In this article I’m going to cover a list of the best road bike tires for city riding.
I live in Amsterdam, which is the biggest city in the country known for the popularity of the bicycle for commuting purposes. For years I myself rode 20 miles a day to and from work.
Amsterdam is an old city with constant road works being a permanent part of its infrastructure. This means that bicycle lanes or roads are offered in a great variety of states. From new ultra-smooth tarmac, to stripped roads revealing hardpack underneath. So if you ask me what a good road bike tire for city riding is, I’m thinking of those road conditions setting the bar for durability and puncture-resistance.
Another matter is tire clearance, or rather, how wide do you want to run your tire, with wider tires offering a much more comfortable ride, and longer lifespan. In general I’d argue that a tire of 28mm is the go-to tire width offering a nice blend between speed, weight, and rolling resistance on the one hand versus comfort, and plushness on the other. Moving upwards of 28mm might get you into trouble with a standard road bike frame.
So with those things being said, let’s head over to my list of the best road bike tires for city riding.
You can find a table overview at the end of the article for easy comparison of tire parameters.
Continental Gator Hardshell
The Continental Gator Hardshell is the one of the most puncture-resistant tires Continental’s lineup with touring and road bike qualities.
It offers a 3-ply 60 TPI carcass reinforced with a wider PolyX breaker underneath the slick center tread, which is a tightly woven polyester fiber to prevent objects from penetrating the tire.
Besides the breaker, the tire also features the bead-to-bead DuraSkin polyamide fabric, giving the tire its characteristic reddish weave on the sidewall. It serves both as an added layer of puncture-protection and sidewall-reinforcement.
Naturally, all this added protection adds some weight, but as far as puncture-protection for fast commuters and road bikes go, this tire is nothing short of astonishing in that department.
- Astonishing puncture protection in a gorgeous slick road bike tire or fast commuter tire. Still pretty lightweight considering the added protective layers.
- Don't expect the same ride-feel as a summer race tire
Continental Gatorskin
Very similar to the Hardshell version the Continental Gatorskin is an incredible road bike tire with an exceptional level of puncture protection.
It offers a more supple 3-ply 180 TPI carcass with the same PolyX Breaker, a tightly woven polyester fabric sitting underneath the center tread, preventing foreign objects from reaching the air chamber.
It also has the Duraskin bead-to-bead protection, reinforcing its sidewalls and giving the tire its distinctive burgundy appearance, and adding an extra protective layer made from an incredibly strong polyamide fabric.
This tire is the pinnacle of perfection, offering the seemingly unattainable blend of maximum puncture-protection without sacrificing to much in the weight department, all in a road bike tire with a slick tread pattern. An absolute no-brainer for people who appreciate hard-wearing, fast-rolling tires.
- Maximum puncture protection, distinctive looks, and a slick tread pattern makes this one of the best road bike tires for mile-crunchers.
- You trade in ride feel for puncture protection
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season
The Continental Grand Prix 4-Season utilizes an extra bead-to-bead layer Continental calls Duraskin, reserved for their most durable tires.
Each road tire in the Continental lineup uses a puncture resistant breaker for the center tread. The Grand Prix 4-Season uses two, effectively doubling its puncture resistance when compared with the other tires. It makes for a road bike tire with a ridiculous level of puncture resistance, and is something I haven’t seen in any other road bike tire I’ve researched.
And last but not least, the Continental Grand Prix 4-Season uses 3 layers of 110 TPI for both durability and longevity, without sacrificing too much in terms of weight, grip and ride feel. Which makes this tire one of the if not the most fit-and-forget tires you can find.
The only thing keeping this tire from a 5-star rating is that it’s not available in a tubeless version. It comes in sizes 23, 25, 28 and 32 mm.
- The best, and lightest, all-weather tire money can buy, with bead-to-bead protection and dual breakers.
- Only clincher available
Schwalbe Durano Plus
The Schwalbe Durano Plus is a road bike tire that utilizes the SmartGuard belt.
The thought behind this puncture resistant layer is rather simple, but has stood the test of time, making it a popular choice in the fight against flats.. What you do is you make the belt, sitting underneath the center tread, so thick that you could virtually run over anything without getting a flat.
