Which road bike tyre should i buy?

Most tires with a Vectran or Kevlar belt made under the tread is "puncture resistant". The very best tires I have experienced in 40+ years of riding are the Continental 4000 S. I will warn you that it is a $60+ tire. If you are looking for high performance, long wearing, and cut resistance it is almost impossible to beat. It is also a slick.

A close second is the Michelin Pro 3. By their ad piece, "Derived from Motocross tire technology". My son is on his second season on a pair and loves them. He rides them on a much lower pressure than I like and that may help resist some junk.

Another brand of tires that have earned a reputation for being bomb proof are Schwalbe, specifically their Marathon brand. They do not handle anywhere like the Conti, but it is the choice of countless cross country riders.

I have Vittoria's on one of my bikes right now (came on the new bike) and they seem to be ok. Haven't been through gravel with them yet.

Here is a good site to either compare tires or purchase them. I buy mine there and they give great service and free shipping.

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/ti/tires_and_tubes/...

I have ridden Michelins, Hutchinsons, and Vittorias in recent years. I recently swapped on a pair of Vittoria Randonneur tires and love them: great feel, puncture-resistant, easy riding, and good predictable cornering characteristics. They are directional so make sure that you find the little arrows on the sidewalls and mount them pointing in the direction of rotation. I bought mine from Western Bikeworks, on-line, on sale.

BTW, I strongly recommend that you replace both tires at the same time, keeping them matched. That way, you will not have your back tyre handling the road differently from your front and dumping your bike at the worst possible time ... like in a tight curve at speed. You do not want unpredictable handling characteristics; you want safe and secure. Some tyre sets do come in front/back matched sets and that is okay; they are designed to work as a set, together. Otherwise, avoid homemade mix-and-match.

I've had good luck with Vittoria and Continental tires. I am currently riding Continental Ultra Gatorskins. They are very flat resistant and also ride much better than other flat resistant tires I've tried in the past. They do cost a bit more, but I think it's worth the extra expense.

HTH

Continental Ultra Gatorskins. 23 or 25 mm. I have tried Michelins, Verdesteins. Tried the Contis riding on dirt and gravel and very impressed with these tires. Not a scratch on them. This is 70 km on gravel,dirt, and hard pack. Admitted they are pricey but I think well worth it.

I use a conventional tyre fitted with a puncture resistant liner- the only punctures I get are pinch flats and even those are rare.

As stated above, Continentals are great tires. You should really buy 2 new ones. If you have to replace the rear one, the front is next to go....usually.

You might want to look at the bontrager race lite hardcase. You can find them on the trek site. (www.trekbikes.com) i've ridden them and liked them.