For commuting distances of less than 10 miles, the most important factors are getting tyres with a good tread and good puncture resistance.
Grip and Tread
Contrary to popular belief, cycling tyres (unlike car tyres) do not benefit from having a tread. Aqua planning does not occur on a bike; the best grip will come from a smooth tyre which gives the maximum contact with the surface. Soft rubber compounds generally have better grip but wear away faster. This is why a tyre for a turbo trainer is very hard. Some tyres will have a hard compound in the middle and a softer material on the edge for better cornering.
Puncture Resistance
Puncture resistance has been improved on various tyres in recent years. A good commuting tyre will have an extra velcan layer which will help prevent many punctures. The thicker this layer the better puncture resistance you will have. Some of the best puncture resistant tyres can be found here. For anti puncture performance, I use the Armadillo tyres . To prevent punctures it is also important to:
- Put the tyre on properly – without pinching the inner tube.
- keep the tyre inflated at the proper psi
- Remove sharp objects which may get stuck in the tyre.
Tyre width
Thin tyres are not necessary for commuting. I use a 25″ on the back and 23″ on the front. For racing I will a 23 and 20″ combination. The main advantage of thinner tyres is that you can pump them up to a higher pressure. But, the rolling resistance from an 18″ tyres is less than you might expect. If you have a hybrid or mountain bike for commuting, you might use 28″ tyres or bigger, generally, these will be slower but offer greater balance, useful for icey mornings.
Value for Money
For commuting, there is little to be gained by cutting corners and buying cheap tyres. Generally you get what you pay for. An expensive tyre may cost more, but will pay you back in terms of greater resistance to punctures and longer lasting performances.
- Another good tyre for all year round cycling is the Road Race Tyres
Related pages
- Best Puncture resistant tyres
- Selected City Commuting tyres at Wiggle
- Armadillo Tyres at Evans
- Best Commuter Bike
I’m very fond of my old Conti 2000 Top Touring tyres… they’ve done many thousands of miles, and are still virtually unworn. Firmly touching my desk here…. but I’ve had two punctures in total over that time ~ one on day one, where the LBS that had fitted them at point of sale (on a second hand Dawes) had only inflated to ~50-55 PSI, and it had picked up a glass shard in the front tyre tread, and a second where the rim tape was inadequate at the valve hole, and the ‘rigid clip’ frame fit pump rubbed the valve base against the slightly rough edge… over several seasons this cut the rubber near the valve.
Since increasing the inflation pressure to 70 PSI front and 75 PSI (recommended maximum) in the rear I have had no additional punctures.
They are also extremely low rolling resistance for a 28mm tyre, and the coast-down performance is noticeably better than that of most of my companion riders. They have excellent grip on normal roads and do far better than most expect in soft conditions and in gravel, though they aren’t particularly aggressively treaded.
They have been discontinued for a number of years now, and I’m not sure if the current premium Top Touring tyre is similar.
There is the http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-touring-plus-reflex-city-road-tyre/
and continental touring plus http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=30218
Tyre width. You use ” as an abbreviation. This means inches, but I suspect you mean to say millimetres. You should say 23 mm rather than 23″. Unless of course I’ve got the wrong end of the stick and you use really wide tyres, or mean tyre diameter when you say tyre width.