With this blogpost I’ll be giving you an overview of some of the very best road bike touring tires for your next cycling adventure.
I’ve done many cycling trips with my friends, and when I was younger I simply did it with the bike I had, which happened to be my father’s old road bike. I still have that bike, and it still sits on the original tires I used for those road trips. They are skinwall Michelin tires with a tire width of 23mm, because that’s what would be common width for the late nineties.
If I would do the same thing again today, I would never go for 23mm wide tires. That particular bike is from the late seventies, so I don’t know if the frame clearance even allows for a 28mm tire, but if it did I’d probably go for such a size. Tire widths make a huge difference in terms of comfort and durability, which I feel should come first for touring.
And wider tires also mean you have the benefit of improved grip for nastier sections of road. And because I’ve become so sick of repairing flat tires, I would definitely go for the most puncture-resistant one money could buy. This list includes tires of various widths, and by all means choose the one you like best. Everybody is different, and I’m just telling you my point of view.
It’s those tire characteristics I’ve kept in mind when creating this list of the best road bike touring tires. A handy table overview is included at the end of the article for your convenience.
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
Panaracer GravelKing (Tubed)
The tubed version of the Panaracer GravelKing inherits the compound and puncture protection technology of the entire lineup, but is offered in road bike tire dimensions.
This means you have your standard 23 to 28mm variants, with the durable ZSG compound, and the very reliable ProTite Shield Plus breaker. Which is a step up from their standard ProTite breaker, and also reinforces the sidewalls.
I use these tires for my daily driver, which is basically a road bike with panniers and fenders. They look great, ride even better, and though after many miles, there are small cuts on the well worn carcass, I haven’t had a flat.
All Panaracer tires are very low weight, including these ones. So whether you’re going to use them for a fast commuter, or a puncture-proof 4-season option for your road bike, know that these are some of the best road bike tires out there.
- Fantastic fast, and supple commuter, or 4-season road bike tire.
- 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 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
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
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
Road Bike Tires Weight Rating
I’ve always been fascinated by bicycle tires, and road bike tires offer some of the most premium pieces of rubber you can put on your rims. It’s a good place to save quite a bit of weight without paying a really large amount of money. It’s not like there are titanium or carbon tires, which are traditionally materials to make bicycle products lighter that are very expensive.
The lightest 700C tire I’ve looked at is the Veloflex Record, which is a track tire sitting at 135 grams for a 23 mm version. The heaviest tire I’ve taken into account is the Schwalbe Lugano II Endurance weighing 490 grams for the same 25 mm tire width.
In the following graph you can find the weight ratings for each tire. The weight ratings represent a relative percentage irrespective of tire width and only looking at 700C versions of the respective tire. The numbers are compared against each other resulting in a percentage of 0 for the relative heaviest tire and 100 for the relative lightest tire.
Road Bike Tires Puncture Protection Rating
Nobody likes a flat tire. It’s one of the most jarring things to break the flow of a ride. That’s why puncture protection is an important factor when considering a certain bicycle tire.
Puncture protection sits at the other end of the tire weight, suppleness and possibly grip. The more rubber you add to a tire, and the more layers of protection sit underneath it, the more weight you add, and the stiffer your tire gets. That’s why racing tires have the most minimal protection, and touring or 4-season tires the most.
The puncture protection ratings you see here are a function of TPI, in combination with tire weight, and puncture protection technology added to the tire. From sidewall protection, multiple breakers and tire belts.
Specifications road bike touring tires
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 | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 345 | Black | Black | BlackChili | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | foldable | 3/180 | |
Continental Gatorskin | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 420 | Black | Black | BlackChili | DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker | wired | 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 | 700Cx32 | 32-622 | 340 | Black | Black | Max Grip | DuraSkin / Double Vectran Breaker | foldable | 3/330 | |
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 GravelKing (Tubed) | 700Cx26 | 26-622 | 240 | Black | Black | ZSG Natural | AX-Alpha / ProTite Shield Plus | foldable | 126 | |
Panaracer GravelKing (Tubed) | 700Cx26 | 26-622 | 240 | Black | Tan | ZSG Natural | AX-Alpha / ProTite Shield Plus | foldable | 126 | |
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 RiBMo | 700Cx25 | 25-622 | 340 | Black | Black | Mile Cruncher | ProTite Shield / 800D Strong Cord | foldable | 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 |
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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