So got my first puncture today crossing Blackfriars bridge.
Took it to a local shop and it was found that the side wall of the conti urban contact tyre has a split in it!
So had to be replaced as well, however the shop only had schwalbe marathon tyres in, so had to have one of those.
I can tell it’s going to have more rolling resistance now, but apparently it should get better puncture resistance. Is this a decent trade off ?
Lastly side split on a 200km 1month old tyre seems low leaning towards possible manufacturing defect. Has anyone seen something similar ?
Lastly what’s everyone’s preferred tyre for the London commute ?
by Technane
6 Comments
Aside from your observations of the tire damage, did the shop offer probably how the tire split occurred ? Tire side walls are vulnerable to abrasion whenever rolling into rough pavement, and happening to be along the edge of a depression. And of course, avoiding these instances, can be complicated at the time, because of having to pay attention to traffic conditions.
If you get a puncture you’ll be riding on the side wall for a bit until you come to a stop, it can happen to your new tire as well.
For your consideration, after 10 years of city riding (tons of glass) in Toronto -just one flat using Marathons-thanks for your post because I was tempted to get Urbans on my new C line but will stick with Marathons 😀
The schwalbe tires are the Brompton standard, and mine have lasted me for years on the streets of NYC.
Keep in mind that I only ride on the weekends in good weather, but still, these streets are pretty rough! 😅
I have Marathon tires, I got my first puncture about 14 months ago and it was my fault ( I was trying to install winter tires).
I wanted to try Urban Contact or Schwalbe One but if they have this bad with puncture resistance, maybe Is shouldn’t.
Sometimes it’s just bad luck. If it happens again, it might be worth worrying. I also had a puncture on Brompton (marathon racer) after purchase..since changing the tube (schwalbe one) and tire, I haven’t had a puncture since.