For winter riding, I will choose 700*25. Even 25s are a little thin for winter conditions. At the moment it can be quite treacherous with wet leaves on the road. I take extra care not wanting to risk a broken leg.
For winter riding, the main thing is puncture resistance. I haven’t decided whether to put on Armadillos on my winter training bike. But Armadillo’s offer one of the best puncture protection. I have them on my commuting bike for nearly two years. They haven’t needed replacing (very hard wearing) and have only had one puncture (6 inch nail) which probably would have puncture a car tyre.
The disadvantage of Armadillos is that they are a little more sluggish and they are also quite stiff – hard to get on and off.
At the moment, I have Continental Ultra Gator Skin. Three levels of Kevlar puncture protection underneath tread. They are semi slick tyres so grip well.
I’ve not tried them myself, but Specialised All condition also look to be another good choice. They look similar to Armadillos and come in at a similar price to the other two at £22.99
As I’ve mentioned before, I always think tyres are one area not to skimp on. It really is worth paying £20 plus to get the best tyres. I know I’m happy to pay £20, to avoid getting a few more punctures…
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armadillos are seriously sturdy – but slippy as anything. watch out for adverse camber on glassy roundabouts; i’ve had some painful moments on these. also agreed re: sluggish – they ride like a car tyre, whether 120 or 20psi.
gatorskin 25s all the way.
Just fitted an Armadillo 28 to the rear of my commuting road bike – is it THAT wrong to run 25 front and 28 rear?
Though it does have something of the old 27×1¼ about it, that’s not a bad thing with roads in Sheffield, which have given my rear wheel a real hammering
After having been forced to use my MTB for the ride to work last week (due to my last rear tire on the road bike “growing an egg”) I haven’t noticed any major rolling resistance…hmm..wonder why?
I’m a BIG fan of Armadillos and I use them all year round, not one puncture in two years! I couldn’t care less whether they are slow (read “they ride like well hardened garden hose) or not, at the end of the day you are not training if you are fixing punctures. As to being slippy, I always take the corners easy anyway as I’m not that brave. Fantastic tyres in my opinion when I think about the number of times a month we used to mend punctures 20 years ago.
I had a bad fall on ice, last December, and am dreading meeting icy conditions on my commute, this winter. I’m considering studded tyres, but is it worth it, we only have a short time when icy conditions prevail? How would studded tyres run on tarmac, in between icy conditions? What’s your view? By the way I’ve been using Continental Top Contact Touring tyres for over 12 months now, and had only a couple of punctures. So I’d recommend them to any commuter, save for icy conditions.
Another vote for Conti Ultra Gators here.
It’s a good point. I see so many people turn out on our winter rides on their worn out summer tyres. A puncture in the winter can be so much harder to fix, and so much more disruptive, than in the summer. That said, I have to keep up with some fast people and choose some Michelin Lithion or “Carbon” training tyres or Vittoria Rubino Pro (slippery!) that are nearly the equivalent of race tyres. I commuted on Armadillos once. They were dead to ride, but soaked up the flints and glass etc.
I have Armadillo 23 pressured to 120psi, but I get at least a puncture a month, I ride 100miles a week along London roads.
Compared to other peoples experience, am I doing something wrong? Do I need 700/25? Can I repair the gashes left by flints and glass? I don’t now much about this topic so any advise appreciated.
Happy cycling!
That sounds pretty bad luck. I’ve had one puncture in the past two years on Armadillos. Personally, I pump mine upto 90-100psi for commuting.
700/25 shouldn’t really make any difference for not getting punctures.
One thing to check is that when you replace an inner tube, it is not getting pinched as this is sometimes a reason for repeat punctures.
http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/bikes/tips-for-avoiding-punctures/
Thanks for the info, useful link to. I noticed my tyres are Armadillo All Condition, but the Armadillo Nimbus seems more robust, the smallest available are 700×28, will they fit my 700Cx28H rims? I currently have 700×23?
Cheers.
I ran Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase 28s for nearly 3,000 miles on rural roads and had just one puncture – a tiny pinprick from an undiscovered source (no carcass holes).
Schwalbe are very good but you really don’t need so many studs and if you do want to make your own studded tyres, use sheet-metal screws. Pan head, instead of hex head, use old road slicks to protect the tubes on the inside. Choose an old pair of 26 inch with big knobbies then choose screws which will emerge about 3 or 4mm. Drill starter holes and screw them in. The points will wear fast on uncovered tarmac but you’ll be left with 2-3 mm studs, which is ideal and could last you several winters. They are excellent on sheet ice when braking. Nothing else comes close. People who don’t know you are riding on studded tyres will be amazed.
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