Best Commuter Bike Tires [Review] in 2021
written by Cycle expert Alex Bristol
See full list of products
Panaracer RibMo Folding City Tyre
TOP CHOICE
Continental Contact Plus Bike Tire
OUR PICK
Serfas Drifter Tire With FPS
RUNNER UP
Looking to upgrade your commuter’s tires to ones that offer the best functionality, grip, and rolling resistance?
Let me confirm you’re at the right place.
I have reviewed multiple types of tires and shortlisted the top ten for you. My shortlist combines everything you need out of a commuter bike tire while giving you the best performance out of your bike.
There’s nothing worse than while you’re on your dreaded commute to work and you hit a hidden pothole and your tire punctures (talk about a bad start to the day). Finding a commuter bike tire that’s puncture-resistant can be tricky at the best of times.
But wait let me tell you something…
To make things easier for you and to prevent this dreaded experience I have listed down the very best commuter bike tires, factoring in durability, price, grip, usability, rolling resistance, and most importantly puncture resistance.
Here’s something that could help you: when choosing your commuter bike tire it is important to keep in mind your preference and what kind of roads you’re going to be dealing with to see whether the tire is up for the job.
As a side note: if you’re as bold as me you need to check out the number 3 on my list– trust me you’ll love it.
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Best Commuter Bike Tires
Panaracer RibMo Folding City Tyre
It offers protection against penetration and pinch flats, 300% better than your standard tire– this is brilliant for a rugged city terrain, you will be protected from anything the commute may throw at you.
But here’s the kicker:
This bike tire offers outstanding longevity, durability, grip, and comfort for your ride. The contact tread shape optimizes the tire performance and minimizes rolling resistance but maximizes cornering contact.
These will see you through years of heavy-duty urban riding, over countless potholes and glass patches while being a tight fit, roll well and give unmatched grip. Honestly, it is a fit and forget with this tire.
- Durable, long-lasting and puncture-resistant
- Minimizes rolling resistance and maximizes cornering contact
- Super grippy
- Comfortable to ride on
- Limited color choices
Serfas Drifter Tire with FPS
It is advisable for bicycles and hybrid comfortable cycles. The Drifter promises excellent puncture resistance, a comfortable fit, spectacular reliability, and a fantastic feel.
The Dual Density system involves several rubber components that enhance both comfort and stability. The heavier compounds provide better rolling resistance and longer life, whereas lighter compounds on the exterior tires improve grip.
These tires help to reduce your chance of flats by using thin weave nylon fabrics between the tire shell and tread pad. Plus the inverted tread pattern decreases rolling resistance.
Overall these tires are ready to take on the rough city roads and turn a once stressful commute into an enjoyable one.
- Increase durability due to compound rubber
- Integrated Flat Protection System
- Inverted tread pattern reduces rolling resistance
- Wire bead ensures a secure fit
- No genuine issue reported yet
Continental Contact Plus Bike Tire
Continental has merged the safety system blocker with a strong flexible solid for E-bikes. The effect is an incredibly puncture-resistant and cut-resistant covering. This contributes to its excellent adhesion and delivers remarkably low rolling resistance.
This also reserves battery power and the atmosphere outstanding all-rounder tires for roads and pathways crowning any touring cycle.
This rugged rubber breaker along with the rubber-reinforced sidewalls of the tire will ensure a high level of puncture protection and sidewall abrasion, even against rougher roads.
When durability is the main focus this makes a killer tire for the rough city streets.
- Rugged Rubber Breaker
- More battery power
- Rubber-Reinforced Sidewalls.
- Security score 5 from 6.
- Difficult installation (can’t perform tube repair at roadside)
Schwalbe Marathon HS Wire Bead Tire
- Offers excellent puncture resistance
- Easy to put on with no need for any special tools
- Super durable
- Firm side walls
- May not be a longlasting as they say
SCHWALBE Marathon Plus HS 348 Road Bike Tire
The SmartGuard belt would not raise rolling resistance, plus the beaded wire shape offers excellent performance and extended durability.
It is brilliant as far as general commuter tires go, despite their weight it doesn’t make this tired sluggish and the puncture protection is unmatched.
It is the sort of tire that you assemble and then forget about for months as it will hold up and excellent fight even through rougher roads and pot-hole filled cities. Honestly once I first tried this tire on my commuter I was hooked!
