Best folding tyre, 26 * 1.5

[Wowbagger]

Do forummers have a preference?

I've never used folding tyres, having always preferred to buy mine from the LBS after one Panaracer Pasela exploded spectacularly, a fault I put down ti it being folded tightly (it was not a "folding" tyre), and the sidewall damaged, by the mail order packer.

Edit: it's going to be for touring.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Well, I like Paselas in that size. Just don't over inflate them - it *will* damage the sidewalls.

[Oscar's dad]

You may know this but there is a way of making a normal tyre small enough to easily fit in a pannier.  I will attempt to explain but if it isn't clear I can post some pictures ...

1. Grasp the top and bottom of the tyre
2. Twist to form a figure of eight
3. Fold the two halves together to form a circle about half the diameter of the unfolded tyre.  Imagine you're closing a clam shell
4. Tape up with insulation tape to stop it pinging back into shape

I have been doing this for years with no apparent damage.

[Kim]

That's the way every tyre larger than 20" I've bought through mail order has arrived.

[Wowbagger]

You may know this but there is a way of making a normal tyre small enough to easily fit in a pannier.  I will attempt to explain but if it isn't clear I can post some pictures ...

1. Grasp the top and bottom of the tyre
2. Twist to form a figure of eight
3. Fold the two halves together to form a circle about half the diameter of the unfolded tyre.  Imagine you're closing a clam shell
4. Tape up with insulation tape to stop it pinging back into shape

I have been doing this for years with no apparent damage.

That's how the Panaracer Pasela which exploded after a mere 80 miles' use was delivered to me.

PPs are lovely tyres but their side-walls are paper-thin. I could see the damage that had been done in the twisting of the tyre before I fitted it.

http://peter.chesspod.com/blog/entry/10th-april and http://peter.chesspod.com/blog/entry/12th-april refer to our experiences with PPs on the tandem, although they were 26 * 1.75. That's why we now use Marathon Plus.

It's a different matter on the solo machine, I think - although the side walls are no thicker. My Thorn solo machine has now completed over 21000 miles and I'm still on the second tyre on the front. The first PP did 11,000 miles, which was 1,000 more than the first rim! I'm due to replace it and I thought I might do so before we go away next week.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Well, I still think you should use paselas.

Reasons:

1.75" at your pressures (because I've seen you pump up tyres, ignoring max pressures) will have a lot of strain on the sidewall. That's not the case with paselas at the max pressure of 65psi.

Tandems are much harder on tyres than solo bikes.

A folding tyre's sidewall won't suffer from being folded. Wire-bead will (well the bit around the bead will).

The sidewalls might be thin, but I've never had one blow out, usually getting 5000+miles out of each tyre.  I have had sidewall problems with 2 models of continentals however.

[Wowbagger]

I only use PPs on the front. The tyres that Thorn fitted to the bike when I bought it were PPs and the rear tyre lasted about 1500 miles. I've found Marathons last a lot longer.

[arvid]

I like my folding Marathon Racers in that size, I did LEL on those (and regret doing PBP on Kojaks instead). But that's on a recumbent and I am not heavy.
When they start to puncture you should replace them though. I went 8000km with one puncture, and one every 500km after that.

[Canardly]

These are a lovely tyre


http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b6s142p1034