Its system is utilized in their Marathon lineup as well and has found its way into this road tire. It sits at the top of their puncture proof technologies. With an extra 5 mm of material stuffed in the tire, you can basically push a thumbtack into it and still hold air.
That material does add weight, so it’s easily a 100 grams heavier than a lighter competitor. It’s also not the most supple tire, so this tire definitely caters to those who are really sick and tired of finding themselves at the side of the road with their bike upside down. And obviously, it’s a solid training tire.
On the other hand, I don’t think any other tire beats this one in terms of being puncture proof.
- Very durable, extremely puncture resistant, and affordable road bike tire
- Low rolling resistance, heavy
Panaracer RiBMo
At 26 x 2 inches and 560 grams the Panaracer RibMo is among the lightest tires for its size on this list. Its minimal tread pattern moves it into the direction of being a slick tire, perfect for fast urban commuting.
The Panaracer RiBMo uses their proprietary ProTite technology, which is an extra puncture-resistant layer which runs the entire length and width of the tire. And they offer a more durable, commuter-friendly compound.
The conclusion is this tire will make your bike feel fast and nimble for many many miles at a reasonable enough price.
- Ultra-light slick tire, affordable, durable, and supple, japanese build quality
- None
Panaracer Pasela ProTite
Panaracer makes very nice mid-level priced tires. And they also offer some of the best-looking ones for retro builds. I choose the Panaracer Pasela ProTite over the normal Pasela, because it’s lighter, comes in a folding version and has better puncture protection.
The ProTite bead-to-bead protection covers is a tightly woven fabric covering the entire width of the tire, and sits in a mid-tier casing, offering a great combination of puncture protection, and low weight.
In general the Pasela ProTite are lightweight and true skin walls, that’ll look great on your bike.
- Fantastic all-round tire, very light, true skin wall tires. Go-to option for retro commuter builds.
- None
Panaracer Race D Evo 4
The Panaracer Race D Evo 4 is the 4-season option from the Japanese brand’s race lineup.
The tires feature a 3D casing (Double Dip Duru Cover). That’s a fancy name to tell you that they offer dual breakers, the ProTite Belt sitting underneath the center tread, and a bead-to-bead one which reinforces the entire casing including the sidewalls.
That’s impressive, and certainly helps to prevent punctures and snake bites even more, making this a very solid contender and a high-quality all season option.
- Dual breakers, and reinforced sidewalls make a fantastic 4-season road bike tire
- None
Panaracer Agilest Duro
The Panaracer Agilest Duro is without a doubt, the most puncture-resistant, yet lightweight road bike tire on the market.
The puncture resistance differs markedly by including the ProTite Belt, a breaker Panaracer also uses in their touring tires. On top of that an extra bead-to-bead breaker covers the entire casing.
By adding the extra breaker, they’ve bumped up the weight just a bit, but the 220 grams for a 25mm version is incredibly impressive.
- The most puncture-resistant, yet lightweight road bike tire on the market
- None
Pirelli Cinturato
If you ask me, Pirelli Cinturato’s understated design is one of the best on this list. This tubeless-ready tire is far more robust than the P Zero on this list, going in the direction of a gravel tire.
A kevlar-reinforced breaker offers bead-to-bead protection, besides a smaller one sitting underneath the tread. The more durable 60 TPI casing is heavier, but will last you longer. Called Armour Tech, it’s the solution of choice for making these tires truly all-weather condition tires, offering great grip and puncture resistance all through the year.
That added protection does mean they will tip the scales at 300 and 340 grams for the 26 and 28 mm versions. So it’s no weight-weenie tire.
- Fantastic grip, durability, and puncture-protection for a 4-season tire, very fast.
- A bit on the heavy side
Vittoria Rubino Pro Control
The Vittoria Rubino Pro Control is the stiffer, heavier and more puncture protected version of the standard Rubino.
It’s a training tire with bead-to-bead protection besides an enhanced puncture protected layer. Its nylon casing is meant to withstand the elements of all seasons.
Available in standard sizes 23 to 28 mm as a 60 TPI folding tire.
- Solid puncture protection with a bead-to-bead protection layer, and breaker.
