Any cyclists on here .... tyre advice needed !

[SO8]

Not MTB, not road racing ... merely me on a Specialized Crosstrail which has standard 700c x 45 sized tyres.

The standard tyres are really good for what I do - road commute, tow path and compacted dirt paths in the south.  I do nothing more, nothing less .... but these tyres are not in any way puncture resistant ... and after only 4 miles on my nice new shiny Crosstrail I got a puncture :(

I have another older Crosstrail which I changed the standard tyres to Continental Travel Contacts 700x42 - but don't really like them ....even though they do offer puncture resistance.

Trying to get 700 x 45 with puncture resistance is a complete pain.  Tyres are either too road orientated (Schwalbe Marathon Plus which go to 38 wide)  or too rugged and slow (Specialized Crossroads at 38 wide) .... oh, and almost all are narrow compared to the standard ones (which you can't get in a puncture resistant version).

I have a pair of Continental Touring plus 700 x 47 on order but they are not in stock anywhere ....

Anyone any other ideas - I think I may have to go down to 38 wide .... maybe the new pattern Specialized Hemisphere Armadillo ??

Ideas welcome .... I need something puncture resistant, 700c as wide as possible ... smooth 'ish in the centre and some tread on the outside for the tow paths/dirt

Oh, and sorry for the long post !

[Eccie]

I’ve got the same bike, swapped my tyres 12 months ago and put on Schwalbe Smart Sam 700x40

I used them on road and tow paths pretty much every day and find them great. They run fast and smooth on the road and offer surprising amounts of grip off road, I only really experience difficulty in thick soft mud in the winter months, but then most tyres would unless they are specifically made for it.

They are that good I’ve put two on my wife’s hybrid bike and she likes them also – I’ve suffered only one puncture in over 12 months, and there’s a lot of hawthorns along the canal tow path I take

http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/c2-1280-schwalbe-tires-smart-sam.html

[SO8]

Thanks for the reply ... I have actually stuck to the Continental Touring plus for now - at 42 wide ...

The Schwalbe is one i will look at with the wife - she said it seemed more what she is after ... but I do more road and have a Rockhopper to play with if we venture too far from tarmac - she doesn't have that luxury 

FWIW the Conti Touring Plus seems great for puncture resistance (or so it says!) .... but they are harder - I presume due to the puncture resistance ... and more road biased than the standard XC tyres.  Such a shame the XC tyres are not made as an 'Armadillo' option ... they ride brilliantly ...