Hey all,
The roads where I live in Sonoma County are beautiful but in less than stellar condition… Nothing ruins a good training session than having to change a flat tire mid way through. Therefore I am asking your opinion on the most durable clincher tire to avoid punctures and tearing. I am not concerned with weight as these will be strictly training tires.
Thanks in advance!
Continental Gator Hardshells are great!
do they still make the Specialized Armadillos.
weight a ton and then some but would survive a nuclear holocaust so your roads in Sonoma County would be a walk in the park.
or for something a bit less overbuilt, the Ultremo DD ( DD = Double Defence ) is a do everything fast reliable trainer/robust racing tyre.
spe armadillo all condition is your tire
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I think you might be conflating two concepts here.
If the roads are in bad condition you probably want a wide and/or durable tire rather than something “puncture proof”, ie. something with a kevlar-esque band to prevent thorns and glass. Of course, you may want both. 
Another vote for the Specialized Armadillos. I’ve ridden some pretty rough roads with mine (i.e. broken glass, potholes, etc.) and they’ve held up really well. I notice a significant drop of speed when using them, so keep that in mind if that’s an issue (never looked at rolling resistance but bet it’s high). I figure it’s a training tire and I’m looking at power rather than speed anyway (plus I feel so much faster when I switch to a race tire).
I haven’t use the Armadillos but Conti Gatorskins are pretty tough. Just make sure you have a stout tire lever.
Hey all,
The roads where I live in Sonoma County are beautiful but in less than stellar condition… Nothing ruins a good training session than having to change a flat tire mid way through. Therefore I am asking your opinion on the most durable clincher tire to avoid punctures and tearing. I am not concerned with weight as these will be strictly training tires.
Thanks in advance!
Schwalbe Marathons (various models) are great - I use those sometimes in winter with Mr. Tuffy tire liners.
Kenda Tendrils are very tough too.
I always have Mr. Tuffies on my training tires.
I’ve got over 3000 miles per set on both Michelin Pro 4 SC and Conti 4000s with minimal punctures on crap Welsh roads. I used Gatorskins once, never again. You may as well ride wooden wagon wheels. The Conti GP 4 Seasons is a good compromise, but not as fast or grippy as the two aforementioned options.
Riding with crap tires makes me not want to ride.
I live in a place where our winter riding is very hard on tires due to all the slag and cinders they dump on the road. I have tried all the major heavy duty tires and they work fine but I’m not sure if you need something that extreme for beat up roads. Even something like a 25c conti 4000 will give you a much nicer ride than the armadillio or bontrager hard case and won’t wear into a square garden hose.
Unless you are riding in total crap, a 25c tire with a fairly hard compond and high threadcont should serve you well.
The least noxious of the winter tires is the Gatorskin, but it’s more prone to sidewall cuts than the others. Training on an Armadillo is dreadful, ther ride for crap, corner like dirt and roll slow as hell. let us do it here in Buffalo and you enjoy the sunshine on a more civilized tire.
Another vote for the Schwalbe Ultremo DD. They roll like butta and are super tough.
Maxis Re-Fuse hold up really well and handle pretty good. They have a super high rolling resistance, feels like riding in sand the first couple of rides. When you switch back to race tire you feel like your flying.
Gatroskins! I have over 6k miles on my rear with about a 50/50 mix of trainer and road use. Not a single flat and with a Heavy duty tube I only add air maybe once every 2-3 weeks… yes weeks.
Gatorskins up here in chip-seal and goat head hell. Though, the the Conti gp 4000s really does remarkably well on the durability side, handles better, is faster, and feels A LOT nicer.
Another vote for Gatorskins. Never had a flat using them on my training wheels.
I’ve got Michelin Pro4’s on my race wheels. Definitely faster, handle better, and pretty durable, but still have occasional flats.
Mark
Gatorskins up here in chip-seal and goat head hell. Though, the the Conti gp 4000s really does remarkably well on the durability side, handles better, is faster, and feels A LOT nicer.
I have Gatorskins on my road bike and the 4000s on my tri bike. I have had very few flats since going to the 4000s. However, the other day I was bragging them up before a group ride and . . . poof . . I flatted on them 500 yards into the ride.
I have been mostly training on tubulars for the last 5 years and am amazed how comfortable and durable they are and with the liquid sealant they end up being a chaper alternative to clinchers. For rough roads the 25c gatorskin tubular with sealant at 80 psi is awesome, get some 32 spoke wheels off ebay for cheap and glue up a set.
I have had good luck with specialized espor, regular conti sprinter and the kenda domestique for inexpensive tires that last a long time.
Maxis Re-Fuse hold up really well and handle pretty good. They have a super high rolling resistance, feels like riding in sand the first couple of rides. When you switch back to race tire you feel like your flying.
+1 on these.
I train on Vittoria Open Pave (the ones with green rubber, a “Paris Roubaix” tire). They’re soft and have great grip. I ride them at lower PSI than I used to and find them very comfortable. There are probably more durable ones out there but these have been a super comfortable training tire for me and I recommend them highly.
Gatorskin Hardshells for the win! 8,000 miles on mine and I finally replaced last week only because I got my first puncture with them. Turned out to be a double puncture from small staples (no tire could of survived).