No ordinary tyre guarantees absolute puncture free, but improvements in technology have gone a long way to reducing your chances of puncturing.
One of my favourite puncture resistant tyre is the:
Armadillo – Specialized all condition. The tyre feels pretty tough and resistant to small scratches. It claims to be designed for low rolling resistance; but, in practices feels a little heavy. I am quite happy using it on my commuting bike as I go on a bike path which is not concrete. I have been using it for over 6 months (5 days a week) I had one puncture but that was a 6 inch nail – can’t complain about that one.
Armadillo Tyres
Schwalbe Marathon Plus
This has one of the strongest puncture resistance and is almost impregnable. It comes with an extra layer of rubber which resists even a drawing pin. It is quite heavy at over 900grams, but, this is because of the thickness of the rubber. If you really want a very strong puncture proof tyre, this may be the one.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus at Wiggle
Racing Puncture Resistant Tyres
Continental Dura Skin. The other tyre I like to use on my winter training bike is the Continental Dura Skin (all season). As as added bonus it has good handling properties in the wet (essential for winter riding). It also feels a lighter ride than the Armadillo.
I have also found the Continental Grand Prix 3000 series to be pretty good in resisting punctures.
Don’t forget the best way to avoid a puncture is to:
- Avoid riding in wet grit and dirt
- Mend an inner tube without pinching it whilst putting it back on – Tips for mending a puncture
Puncture Free Tyres
The only absolutely puncture free tyres are those that are completely solid. I wanted to try one, but, was told they were too wide to fit a racing bike. If anyone has good experiences with puncture free tyres and knows where you can get one for 700*25, I would be interested in hearing, you can leave a comment below.
Road Tyres at Wiggle
Armadillo Tyres at Evans Cycles
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19 comments ↓
[...] Best Puncture resistant tyres [...]
Hi, I Recently moved from inner tube tyres to puncture Proof tyres as i got Extremely fed up with Punctures & Pumps Breaking over the years & all i can say about them is That i will never go back to a inner tube tyre again, They are light & just as good as a inner tube tyre if not BETTER in my opinion!
[...] Puncture resistant tyres [...]
[...] choosing tyres with good reputation for resisting punctures e.g. best puncture proof tyres [...]
try greentyres for a 700/22/23 sprint or racer puncture
proof tyres i have not tried them yet
cheers
Sky
I once fitted solid greentyres to a mountain bike. they were difficult to fit but the big disadvantage was the increased drag compared to normal tyres. it was hard work and they were never off road.
Please take a look at our Amerityre range of tyres as we do offer a 700×25 road tyre.
take a look at our 700×25 road racing tyres from Amerityre
I have armadillo tyres on my bicycle and I am finding that I can no longer remove and replace them myself as I am not strong enough. This is a major problem as I no longer feel confident in doing long distance rides. I mentioned this to the people in my local Evans store and they confirmed that they are increasingly having to use metal tyre levers because the plastic ones are snapping.
What solutions are there to this problem? I need the tough tyres as I do 60 miles a week in central London.
Apart from anything else, instead of repairing my own punctures at minimal cost and at any time of day or night, I now have to find a bike shop that is open and pay for a new inner tube and the labour to fit it?
Do we need a new invention?
Hi Helen
You are not alone. I have exactly the same problem. I puntured today the freezing cold and couldnt get the tire back on at first. You are right, it makes you scared to take the bike out on long rides.. Basically take 3 inner tubes with you. And DO use tyre levers to get the tyre back on, but just be incredibly careful about not pinching the tube when you lever the tyre back on. IF you bring 3 tubes then you have 3 chances!!
good luck!
Jonathan
dont drive a bike
[...] Best Puncture Proof Tyres [...]
I bought Marathon Plus tyres and soon regretted it when it came to fitting them. I punctured my front inner tube in the struggle and immediately went and bought a new, ordinary tyre to replace it. I had to cut the marathon plus off with a knife. I haven’t tackled the rear one yet but the thought of ever getting a puncture in the middle of nowhere scares me and I will get rid of it as soon as possible. I do not recommend them and would never buy another one.
I used gator skins last winter. They had good puncture resistance and better grip in the wet.
I think some of the problems with getting tyres on and off is cold hands and cold tyres, especially in the winter.
Two things I’ve found to make getting tyres on and off easier are:
Wider tyres (25mm)
Start by putting the tyre on nearest the valve
i have found a site that do solid tyres for 700×25 half inch gap between rims of wheel i have not got it yet as they have none in stock and are making it so 10-14 days for £19.99 each
the company are called green tyres cant fink there exact web address at min.
Try greentyre.co.uk. Quite likely the rim size may not fix but if you get a good stanley knife you can cut it to the size you want quite easily. I did it for my 16 inch wheel which had a rim size of 21 . They greentyre size was 23-25 mm. Otherwise it will be imposible to fit them in.
Good luck!
[...] Best puncture proof tyres [...]
I have no experience with airless tyres, but I know Sheldon Brown thought the pneumatic tyre was the best thing to happen to cycling, and anyone who said otherwise was a charlatan.
Anyone want to disagree with Sheldon?
[...] Best Puncture proof tyres [...]
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