# Town&Country vs Drifter vs Country Rock - for commuting?



## r1Gel (Jan 14, 2004)

I'm looking for a wide slick/semi-slick for my SS MTB commuter. I'm currently running WTB Nanos, and while they're the best commuting tires I've used so far (faster rolling than even some 1.5 slicks I've used), I'd like something less aggro and would be better at high speed cornering on pavement. I've narrowed down my choices to these three, but have my reservations on each of them:

Continental Town & Country
- heaviest of the bunch; a lot of reviews say it's puncture prone

Serfas Drifter
- looks like a knock-off of the Conti, but lighter; better reviews than the Conti

Michelin Country Rock
- most logical/least "hypey" (OK I made this word up) of the tread designs; narrowest, but lightest, of the three; reviews on puncture-ability are mixed; would the diamond tread pattern be prone to catching road debris? I'm actually leaning towards this one, but wish they still made it in the 2.0(2.1?) version. Least expensive of these 3.

Anybody here tried any/all of these tires for commuting?

Any other suggestions along these lines?

TIA

PS
The Schwalbe Big Apple 2.35s would be on top of my list, if they were available locally (shipping them from overseas would be too costly), and were at least 200g lighter.


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## Gary the No-Trash Cougar (Oct 14, 2008)

r1Gel said:


> Michelin Country Rock
> - most logical/least "hypey" (OK I made this word up) of the tread designs; narrowest, but lightest, of the three; reviews on puncture-ability are mixed; would the diamond tread pattern be prone to catching road debris? I'm actually leaning towards this one, but wish they still made it in the 2.0(2.1?) version. Least expensive of these 3.


I'd have to vote for the Country Rock. I've been using this tire for five months now and have never had a problem with it. The 1.75" width makes it fast rolling, but still does a good job of soaking up the bumps. The diamond tread pattern does pick up some road debris, but the gaps are so close together that only tiny pieces stick. I have rolled through fields of shattered auto glass many times and have not had a flat yet.


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## BugeyedEarl (Mar 3, 2008)

I'll second the Michelin, it's a very good value. I was a bit surprised that the diamond tread is smoother than it appeared to me in the stock photos, and it's closer to a slick than I realized. That's not a problem of course, just my observation.


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## citybiker (Mar 20, 2008)

I have used Drifters for over 5000 miles...still not worn out. They perform extremely well in high speed cornering and wet conditions, are puncture resistent (although I run Mr. Tuffies under mine due to a large number on goatheads on our trails), and are smooth as butter rolling straight. I had 2 flats in the first 1500 miles (without Mr. Tuffy). I have had no flats since. I run 70 psi on my 26x2.0 Drifters with no problems. I think they may outlast the rest of my bike.


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## r1Gel (Jan 14, 2004)

Gary the No-Trash Cougar said:


> I'd have to vote for the Country Rock. I've been using this tire for five months now and have never had a problem with it. The 1.75" width makes it fast rolling, but still does a good job of soaking up the bumps. The diamond tread pattern does pick up some road debris, but the gaps are so close together that only tiny pieces stick. I have rolled through fields of shattered auto glass many times and have not had a flat yet.


Thanks for this.

What rims are the Rocks mounted to?

I hefted the tire at the shop, and even though it's "only" 1.75, it looked decently wide.


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## sonoranbiker (Dec 31, 2006)

I run the Drifters on my D440 for commuting, and after 4 months of regular use they still work great and I haven't had any flats. I run them at 60 psi and they roll smooth and corner great. Tonight I even outran a dog in South Tucson on them, railed a corner going really fast.

The best part is the little puckering sounds they make during hard cornering.


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## r1Gel (Jan 14, 2004)

sonoranbiker said:


> I run the Drifters on my D440 for commuting, and after 4 months of regular use they still work great and I haven't had any flats. I run them at 60 psi and they roll smooth and corner great. Tonight I even outran a dog in South Tucson on them, railed a corner going really fast.


Thanks for the input. Have you tried them at lower pressures, say in the 40s?



sonoranbiker said:


> The best part is the little puckering sounds they make during hard cornering.


I've read about this... that they have a suction cup effect when leaned over. Doesn't that get a bit disconcerting?


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## djork (Nov 8, 2004)

You might also want to consider the Michelin CiTY tires in 26 x 1.85. They have flat protection and reflective sidewalls. Good value tires. 

I also have the Country Rock, and I concur with the other posters who said that the tread design is almost like a slick with criss-cross grooves. Drawback is that tiny pebbles often get embedded in them, but not a big deal. I run mine with Slime tires.