- None for its price-point
Specifications road bike tires for city riding
Name | Size | ETRTO | Weight (gr) | Tread color | Sidewall color | Compound | Puncture protection | Tire bead | TPI | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Continental Gator Hardshell | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 340 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Hardshell | foldable | 3/180 | |
Continental Gator Hardshell | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 270 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Hardshell | wired | 3/180 | |
Continental Gator Hardshell | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 340 | Black | Black | BlackChili | Hardshell | foldable | 3/180 | |
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 360 | Black | Black | BlackChili | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | wired | 3/180 | |
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 280 | Black | Black | BlackChili | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | foldable | 3/180 | |
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 245 | Black | Black | BlackChili | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | foldable | 3/180 | |
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 315 | Black | Black | BlackChili | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | wired | 3/180 | |
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 305 | Black | Black | BlackChili | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | wired | 3/180 | |
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 230 | Black | Black | BlackChili | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | foldable | 3/180 | |
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 295 | Black | Black | Max Grip | DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker | foldable | 3/330 | |
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 230 | Black | Black | Max Grip | DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker | foldable | 3/330 | |
Continental Grand Prix 4-Season | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 235 | Black | Black | Max Grip | DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker | foldable | 3/330 | |
Panaracer Agilest Duro | 700×23 | 23-622 | 210 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | TF Super Outer Shield / ProTite belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest Duro | 700×25 | 25-622 | 220 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | TF Super Outer Shield / ProTite belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Agilest Duro | 700×28 | 28-622 | 250 | Black | Black | ZSG Agile | TF Super Outer Shield / ProTite belt | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Pasela ProTite | 700×25 | 25-622 | 250 | Black | Amber | ZSG | ProTite Shield / 400D Lite Extra Cord | foldable | 66 | |
Panaracer Pasela ProTite | 700×28 | 28-622 | 270 | Black | Amber | ZSG | ProTite Shield / 400D Lite Extra Cord | foldable | 66 | |
Panaracer Race D Evo 4 | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 240 | Black | Tan | ZSG Advanced | AX-Alpha / ProTite Belt / 3D casing | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Race D Evo 4 | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 260 | Black | Tan | ZSG Advanced | AX-Alpha / ProTite Belt / 3D casing | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Race D Evo 4 | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 260 | Black | Tan | ZSG Advanced | AX-Alpha / ProTite Belt / 3D casing | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer Race D Evo 4 | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 260 | Black | Black | ZSG Advanced | AX-Alpha / ProTite Belt / 3D casing | foldable | 120 | |
Panaracer RiBMo | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 340 | Black | Black | Mile Cruncher | ProTite Shield / 800D Strong Cord | foldable | 66 | |
Pirelli Cinturato | 700Cx26 | 26-622 | 300 | Black | Tan | SmartNET silica | Armour Tech | tlr | 66 | |
Pirelli Cinturato | 700Cx26 | 26-622 | 300 | Black | Black | SmartNET silica | Armour Tech | tlr | 66 | |
Pirelli Cinturato | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 340 | Black | Tan | SmartNET silica | Armour Tech | tlr | 66 | |
Pirelli Cinturato | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 340 | Black | Black | SmartNET silica | Armour Tech | tlr | 66 | |
Schwalbe Durano Plus | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 385 | Black | Black | ADDIX | SmartGuard | foldable | 2/67 | |
Schwalbe Durano Plus | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 450 | Black | Black | ADDIX | SmartGuard | foldable | 2/67 | |
Schwalbe Durano Plus | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 410 | Black | Black | ADDIX | SmartGuard | wired | 2/67 | |
Schwalbe Durano Plus | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 450 | Black | Black | ADDIX | SmartGuard | wired | 2/67 | |
Schwalbe Durano Plus | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 530 | Black | Black | ADDIX | SmartGuard | wired | 2/67 | |
Vittoria Rubino Pro Control | 700Cx23 | 23-622 | 290 | Black | Black | Nylon | Protection Belt | foldable | 60 | |
Vittoria Rubino Pro Control | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 300 | Black | Black | Nylon | Protection Belt | foldable | 60 | |
Vittoria Rubino Pro Control | 700Cx28 | 28-622 | 340 | Black | Black | Nylon | Protection Belt | foldable | 60 |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
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