Tires that roll well and are puncture resistant?
 

Is this an oxymoron?

I live in the East Bay Area where the roads are crap. The owner of my lbs paraphrased Bontrager “get Gatorskins or Armadillos. Or move somewhere where they don’t break glass on the street.”

The tires I punctured were Vittoria Corsas. And not for the first time, either. It’s too bad, because they’re so supple and roll so well. Is there a solution?

Not the aforementioned Gators or Armadillos. Or Gravel King Slicks, either. Durable, but not great in the “rolling” department.

Specialized pathfinder

Those are great tires but they’re gravel oriented

Are you commuting or riding for pleasure? When I lived in Oahu, my commuter had Armadillo tires because of the broken glass. I was more concerned about getting to work on time than ride quality. Once a week, I'd deflate the tires and use a scribe to pick out the glass. I never wore out tires, but after about 1500 miles, the rear would usually have enough damage to replace. The front was about twice that. Three years, no flats. My "fast" bike had Michelin or Conti race tires, and I had to watch for glass, especially in the towns along the North Shore.

I'm not sure you're going to find exactly what you're looking for.

First, I'd say this is a great application for tubeless if you're not running it already.

As for tires, Vittoria Rubino or Tereno Zero if you have the tire clearance.

Specialized Roubaix, Pathfinder, or Sawtooth (depending on your clearance) are good options too.

these guys like these and so do i
 

There was a geyser of sealant spraying out from the cut. On the plus side, had enough air/pressure to cycle a few miles home.

Per BRR, they have lower rolling resistance than Gatorskins.

Do you carry dynaplugs? If not, I would invest in those before new tires.

For me they were a fast rolling commuter tire that I never once flatted riding through two sets. Too squirrelly on gravel with the smooth center line for my rides.

Only other road tires I trust to not flat in city environments are off the list too. Armadillos in higher volumes can be run at very low psi, making them comfortable, and I think roll adequately and are indestructible. I’ve ridden them on the desert classic mtb trail, they were perfect for a fast d2r2, but they are better for nasty debris filled paved roads and paths and are a rare set and forget tire until you wear through the rubber.

Funny, the owner of the bike shop said the same thing. Especially if I’m not running gators / dillos.

Schwalbe G-One Speed 30mm tubeless or tubulars
https://www.twohubs.com/Product/schw...d-tire/1709713

Our driveway has extremely jagged 5/8- rock and it will shred Vittoria tires in a matter of a few trips down to the road. I switched to GP5000 AS and have not had a single slice in a few hundred miles now. Vittoria and Veloflex are my favorite tires to ride but, the rock and broken glass make them a real pain.

I'm on oxy moron, because I keep thinking I'll find a unicorn

The Rene Herse endurance casings and endurance plus casings have been good to me, but the roads here are pretty good. I have yet to puncture one, but they aren't as supple as the lighter casing tires.



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