I use the Grand Bois Lierre 650 x 38b on my 650-converted Riv Road. I've had flats, but they are caused by road debris (mostly glass). I average about 1 puncture a month when commuting on city streets. However, I had no flats at all for ~440 miles of RAGBRAI, I think because the highways were quite clean compared to the filth in the street gutters. My city doesn't run the street sweepers often enough.
So, I highly recommend GB/Compass tires, but with conditional reservations based on the surface you ride. If that surface regularly has glass shards or sharp thorns, then I'd recommend a tire with a puncture-protection liner. The Soma New Xpres tires seem like a good compromise; a lightened Pasela but with some puncture protection. For gravel, dirt, and clean pavement, the GB/Compass tires have a combo of comfort and speed that is unmatched (in my experience). You could also try taping the rims and going tubeless for the puncture protection. Jim Thill runs tubeless Hetres on his Surly city bike, with great success I understand. If you're considering tubeless, I'd recommend the black sidewalls. The skinwalls on Jim's Hetres had some bleed-through and discoloration from the latex sealant. Tim Cedar Rapids, IA -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