- The SmartGuard coating provides specific protection to fragments of glass and stone.
- The SmartGuard belt doesn’t raise rolling resistance.
- Highly durable product
- 700c won’t fit because it is too small.
Continental Ride Tour Replacement Bike Tire
The ultra-robust treadmill is suitable for several miles as its treadmill design guarantees low rolling resistance for normal speed as the edges provide enough traction in damp weather or on gravel roads.
Plus the puncture-resistant belt helps minimize the incidence of flats, especially when venturing out on rougher surfaces. A wide range of sizing choices guarantees that your bike has a Ride Tour tire.
The Tread pattern offers smooth-rolling properties as well as sufficient cornering traction. Tread is flexible enough to navigate paved and gravel roads. Puncture-resistant belts tend to minimize the likelihood of flats.
It also has a continuous center tray that offers reasonable rolling properties and adequate traction when overtaking, and if you want that little extra the puncture belt offers unrivaled puncture protection.
This tire is brilliant for long commutes on rougher roads, that you worry it won’t be able to withstand the tires you currently have (you can even use these tires at e-bike speeds).
- Flexible with weather conditions
- Lower rolling resistance
- Super comfortable
- Design help in fewer punctures
- No real cons reported yet
SCHWALBE Big Ben Race Guard Wired Tire
It is even offered in classic shades of cream, brown, and grey. The casing is well designed, and there is also an excellently reinforced steel strip around the tire wall.
But wait that’s not all…
These tires have track guard safety with a double coat of nylon cloth beneath the tread, they also have an extremely durable rubber compound which offers optimum strength even up to 50kmph
Whether you’re a city dweller sick of being stuck in traffic or just want to get fitter by commuting to work, upgrading your tires is the best thing you’ll ever do and you have to check these out.
- Provides even treads
- Effective designs
- Move fast with very less rolling efforts
- Comfortable drive
- Not much puncture resistant
Continental Top Contact II Fold Reflex Bike Tire
The newly refined formulation is super-fast, but at the same time, it is robust and skid-resistant. The portable version makes it smaller and simpler to carry. Last but not least, the fine snip nylon casing and nearly impenetrable Vectran Breaker round off the real German style.
Now:
Top Contact II Reflex features a reflective belt along the sidewall and a new and improved tread pattern that allows you to have a smoother cornering feel and faster rolling down the street. Plus you cannot beat the puncture resistance on this bad boy.
The Vectran breaker belts under the tread boost the puncture protection and thanks to its new materials and design features this is super popular across all commuters.
- Rim’s width is 37mm, which is recommended.
- Folding Tire
- Reflex Sidewall
- Vectran Breaker
- At high air pressures, it has a slightly lower rolling resistance.
Continental Town and Country Tire
Town & Country Tire is an awesome option to buy as it keeps the community clean and safe. Town and Country provide a reliable, secure, and fail-safe regular tire.
But here’s the kicker
The plentiful rubber and traditional pessimistic profile have rendered Town and Country a faithful companion— the durable and long-lasting tire is suitable for everyone.
- Excellent quality for sports level use
- Wire bead
- Durable case and long-lasting trail
- Secure and fail-free for dangerous routes
- Sidewalls are thin
Kenda Tires Kwest Commuter Bicycle Tire
These 700X35C rubber tires are made to handle sun and torrential rain with essentially no troubles and wear evenly as you begin to hike, whether on or off the path.
The special pattern on these flexible tires allows water to spread equally, maintaining the trip stable with friction and braking command. These tires make great commuters as they’re equipped with flat rounded trays and wide pouring water grooves.
Whether you’re pelting down the road on a weekend or wanting a tire to get through the dreaded commutes during the week then this tire will be your new best friend.
- Easy to mount
- Durable
- Good dry and wet traction
- Economical
- Appalling puncture resistance
Best Commuter Bike Tires Guide and FAQs
What to Look for in Best Commuter Bike Tires?
Wheel/Tire Diameter – Many of the commuter and hybrid city bicycles have 700c tires. It is the same scale as the regular road bicycle wheels, so it rolls quickly and performs well. Mountain bikes are still a common option for cyclists, but you will also see 26-and 27-inch commuting tires.
Tire Width – Commuter tires are usually offered in wider widths than normal road bike tires, offering added stability and traction as well as reducing the chance of punctures.
