34 Days Of Bike Touring Killed My Continental Town & Country Tires
After just 34 days of bicycle touring in Iceland, England, France and Belgium, the Continental Town & Country tires on my brand new Co-Motion Pangea touring bicycle had to be replaced. You can see how the threaded tires wore out near where they connect with the metal rim in the photo above. Below you can see the new tires I now have on the bicycle. The new tires aren’t nearly as wide as the Continental Town & Country tires, but they work well for road and light off-road bicycle touring conditions and after more than two months of cycling, they aren’t even close to being worn out yet.
Hi Darren
I came across your website when researching touring bikes. I am probably going for a Thorn, the company is based in the town I work in, Bridgwater in the UK.
I was stuck by the coincidence, we were touring by tandem in Denmark in June. On the 8th our rear tyre, a Continental, exploded. The tire had failed along the bead just like yours, the tube was totally destroyed.
Not sure of the model, it was the best we could find in a small town in Germany last year, when a piece of glass wedged in coble stones cut through the side wall of a tyre. Since we then we had had done about 800 miles.
Fortunately after last year experience we were carrying a spare, a folding Continental Travel Contact. I shall be keeping a close eye on the condition of that one.
Granville
Hello, a friend of mine who is a Paralympic world champion cyclist and I are planning on traveling from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska. I’m not a professional rider but love the idea. It may take us at least 18 months considering we are not on a race but on a mission to take the message of unity among all people. We will rode on asphalt and dirt roads, so we’ll need proper tires. Would you suggest having two sets of tires? Also, where can I get a used bike and gear since we are running on a tight budget? Thank you!
I’m not sure where to get used gear. All the obvious places should be looked at (i.e. Facebook, eBay, etc). As for carrying two sets of tires, no, you don’t need to do that. Most of your ride is on paved roads and even the few sections on dirt can be ridden with the same tires you use to ride on the road. You just need to make sure that the bike you buy and the tires you choose are going to be wide enough to carry you across the dirt roads you encounter on your journey. Make sure you watch my video about wheels, tires and tubes on this page (video #4): https://bicycletouringpro.com/touring-bicycles-buyers-guide/