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## Gary the No-Trash Cougar (Oct 14, 2008)

r1Gel said:


> Thanks for this.
> 
> What rims are the Rocks mounted to?
> 
> I hefted the tire at the shop, and even though it's "only" 1.75, it looked decently wide.


Not sure of the brand, they came stock on my old Trek. About 1" outside diameter. The Country Rocks will fit just fine on any "standard" MTB rim. I think the 1.75" width makes them look fast, too. They're tall and just a little wider than the rim.


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## sonoranbiker (Dec 31, 2006)

r1Gel said:


> Thanks for the input. Have you tried them at lower pressures, say in the 40s?
> 
> They roll OK at 40psi, and provide a little more cushion and damping of road chatter. They roll faster at 60, though, and aren't too harsh.
> 
> BTW- I run them on WTB Dual Duty 29er rims (my commuter wheelset).


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## rinkle (Nov 5, 2005)

I ran the town and country on my MTB ran it geared and SS for a couple years. The one year I tracked mileage I put a little over 4000 miles on them. Commuting mainly, but I would also hit the trails with them. These things are a bomb proof. They were a little hard to take off. My girlfriend now uses them on the trainer. I really like the inverted tread design. I wish they made these in 700* 40 or 45


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## r1Gel (Jan 14, 2004)

Gary the No-Trash Cougar said:


> Not sure of the brand, they came stock on my old Trek. About 1" outside diameter. The Country Rocks will fit just fine on any "standard" MTB rim. I think the 1.75" width makes them look fast, too. They're tall and just a little wider than the rim.


Thanks for that. I'm just trying to imagine what it would be like to mount them on a generally wider rim (I'm considering the WTB SpeedDisc AM or Dual Duty XCs; leaning towards the former). I've read that the tire width/profile can change drastically depending on what rim width it's mounted to.


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## r1Gel (Jan 14, 2004)

djork said:


> You might also want to consider the Michelin CiTY tires in 26 x 1.85. They have flat protection and reflective sidewalls. Good value tires.
> 
> I also have the Country Rock, and I concur with the other posters who said that the tread design is almost like a slick with criss-cross grooves. Drawback is that tiny pebbles often get embedded in them, but not a big deal. I run mine with Slime tires.


Ye. But I didn't notice it at the LBS where I saw the Country Rocks. 'guess that gives me an excuse to pass by the shop... 

I downloaded the Michelin catalog (I assume the 2009), and neither the Country Rock nor the City are listed. Heck, even the venerable Transworld City isn't there anymore. Does this mean they're discontinuing these models? Or is the catalog just not complete?  
I'd hate to invest in a tire tread, fall in love with it, and discover a year or 2 (or months) from now that I can't replace them with the same thing anymore


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## r1Gel (Jan 14, 2004)

sonoranbiker said:


> r1Gel said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the input. Have you tried them at lower pressures, say in the 40s?
> ...


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## r1Gel (Jan 14, 2004)

rinkle said:


> I ran the town and country on my MTB ran it geared and SS for a couple years. The one year I tracked mileage I put a little over 4000 miles on them. Commuting mainly, but I would also hit the trails with them. These things are a bomb proof. They were a little hard to take off. My girlfriend now uses them on the trainer. I really like the inverted tread design. I wish they made these in 700* 40 or 45


Are those, by chance, the original German-made ones? I've read quite a few sob-stories of the newer, India-made version.


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## carlton (Sep 16, 2005)

My bike originally came with town&countries. They were an OK tire. They flatted a little more than I cared for. When they finally wore out they were replaced with drifters. My drifters have over 6000 miles and look like they would go another 6000. I've only had two flats with them both occurred when I was using normal innertubes. Usually I use puncture resistant tubes(no slime).The drifters seem to roll easier and have less flats. I'd buy drifters over town&countries.


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## r1Gel (Jan 14, 2004)

carlton said:


> My bike originally came with town&countries. They were an OK tire. They flatted a little more than I cared for. When they finally wore out they were replaced with drifters. My drifters have over 6000 miles and look like they would go another 6000. I've only had two flats with them both occurred when I was using normal innertubes. Usually I use puncture resistant tubes(no slime).The drifters seem to roll easier and have less flats. I'd buy drifters over town&countries.


Cool!  Finally, someone who has tried at least these two! Good on ya mate! :thumbsup:

cheers


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## rinkle (Nov 5, 2005)

r1Gel said:


> Are those, by chance, the original German-made ones? I've read quite a few sob-stories of the newer, India-made version.


got them in 2004, neither they have made in thailand on them:thumbsup:

Carlton how many miles did you get out of those tires. If they are a bad tire now I don't want to be telling people they are still a good tire.:nono:


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