If the wheels are 700c, search for a tire diameter between 28c and 35c. If the wheels are 26 or 27.5-inch, check for sizes between 1.5 and 2.0 inches.
Casing – The casing is the base of the wheel. It binds the beads to each other and provides sufficient resistance from stretching to hold the air inside while adhering to the surface of the earth.
The casing is made of nylon, cotton, or silk and weighed in ‘threads per inch’ or ‘TPI.’ Tires with such a lower TPI count (e.g. 60 TPI) have good puncture resistance but bad rolling resistance.
Forms of Valve – The valves are mounted to the tubes to be filled and the road tires have 2 alternatives:
- Schrader
- Presta
Presta valves are mostly used on top-of-the-range bikes but are easy to identify because they are slightly smaller than Schrader valves. Schrader valves were often used on sport and entry-level bicycles. Schrader’s links involve a pin to force the spring down, while the lock valve opens through the lock ring.
Frequently asked Questions
The suggested pressure for the commuter tire relies on the tires you want. Most manufactures are printing a tire pressure limit on the sides of the tire, and you mustn’t reach the mark.
The drop in pressure helps the tire to adjust and make contact with the surface that it rolls on, which provides more traction. Therefore, it offers more rolling resistance and thus fewer paces.
How to Get the Most Mileage out of a Commuter Tire?
The prevailing opinion is that your bicycle tires last from around 1,000 to 3,000 miles out. High-end tires are supposed to last at least 2,500 miles. Racing tires optimized for efficiency and high durability may need to be replaced after 1,000 miles, but rugged touring tires may last up to 4,000 miles.
However, if you’re a cyclist who drives on the pavement, you can have a smooth or twisted track that enhances the longevity of your tire. If your journey takes you across dirt or stone fields, you can have a little knob of tires on the outside to improve your traction and stability.
Finding a Tire Pattern that Suits Your Commute
- A most common style of pattern is symmetrical; this is ideal for tires but not really for high-performance usage. Tires of this style have clear ribs or individual tread structures across the whole surface of the tread, and both sides of the tread have the same pattern.
- A tire with a longitudinal tread pattern is intended to roll forward for one dimension only. It has side ridges that intersect in the center of the tire tread, matching the form of a ridge.
- The tire with an asymmetric pattern contains two different patterns, one on the lower part and the other on the outermost layers of the tire. It looks odd, but the two halves serve a different function.
Why are 700c Tires Best for Commuting?
Daily commute on your 700c cycle means you are cycling in crowded urban areas. It means you are likely to experience road debris and rocky road surfaces. Most commuter bikes are built for difficult urban environments, but many people use road bikes and/or MTBs.
The latest 700c commuting tires are offered by a variety of brands. These are all the best tires that take into account puncture protection, speed, damp grip, and pavement control. That is why these are the best commuting tires.
What Tire Pressure is recommended for 700c Commuter Tires?
Each bike tire shall be fitted with an indication of the approximate acceptable tire pressure on its flank. These standards, however, are just rough estimate values that cannot be exceeded or undermined while riding a bike.
- Road tires normally require 80 to 130 psi
- Mountain tires, 25 to 35 psi
- And hybrid tires, 40 to 70 psi
To find your perfect pressure, start in the center of these levels, and then make a switch according to your body weight. The more they weigh, the greater the tire pressure would have to be.
For example, if a 165-pound rider used 100 psi on his commuter bike, a 200-pound rider should be nearer to 120 psi and a 130-pound rider will be able to come up with 80 psi. Do not go up or down prescribed tire pressures specified on the sidewall of the bicycle.
Summary
We also discussed how tire diameter, width, and casing are some very important factors to check out while buying commuter bike tires. In the end, you saw a few of the most commonly asked FAQs about the best commuter bike tires.
We hope this buying will not only be informative but also influence your buying decisions. Don’t worry if you don’t have time to research, just follow what is said inside this guide and you will get the desired results. Thanks for reading and goodbye!
Alex Bristol
Content Manager at Pedallers
ABOUT
Alex is a cycling expert at Pedallers and focuses on reviewing bikes, accessories, and general cycling. He searches for the most up to date products that match the needs of cyclists across the world. Whether it's recent news or the best bike set-ups, Alex is a trusted source for anything around cycling.
