Tyres and inner tubes for Voodoo Marasa

CK61938 · 1 Apr 2016 at 09:42

Hey guys. First time in this part of the forum. Looking for some assistance, please!

I have a Voodoo Marasa 27 speed hybrid. I got it via the Cycle2Work scheme where I work. I have done about 100-120 miles on the bike since I got it back in October.

I went out on Wednesday evening as it was a nice day and by the 7th mile, I noticed I had a puncture in the front wheel. I couldn't get my bike pump to work, so I didn't bother with patching the puncture. So I cycled back home. Must have done about 2 miles before I decided to walk rest of the way as the tyre had completely deflated by this time.

I would like to know what's the best (and affordable) set of tyres I can get for this bike. The current tyres are 700x40C. Also, what type of inner tubes are best used for this bike?

I did a search yesterday and heard that either Continentals or Schwalbe are the best ones? Especially the Marathon Plus from Schwalbe.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I'd like to get them this weekend if possible as I plan to get back into the cycling gig from next week. I will be cycling home from the gym after work everyday (the missus drives us to work in the morning).

Cheers!

Armageus · 1 Apr 2016 at 09:58

I'm sure one of the more regulars in here will come along and suggest something, but the Marathon Plus you mentioned looks good:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-marathon-plus-smartguard-rigid-road-tyre/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-road-inner-tube/

Those tyres come in 700x38c and are a semi slick, which is likely to be more useful if you are mainly riding on roads rather than off road.

What bike pump have you got? (as cheap nasty ones are a waste of time - again I'm sure someone will suggest a worthwhile one to carry)

CK61938 · 1 Apr 2016 at 10:15

Armageus said:
I'm sure one of the more regulars in here will come along and suggest something, but the Marathon Plus you mentioned looks good:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-marathon-plus-smartguard-rigid-road-tyre/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-road-inner-tube/

Those tyres come in 700x38c and are a semi slick, which is likely to be more useful if you are mainly riding on roads rather than off road.

What bike pump have you got? (as cheap nasty ones are a waste of time - again I'm sure someone will suggest a worthwhile one to carry)

I got this pump. I just wasn't able to unscrew the head (probably due to numb fingers). It was only after I got home, that I was able to unscrew the head.

I do prefer off road more, but as long as the tyres can handle both, then I am happy and also the less punctures, the better! Thanks.

EDIT: I was looking at those Schwalbe tyres, but is the price for just one tyre and not both?

Armageus · 1 Apr 2016 at 10:40

CK61938 said:
EDIT: I was looking at those Schwalbe tyres, but is the price for just one tyre and not both?

The price is per tyre

CK61938 said:
I do prefer off road more, but as long as the tyres can handle both, then I am happy and also the less punctures, the better! Thanks.

I would be tempted just to keep the tyres you have at present (and patch or replace the inner tube), rather than rushing to replace them. Have you looked at the inner tube to see what sort of puncture (e.g. any visible debris? or if it's a snake bite, then likely the tyre pressure was too low)

CK61938 said:
I got this pump. I just wasn't able to unscrew the head (probably due to numb fingers). It was only after I got home, that I was able to unscrew the head.

That should be ok for out and about, but at home it's worth getting yourself a track pump if you haven't already e.g. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-essential-track-pump/ as makes it much less effort to quickly check and inflate your tyres to the correct pressure before going for a ride.

Borealis · 1 Apr 2016 at 10:56

I've got that pump and it was definitely a good investment. It's so much easier to inflate road tyres with a track pump.

As long as the existing tyre isn't split or has a cut in the sidewall, you can just replace the inner tube.

The Schwalbe Marathons are very good semi-slicks, but they aren't the lightest. I've got my bike fitted with these:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-travelcontact-city-road-tyre/

Again, they're not the lightest of tyres, but so far they've been great and they have a kevlar reinforced sidewall.

As long as they're inflated correctly, the bobbles don't cause any issues on roads. If you happen to need to go off-road, the bobble dig in and give a little more traction.

CK61938 · 1 Apr 2016 at 10:59

Haven't been able to check cos I was having major difficulty getting the tyre off. So I gave up. But the other reason I was after new tyres is cos I did read somewhere that new bikes tend to come with tyres that are prone to punctures. I will try again this weekend to see if I can get the tyre off to take a closer look. Probably best to replace the inner tube for now and see how it goes.

EDIT: will definitely get a hold of a track pump. I used to have one years ago, but it ended up breaking on me one day. It was a damn good pump as well!

Armageus · 1 Apr 2016 at 14:09

CK61938 said:
But the other reason I was after new tyres is cos I did read somewhere that new bikes tend to come with tyres that are prone to punctures.

Not really - there is no conspiracy to get you to buy more tyres / inner tubes

All it is, is that the tyres that come with bikes (especially at the cheaper end of the market), are picked purely to a price point - fitting anything better would increase the price of the bike, and move it away from an attractive price point e.g the £299.99 of your bike.

The tyres you currently have "Kenda K948", are around £9 each - vs the £23 each for those Schwalbe's - that's nearly another £30.

CK61938 said:
EDIT: will definitely get a hold of a track pump. I used to have one years ago, but it ended up breaking on me one day. It was a damn good pump as well!

Definitely get a track pump, as making it easier and quicker, will mean you have no excuse for not checking and pumping up your tyres before every ride. If you have only been using the pump you linked, and not checking pressure with a gauge, then I think it is quite likely your puncture may be due to low pressures (* you may just have been unlucky - but only ~120 miles isn't much distance covered) .

UTmaniac · 1 Apr 2016 at 14:34

Marathon Pluses are pretty much puncture proof, but they are evil to fit and are ~900g per tyre... That is heavier than the lightest 26x4.0 fat bike tyres available (Kenda Juggernaut Pros)!

For a mix of tarmac and off-road, I would go with Schwalbe Land Cruisers or Smart Sams.

CK61938 · 1 Apr 2016 at 15:18

Thanks for the advice guys! I have ordered a new inner tube instead and will buy a track pump over the weekend. Really keen to get back onto the bike properly from Monday. Perhaps later down the line I will look at new tyres.

I've also ordered a bike rack so the missus can drive me to work (we work at the same place) and then I can just lock the bike up at work, then cycle home after the gym.