Puncture resistant bicycle tyres?

JustAnotherSaver

Recently picked up my first puncture since i've taken up cycling a bit more and of course I was out and about without any kind of repair kit. Thankfully i got lucky and wasn't too far from a relative who had a repair kit so i was on my way easy enough.

So after that i spent a bit of time looking at punctures, repairing, tyres, so on & so forth and i came across a video that mentioned a puncture resistant tyre - Continental Gatorskin was the one.

Now a bit more reading later i found that it's no guarantee - you can still get punctures. It just reduces your chances.

I had a look at the pricing and to be honest it didn't seem too bad to me. My existing tyres are 700x35 according to the rim. I've no idea if these Continental Gatorskin's are considered 'decent' for what they are or whether other brands out there are much better or whatever.

What i'm wondering and am hoping folk here can help out with is ok on the obvious plus side - your chances of a puncture are reduced. From now on i'll be taking a repair kit with me anyway.

What are the actual down sides to puncture resistant tyres though? There must be some else we'd all be running them surely? Maybe their price is considered dear but i didn't think it was too bad from what i Googled so i'm wondering what the disadvantages are.

fred246

I used Schwalbe Marathon Plus for commuting for about 12 years. No punctures on way to work. Got 2 on way home. I recommended them to a work colleague who was into cycling. He hated them. He said they were far too heavy. They are a bit 'stiff' to put on. Harder to get on the rim. It's all about priorities. Mine was to get to work on time with no problems. He just cycled round in circles on a Sunday morning so a puncture wasn't the end of the world for him.

JustAnotherSaver

fred246 said:

I used Schwalbe Marathon Plus for commuting for about 12 years. No punctures on way to work. Got 2 on way home. I recommended them to a work colleague who was into cycling. He hated them. He said they were far too heavy. They are a bit 'stiff' to put on. Harder to get on the rim. It's all about priorities. Mine was to get to work on time with no problems. He just cycled round in circles on a Sunday morning so a puncture wasn't the end of the world for him.

Fair comment. It wasn't the end of the world for me but it did royally balls up my only day off work of the week and set everything back big time.

From the puncture resistant tyres i continued looking and was looking at other tyres in general as well as inner tubes. As someone new to cycling in general it's a bit overwhelming ... like how do you even select something with so much choice. lol.

[Deleted User]

The more puncture resistant tyres are, the higher the rolling resistance.

Nebulous2

I cycle a lot and rarely get punctures. I check my tyres regularly for small cuts, pieces of glass etc and pick out any hard objects to stop them working their way into my tyres. Moderate distances I carry spares, tubes, pump, co2 pump, tyre levers, tyre boot etc. Long distances tyre, 5 tubes, oil, spanners etc in addition to the pumps.  

Commuting is less than 2 miles and I often don’t carry any tools / spares, but I do use marathon tyres on that bike. I check the tyre pressure on my work bike every Monday morning and every time they are out on my other bikes. 

Xbigman

Schwalbe Marathon plus tyres are near legendary for there puncture resistance but the price is a heavy rubber compound and less than optimal grip in poor conditions. I don't mean bad grip, but there is better out there.
My bike came with Schwalbe GT tour tyres and I considered switching to Marathon plus ones but the grip is good and after 3500 miles without a puncture I'll be sticking with them.
For general advice I'd say ride with the right tyre pressures and don't wear the tyres to the point there's no tread left. Replace when the tread is half gone. Half decent puncture resistant tyres are cheap enough that its not worth saving a few £'s if you ruin a day with a puncture or crash due to worn tyres.


Darren

cymruchris

I always liked 'Slime' that you inserted into your tubes - staying liquid - would automatically seal minor punctures as you rode. Some people like it - some people hate it - but if you've not heard of it - look it up. 

Nebulous2

cymruchris said:

I always liked 'Slime' that you inserted into your tubes - staying liquid - would automatically seal minor punctures as you rode. Some people like it - some people hate it - but if you've not heard of it - look it up. 

More recently people are moving to tubeless tyres with sealant. Mountain bikers have been at it for a long time, but roadies are more and more using it now. I haven’t yet, but may try it at some point. 

silverwhistle

I bought an expensive (certainly for me) electric bike recently, with heavy weight Schwalb Big Ben tyres on it,  and after doing 65 miles had my first puncture in a while. Luckily I was at home when I found it deflated because it was a bit of a faff due to the security nut tool required and the sequence to follow due to the need to disconnect wiring (and check a video to see what extra I needed to do over a normal puncture). Fortunately I'd had the foresight to buy a spare inner and I shoved that in whilst  repairing the puncture. How it happened I've no idea as I couldn't see any evidence in the tyre that tied in with the pin !!!!!! leak, no swarf on  the wheel etc.

I'm hoping it was just a random dodgy inner tube. Basically there are no guarantees when it comes to punctures, I think a lot is due to luck and keeping your tyre pressures high!

hugheskevi

I've used Gatorskins for years, commuting about 60 miles a week before COVID. This was in London.

They are great, very rarely get punctures and when I do it has been things like screws which nothing would have stopped. They can be a bit fiddly to get on and off the rim, although that is partly because you so rarely need to change them that you become unpracticed - having decent tyre levers and a bit of washing-up liquid for lubrication is useful.

I find my rear tyre is much more likely to puncture than my front tyre, so have sometimes only used a Gatorskin on the rear wheel.

It is much cheaper to pick them up online, often buying 2 or more at a time for discounts and keep them handy for when needed.

Like all tyres, they tend to pick up glass, stones and other things that embed into the rubber so every month or so (or more frequently) having a quick look and removing debris is a good idea.

Aretnap

Rolling resistance is the main downside. Essentially, as the wheel turns the tyre deform - each part of the tyre is squashed as it touches the ground, then it expands again as it comes back up. That process consumes energy which could otherwise be propelling you forwards, and deforming thick tough rubber will consume more energy than thin flexible rubber. So on a puncture resistant tyre you will have to pedal harder, or go slower. 

How big a deal that is is a personal issue if course. If you're doing fairly short leisurely rides you probably won't notice the difference. If you're doing all day rides or monitoring your Strava times with an obsession which borders on unhealthy (guilty, your honour) you probably will notice.

I have Schwalbe Marathons on my commuting bike and I'm generally pleased with them. Only had one puncture in the last couple of years, and that was a massive blackthorn spike which I don't think anything would have stopped. I do agree that they are hard work to get on and take off - the combination of a tight fit to the rims and the inflexible rubber - so on the rare occasions you do get punctures fixing them can be an absolute faff.