Something odd about that wheel’s proportions…	Reassuring labels

Continental UltraGatorskin 28-559 £21.95 each

There’s a lot to be said for the mountain bike when it comes to cycle commuting – sturdy, good brakes, good visibility, plenty of gears – but not much to be said for the knobblies they generally wear unless most or all of the commute is off-road.

For Tarmac use, a lightweight tyre with little or no tread and a carcass able to take a decent inflation pressure of 100psi or so makes life so much easier.

Continental’s UltraGatorskin fits the bill precisely, being as described above but with the added advantage of the German manufacturer’s Duraskin sidewall protective layer.

Widely hailed as one of the most flat-resistant tyres of its type on the market, the UltraGatorskin is available in an mtb-friendly 28-559 format that weighs a respectable 350g and has a big enough cross-section to provide good ride comfort on broken urban blacktop.