Thorn-proof tire for winter riding that doesn’t weigh a ton?

[DC41]

I've decided this is the year for riding through the winter. Only thing I'm worried about is my hands freezing fixing a flat in 20 degrees. I live in goat-head thorn country; can't remember the last time I flatted that's wasn't caused by a thorn.

I've ridden the Schwabe Durano plus, Conti Gatorskin, etc., but the thorns have made it through all of them. I'm tempted to give up on performance for the winter and get some commuter tires like the Schwabe Marathon +s, but I don't know if the 700 x 25 (smallest size they make) will even fit the old Cervelo RS I'll be riding. Regular 25mm tires barely fit.

Is there a tire that offers some thorn protection without weighing a ton? Have any other thorn-persecuted riders found a solution? Thanks for the group-think!

Edit: I probably should have posted this in the wheels sub. Mods please move if appropriate

[AJS914]

You need to run tubeless. I must have had hundreds of goat head flats that were all sealed by sealant. My tires are like swiss cheese now but it all holds air.

If you don't have tubeless rims, you could try Slime tubes. They are heavy but they work. I installed them on my kids mountain bike. Now, his bike is goat head proof.

[LewisK]

Continental GP 4 seasons! They're pretty tough and still roll and feel half decent; for a winter tyre at least!

[Nefarious86]

One case where tubeless makes a lot of sense.

Sent from my SM-G977B using Tapatalk

[Lugan]

I ride all winter in the Seattle area. No thorns here, but lots of glass and sharp bits of granite. I use Schwalbe G One Speed 30c (formerly known as S One, but same tire) set up tubeless and have had zero flats in 2+ winters. These tires barely even get cuts. I think part of it is the low pressure I am able to run with such wide tubeless tires on wider 21mm internal width rims (Hed Ardennes Black). I weigh 81kg/180# and run the tires at 55f/65r.

[Frankie - B]

hey DC41, I think AJS914 is right on the money here. Personally I'm a fan of the GP5000 TL. that tire singlehandedly rewrote TLR ease of installation, true to size and the benchmark in puncture resistance.

[bm0p700f]

Out in Suffolk the gp500ptl proved not to be the bench mark in puncture protection. We dont have what ever a goat head thorn is but we have lots of sharp flint.

Toughest tubeless tyre so far is the IRC formula pro x guard. The good year eagle is promising but buzzy. Pirelli have the cintura.

Hutchinson fusion 5 all season is pretty good to (so far anyway).

How people think the conti tyre is an all season tyre is beyond me. My pair lasted 2500km and they were squared of front and rear and puncturing. I'm not that heavy either. The conti tyre is s fast race/tt tyre. That's what it's good at.

[DC41]

Out in Suffolk the gp500ptl proved not to be the bench mark in puncture protection. We dont have what ever a goat head thorn is...

These are the little turds

The points are arranged so that however they lay one point is always pointing up. Woven protection belt in tires just don't protect against them. They just poke through the weave.

[bm0p700f]

That's evil. You need downhill mtb tyres really.

[alcatraz]

Does sealant work at -20C?

[AJS914]

That's evil. You need downhill mtb tyres really.

I've had at least a hundred of those in each of my gravel bike tires. They are just unavoidable on certain trails around here. Stan's sealant works well. Fortunately, those things don't find their way to the road too often.

[Lewn777]

If you don't want to try tubeless I would highly recommend Panaracer Race A Evo 3, or Panaracer Race D Evo 3. The race A's are a tad slower and tougher than Conti GP4000s2, whereas IMHO the Race D's are a tougher and slightly faster tire than both Continental Four seasons and Gators.

[Multebear]

Never tried inner tube protector liners against thorns. They work well against sharp stones, glass etc.

But how about these or something similar: Thorn Buster Inner Tube Protector Bicycle Tire Liner - stop flats GOATHEADS, THORNS, GLASS

https://www.amazon.com/Thorn-Buster-Inn ... B00ZQV70HY

[dim]

Out in Suffolk the gp500ptl proved not to be the bench mark in puncture protection. We dont have what ever a goat head thorn is but we have lots of sharp flint.

Toughest tubeless tyre so far is the IRC formula pro x guard. The good year eagle is promising but buzzy. Pirelli have the cintura.

Hutchinson fusion 5 all season is pretty good to (so far anyway).

How people think the conti tyre is an all season tyre is beyond me. My pair lasted 2500km and they were squared of front and rear and puncturing. I'm not that heavy either. The conti tyre is s fast race/tt tyre. That's what it's good at.

I've used Conti GP 5000 clinchers in 32mm wide on my touring bike .... came close to 5000km before the first puncture on the rear .... I then binned them as they have served their purpose

I used them on my daily commute (40km), through cambridge city on potholes, broken glass etc etc and in pouring rain .... amazing tyres

I like them so much that I will be using the 32mm tubeless version on my new wheels (HED Belgium Plus rims with a royce rear hub and Son 28 dynamo front hub) ... I am confident that these will serve me well through the winter

I have the tubeless version on my Trek Emonda SL6 with just over 1600Km ... zero punctures and they still look brand new