Schwalbe Durano Plus Folding Roadbike Tyres

*Updated at bottom of page 26th January 2016 and 18th February 2016*

I run two roadbikes. A Cannondale Synapse Carbon 105 which is my ‘summer’ or dry weather bike and a Fondriest Alloy.

The Fondriest is an old racing frame with a custom build. Nothing expensive, just middle of the road components. To give the Fondriest a new lease of life as a winter/ commute bike it’s had new wheels and a full service with new cables, block, chain and brakes. The lack of clearance on the frame meant full mudguards cannot be fitted so SKS raceblades have been fitted to keep roadspray to a minimum.

During dryer months the Schwalbe Lugano tyres fitted on the Fondriest were fine. They were worn, and with winter coming High Peak Cycles suggested trying a pair of Schwalbe Durano Plus. They are a heavier tyre, but this is because they have the ‘smartguard’ puncture protection (as does the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyre). Smartguard is a layer of protection below the tyre surface that guards against punctures. Having punctured the Luganos and Continental GP4000 II tyres whilst commuting (never ideal) I was sold on the idea of reducing the chances of further punctures.

Fitting … I wasn’t looking forward to fitting the tyres as I expected a battle with them having the extra smartguard layer. Thankfully they went on without issue. Whether this was because they were the folding variant or not I don’t know, but I put new tubes in, tyres on and inflated to 100psi. I went for the 23’s as 25’s are too wide for this frame.

In use … My initial feelings were that the tyres dragged compared with the Luganos and GP4000’s. They felt slower on climbs when first used. Now, a few months down the line and over 1,000 miles covered I don’t notice this at all – so either I’m accustomed to it or the tyres just needed a couple of rides to scrub them in. Now they feel fine, roll well and I am confident with grip in commuting conditions ranging from warm, dry weather to standing / running water in storm conditions. I’ve been over roads where the council have cut hedges, I’ve felt stones and debris ping off the wheels in the pitch black and so far (touch wood) the tyres have not punctured. I’ve held my breath a couple of times as I felt sure I’d feel that vagueness which proceeds a puncture would happen, but to date it’s not. I do check tyre pressures every day or two to ensure I maintain 90-100psi and have a quick look over them when I give the bike a quick wipe down ready for the next morning. So far so good.

Conclusion … If I only ran one bike which I used for commute and social rides then I’d fit the Durano Plus. As I have two bikes the perfect scenario is Durano Plus on the commute/ hack bike and a lighter tyre on my summer/social bike. The Durano Plus are a great commuting tyre. If like me want to do what you can to avoid punctures then from my experience (75+ miles commuting per week) these tyres are worth trying.

Update (26/1/16) … The Durano Plus 23’s on the Fondriest continued to give me a fault free and puncture free ride.  In January I replaced the Fondriest with a Cannondale Synapse Disc (reviewed seperately)  The new bike came with Schwalbe Lugano 25’s fitted. They are a good tyre and rode well, but in the first week/ first 100 miles I had two punctures. I have now switched the tyres to Schwalbe Durano Plus 25’s and am confident they will ensure I can use the bike with no thoughts to punctures. I will add to this review once I have a few weeks of commuting and rides under my belt. Some pics of the new bike with Durano Plus 25’s fitted:

Update (18/2/16) … I’ve now covered 600 miles using the Durano Plus 25’s on my (new) Cannondale Synapse Disc winter bike. Most of that is the 100 commute miles (upped from 75mls as part of my ‘Fred Whitton training) I do over three days. The weather has been awful. This week alone I’ve had ice, persistent rain and freezing fog – all at 4.30am in the pitch black. Oh, deep joy!! Over the last few weeks I’ve run over vehicle accident debris, glass, car wheels covers, bricks and other crap in the roads that would have puctured lesser tyres – So I’m extremely pleased I’m running the Duranos. The ‘Smartguard Layer’ makes them impervious to punctures. Long may it last!