Trying to decide between these tires for a commuter….heavy but bombproof, or light and slightly less puncture protection.
I rode the Contact Plus for several years and had zero punctures. I’m tempted by the low rolling resistance of the Urbans though; they’re one of the faster touring tires BRR has tested. No experience riding them though.
Anyone ridden both?
by raptoroftimeandspace
5 Comments
Schwalbe Marathon
I have the Contact Urbans & I think they’re great. They feel plenty fast and the puncture protection is good. I’ve had one flat over the course of a couple of years but it was a huge super sharp bent up construction staple and probably would have poked through anything. I’d buy them again.
I just did an hour on some white thick-slicks. best $20 tire I ever found on the interwebs. Super sticky, and very light.
I have this new theory that I’m trying out, where I buy ONLY the cheap stuff, and swap it all out routinely like some grease monkey obsessed with his vehicle. I’ve tried so many old pieces of bike tech now. It’s like a museum where I get to try out all the old art work and learn first hand. You can’t do that with most things, not in this price point anyways.
But if I had a favorite Continental, I like their heavier tires. Contact plus is my pick, for commuting anyways. that added protection is worth its weight in gold, when commuting.
I’ve been riding a variety of conti tires for decades, and conti contact speed were my first slicks (and some of the best city tires I’ve ever commuted on!)
slightly different from the urban model you’re considering, but I bet you’d enjoy those urbans.
https://www.continental-tires.com/products/b2c/bicycle/tires/contact-speed/?searchMode=sbs&pogSegment2MappingDTacs=Urban/Tour
None of these commuter oriented wire bead tires are all that great tbh. Gravel kings are slightly more expensive and will roll way faster. I don’t believe in sidewall protection I think it’s a non issue. You’re so unlikely to get a tear in your sidewall unless you run over a long ass nail. In which case any added protection will have done nothing. If you get flats often, set them up tubeless. I’ve done fine commuting on dirty, glass covered downtown Atlanta streets with gravel kings for a whole year now. I’ve worked them down to the threads and I’ve only had 2 flats, both of which have been off-road pinch flats. Nicer tires like gravel kings will be much grippier and have better traction, which to me is a better safety consideration than hefty flat protection. Make sure to get the slick version if you’re mostly riding on tarmac. I also like Schwalbe billy bonkers, though you can’t set them up as tubeless and I perceive them to be slightly more fragile than gravel kings, which are sturdy as hell.