in 4 years I don't recall a single puncture on a sportive so maybe I have some luck (do still get the odd one when out for pleasure)

wallofbeans

Nasqueron wrote: »

Thinner tyres don't always mean faster - the debate rages on whether say 23c or 25c for normal road bikes is faster, some even swear by 28c; the consensus on my bike group is 25c is best for comfort and speed.


Thinner when talking about 1.35 vs 1.75 however may be noticeable both in terms of balancing speed and resistance.


I use 25c marathon plus on my commuter bike now (having previously used Continental 4 seasons) and while they are a pain to put on (I bought the beaded ones) in the 5 months I've had them on I have yet to have a puncture, I don't know if they even have any cuts while the 4 seasons would quickly cut up and have to have stones taken out with the inherent risk of more punctures. Yes the bike is slower than slicks but I save time not having to change tyres.


I use conti gp 4000IIs on my main road bike and they are certainly quicker but when I am riding that I have time to change the tyre if I need and so far in 4 years I don't recall a single puncture on a sportive so maybe I have some luck (do still get the odd one when out for pleasure)

Excuse my ignorance but what does 23c etc mean? And how does it relate to the 1.35 / 1.50 sizing I mentioned?

I've had the same Marathon Racer front tyre on my bike since I bought it in summer 2015. It's still going strong now but is quite worn down so I think it's time to change it anyway. The rear tyre got a puncture within a year and replaced with a Marathon Plus which has somehow got a slit down the side which I assume is the cause of the slow puncture it now has. My point being, I seem to be putting my back tyre through a lot more than the front one!

I ride on London roads that are often more like riding off road and the bike paths are a lot easier on the tyres. I also have a three minute stretch of my commute over heavy gravel and a dirt track, so think smooth tyres is probably a bad idea.

custardy

wallofbeans wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what does 23c etc mean? And how does it relate to the 1.35 / 1.50 sizing I mentioned?

I've had the same Marathon Racer front tyre on my bike since I bought it in summer 2015. It's still going strong now but is quite worn down so I think it's time to change it anyway. The rear tyre got a puncture within a year and replaced with a Marathon Plus which has somehow got a slit down the side which I assume is the cause of the slow puncture it now has. My point being, I seem to be putting my back tyre through a lot more than the front one!

I ride on London roads that are often more like riding off road and the bike paths are a lot easier on the tyres. I also have a three minute stretch of my commute over heavy gravel and a dirt track, so think smooth tyres is probably a bad idea.

23c/25c/28c are just width references for 700c road tyres(700c being the standard sized wheels on road bikes)/ 23c being super skinny.

Realistically unless you get another owner,tyre options/advice are a bit suck it and see.
Marathons are good tyres and if you are happy with the plus,then theres no harm in going with them.
The rear tyre takes more abuse. It is the drive wheel,carrying more of the weight,generally getting more bumps than the front etc.

wallofbeans

custardy wrote: »

23c/25c/28c are just width references for 700c road tyres(700c being the standard sized wheels on road bikes)/ 23c being super skinny.

Realistically unless you get another owner,tyre options/advice are a bit suck it and see.
Marathons are good tyres and if you are happy with the plus,then theres no harm in going with them.
The rear tyre takes more abuse. It is the drive wheel,carrying more of the weight,generally getting more bumps than the front etc.

To be honest, I've not noticed much difference in the two tyres except the "Plus" is thinner and looks too thin next to the original wider "Racer" at the front. I also noticed that the "Plus" needed air in it less often... but then it's the one that's now gone...

(perhaps this is just, as you say, that it's the rear tyre and taking the big hits most of the time)

Nasqueron

wallofbeans wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what does 23c etc mean? And how does it relate to the 1.35 / 1.50 sizing I mentioned?

I've had the same Marathon Racer front tyre on my bike since I bought it in summer 2015. It's still going strong now but is quite worn down so I think it's time to change it anyway. The rear tyre got a puncture within a year and replaced with a Marathon Plus which has somehow got a slit down the side which I assume is the cause of the slow puncture it now has. My point being, I seem to be putting my back tyre through a lot more than the front one!

I ride on London roads that are often more like riding off road and the bike paths are a lot easier on the tyres. I also have a three minute stretch of my commute over heavy gravel and a dirt track, so think smooth tyres is probably a bad idea.

23 is just the width of the tyre - 23mm 25mm and 28mm alongside 35mm, 38mm and 40mm which are the common widths for 700c wheels (700mm is diameter of the wheel). 1.35 / 1.50 is just the imperial equivalent which are used for MTB tyres (as the wheels tend to be in inches e.g. 26" diameter or 27.5" / 29")


Bike tyres don't tend to have huge amounts of grip even the MTB knobbly ones, the Marathon Plus have good puncture protection and aren't horribly slow so if you can get them in smaller size you might as well use them as they roll fine