Tyres

So what’s so special about these tyres?

For one the front (Attack) is quite different to the rear (Force) in this combo. It is narrower, lighter and has a different tread pattern.

Available in a range of garish and not-so colours to coordinate with your wheelset, Halo’s Twin Rail courier tyres have as much to offer winter trainers and club mounts as urban fixers.

The Geax (Pronounced Gee-Axe) Roadster would be a dependable choice for commuters and tourists seeking a mile munching, durable and above all fast rolling tyre. Made from an Aramid three polymer compound designed for high mileage and puncture resistance, the Roadster look wider than their 40mm profile suggests but they’re the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing, with good rolling and grip characteristics.

Kenda's C2C is a proven performer over long distances, scoring a third place in the Race Across America (RAAM), and it's a good performer over here too, though it fares best on smoother tarmac

Kenda’s Kwick rollers are too heavy for audax and not robust enough for laden touring but the keen price and dynamo track makes them contenders for hack duties – particularly in Winter. Despite stiff wire beads, they’re an easy fit on most rims.

Panaracer's Crosstown range is designed as a bombproof urban tyre and it certainly does put up with a lot of abuse around town. There's a price to pay for that, though, and the price is a fairly high weight and a slightly dead ride.

Weighing a whopping 460g, these are ultra heavy- duty tubes for riders looking for the last word in durability and in both wide section 700c or 26 they’ve never once let me down in several thousand mixed terrain miles.

Made from 4.6mm thick butyl, they’re four times thicker than your bog standard tube and feel every bit the proverbial builder’s hose. Aboard my four season’s fixer with big 38mm rubber they’ve laughed at flints, thorns and riding through shards of glass may have nicked the tyres but it’s never touched the tubes.

RiBMo? that'll stand for 'RIde Bicycle MOre' then, as if you couldn't guess. Luckily the acronym is the worst thing about this urban runner though, which has proved itself tough and grippy around town.

The RiBMo is Panaracer's first tyre with a Protex shield, which the makers claim is three times as puncture resistant as an equivalent Kevlar belt. Mated to an 800D casing this is a tough tyre, but not a particularly heavy one: ours weighed in at 415g which is pretty good for the level of protection you're getting.