what‘s the toughest treaded 32mm tire around? we r riding a road tandem on gravel and graveling disintegrate. we run high pressure (6bar +) because we r heavy. no space for larger volume unfortunately
by ecjecj
what‘s the toughest treaded 32mm tire around? we r riding a road tandem on gravel and graveling disintegrate. we run high pressure (6bar +) because we r heavy. no space for larger volume unfortunately
by ecjecj
24 Comments
Not sure if it’s the toughest, but Schwalbe Marathons come in 32, should go up to around 6 bar, and are plenty sturdy.
Maybe look at some cyclocross tires. Max width is 33mm by UCI standards so there should be lots of options available.
Tread usually only matters for mud and other soft surfaces. I just picture mud on a tandem with 32 mm tires and all that luggage is not going to be a great experience regardless of what kind of tread you find.
Get some e-bike tires
Schwalbe Marathon Plus are indestructible, mine were thousands of kilometers in all conditions (road & all kind of gravel, some borderline MTB) with various loads, I even stored them in a sunny area (bad idea by the way) and never got a flat, ever. (Always at 6 bars presure)
Santana Noventa Tandem with 47c Schwalbe Marathon Plus, 10 years and 10’s of thousands of kilometers and never a puncture. If they made them for my truck, I’d buy them too.
Since everyone else is saying Schwalbe Marathons, I’m going to throw the Continental Gatorskin in the mix.
Assuming you’re struggling with punctures – are you using slimed inner tubes? I hate them, but for a fit and forget option where weight isn’t an issue they are hard to beat. I’d always advise the pre-slimed inner tubes, they tend to work better than the aftermarket goop in my experience.
Also worth using the largest volume inner tubes compatible. Using a tube that is designed for 32 – 40mm tyres in a 32mm tyre is usually more resistant than a tube designed for 28-32mm tyres (one is at the bottom end of suitability, the other is at the top end). I believe it’s due to the rubber thickness, but it seems to work, whatever the theory.
it was supposed to say: the gravelkings disintegrated. we finished our ride on a 23mm conti GP 4000, at 8bar. pretty painful stuff, and because so very skinny, still snakebites even though we pushed the gnarly rocky bits. i guess we have to give marathons a try, as unsexy as they are. and def beefy tubes. we went through about 15 patches in 300km
Got Schwable Durano DD’s on our tandem. Done over 1000km and no flats yet!
How heavy are you? Ever tried putting it into a tyre pressure calculator? You might be running it at higher pressures than needed and with the extra weight you could very well be going far, far over the rated pressure.
Schwalbe Marathon Mondial are fucking indestructible. Get the version rated for e-bikes for extra toughness
Go tubeless and add crush core?
Look at the American Classics. Kinda the same Marathon philosophy…heavy, affordable, bombproof
A personal favourite is the panaracer RiBmo! Used to use these as courier and they were spectacular. Good all weather tyre and really tough
I’ve had good luck with Donnelly X’plor USH 700x32c tires. They seem to hold up really well & have a perfect all-rounder tread design. Donnelly also offers a few other tread designs in the 700x32c size. Definitely worth checking into them, IMO
Additionally to the other recommendations, you might benefit from sealant for inner tubes.
I’m personally running 700 x 32c Panaracer Gravelkings. I’ve had the tires for about 2 months and actually haven’t used them on gravel yet, it’s been all road use and the tread is holding up great. Max tire pressure with tubes is 90psi so a tiny bit over 6 bar. Also as a bonus they come in some cool colors, I’m running orange but they also come in black, white and blue.
Edit: Just saw your comment below about currently using gravelkings which died on you, lol, sorry.
https://preview.redd.it/vnybxdnty63d1.jpeg?width=4896&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3ccec41149fab74530f6fc90614c5ddb1814bcee
That’s really tough – the higher pressure is almost assuredly contributing to the wear and damage on tires. When you say gravel king were you running the slicks or the SKs? I anything with some tread might fare better but those GKs don’t allow you to run very high pressure.
Depending on the weight of the stoker together with the weight of the luggage you might be just asking too much.
Do you have the same problem on smooth roads?
Have you thought about going tubeless? And fitting a tyre insert to help avoid snakebite?
Continental Ride Tour tyres and butyl tubes are incredible and bombproof. However I must warn you, they a real MF to put on. I was sweating mess by the time I finally got them on.
Look into an urban commuter tire, continental urban contact, schwalbe marathons, etc
Look into an urban commuter tire, continental contact, schwalbe marathons, etc
Go tubeless. Keep plugs on the ready and a decent pump. You will be able to run lower pressures, 6bar is too high for gravel and tubes are at their limit with system weight and road conditions.