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Tyre suggestions

j-sworks

Maximum Pace
Feb 5, 2012
1,199
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Well it looks like the time has come for some new rubbers, so I'd like to open it up to the floor and see what suggestions the community has.

My initial thoughts are the s-works or pro Turbo 6,800 or 4,800 respectively - the Michelin Pro 3 or 4 race 3,200 or 4,300 respectively - or one of the Vittoria open corsa tires - 4,700 to 5,200

I ride Roval Fuse E5's which are clinchers, and I'm looking for something that has good longevity and puncture protection. I'm not sure if this matters but I'm about 71kg and I don't ride in the rain (on purpose)

Cheers
 
1) Best all purpose puncproof, do-all tire is the Conti Super Gatorskin.

2) My Fav high performance tire is the Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX - it ranks lowest in rolling friction and is fairly decent for punc proof.

3) Other notables are the Conti 4000 (which alot of people are very fond of).
 
Yeah I saw the Conti's and a lot of people buy/rate them very well - thanks I'll look at those too.
 
Winter - MAXXIS Detonator
Training - Vittoria Open Corsa CXII (Clincher)
Racing - Vittoria Open Corsa II (Tubular)
 
I'm one of those that are very happy with the Conti 4000S (and 4000 before the "S" version). I also have a 4-season on the shelf that I haven't tried.
 
Big fan of Open Corsa Evo CX, or whatever it is they are calling the latest model.
 
Open Corsa Evo

On average, how many km's are you getting on these tires?

I've about 2,800 on a basic pair of Specialized all condition tires, like $25 tires.
 
j-sworks,

Are you looking for a good tire, or a good tire according to your price/performance metric--the latter is pretty personal. I don't mind paying ¥4000 for a tire, that I use for a couple seasons. Others may have stricter standards.

Asking how many kms? Be careful, or lucky, and a good tire can go 20k km, esp. on the front.

But factor in someone like me, who is willing to replace tires after two seasons (10-12k km) just to keep things nice, vs. someone who wants to run them more, for three or maybe even four seasons and far more km than I do.

Also, what kind of roads are you on, running over what kind of flints, all wx or not, do you ever skid or lock up (rarely for me), and do you swap front/rear to even out the wear.

Lots of factors in that best-bang-for-the-buck-appraisal. (I'll still vote Conti but YMMV.)
 
Depends;

If you are riding on smooth stuff, these things do last a long time. If you are hitting rough stuff then obviously they are not going to last as long.

I have run most of them into the ground, with straight wear on the centre strip that I have had, and they have lasted a long time. I have also had ones that I have had to bin due to chunks being taken out of them by stuff on the road, and them not being safe.

I couldn't really give you a definite KM life length, but I don't think you will be disappointed. With all tyres, you are wise to keep a few spares in your cupboard in case of disaster, but these things are not (shouldn't!) destroy themselves in a week or anything like that.

Plus, they are fast and very high quality feeling. Definitely a premium product.
 
Well I want a good quality tire and I don't mind spending more to get something that I can ride for a longer time, but I'm not a racer or even really a fantastic cyclist as I'm still kind of finding my legs so I don't need the s-works turbo (or the like) unless I can ride them longer and they feel terrific.

As for the other questions, I ride on roads and try to avoid pot holes or other road furniture as long as I don't end up in the grill of the car behind me, and I don't ever lock it up unless the sh!t hits the fan. In general I'm as careful as I can be with my tires and all my gear as long as I'm not risking my life to avoid a pothole.

If I can get 4 seasons of relatively puncture free riding then I'm beyond happy, but replacing tires every season and getting a ton of punctures in between is not cool.

I realize that nothing is perfect but I'm trying to make an informed decision, and who better to ask than my fellow riders.
 
Depends;

If you are riding on smooth stuff, these things do last a long time. If you are hitting rough stuff then obviously they are not going to last as long.

I have run most of them into the ground, with straight wear on the centre strip that I have had, and they have lasted a long time. I have also had ones that I have had to bin due to chunks being taken out of them by stuff on the road, and them not being safe.

I couldn't really give you a definite KM life length, but I don't think you will be disappointed. With all tyres, you are wise to keep a few spares in your cupboard in case of disaster, but these things are not (shouldn't!) destroy themselves in a week or anything like that.

Plus, they are fast and very high quality feeling. Definitely a premium product.

Understood, and thanks for the details.

I usually keep to the nice pavement but sometimes it can't be helped, I sometimes do go off the beaten path and find myself on a paved road that is not well taken care of, but that is the exception not the rule for me.
 
Well I want a good quality tire and I don't mind spending more to get something that I can ride for a longer time, but I'm not a racer or even really a fantastic cyclist as I'm still kind of finding my legs so I don't need the s-works turbo (or the like) unless I can ride them longer and they feel terrific.

As for the other questions, I ride on roads and try to avoid pot holes or other road furniture as long as I don't end up in the grill of the car behind me, and I don't ever lock it up unless the sh!t hits the fan. In general I'm as careful as I can be with my tires and all my gear as long as I'm not risking my life to avoid a pothole.

If I can get 4 seasons of relatively puncture free riding then I'm beyond happy, but replacing tires every season and getting a ton of punctures in between is not cool.

I realize that nothing is perfect but I'm trying to make an informed decision, and who better to ask than my fellow riders.

So try some Gator-skins and see if they work for you.

(ps--what is the mileage you ride yearly, and to clarify, when you say "4 seasons" do you mean one year, or four years?)
 
One season for me is summer,spring, fall.

Well it's going up every year, but my first year I did 1000, last year I did 1900 and I'm at 600 so far this year (started riding again in The end of April)
 
If you're looking to max your wear - then you need to look at the Gatorskin or other tire that has significantly denser tread with extra layer for punc protection, etc. I've run the Gators into the ground and back - on fixed gear - skidding through to the kevlar belt. They are still servicable. The EVO's are meant for performance. That means max grip and minimum Cd. The profile, weight and composition is formulated to get you on the podium - or close as you can to it. Not 2000km down the road. Competition tires generally use higher quality and qty of natural rubber and much less UV block and other components. They don't need it. So - even if the tire itself would go 5000km, it's doubtful the tread will withstand the outdoor environment that long unless you care for them properly. And this composition is designed so that the DS can age tires to desired hardness based on specific event types. There is a window in which the tire will be the best choice for the task at hand.

Another good choice (and cheap) for daily riders are the Pana T-Servs. Named (and inspired) by our own hometown messengers. You can also get these in slightly wider profiles making them very nice for touring or just plain smoother riding.

Typically the higher threadcount tires can be made a little lighter and also hold a rounder profile. These will be more expensive than the low threadcount 'trainers' which are heavier and rely on more layers / dense rubber as a general rule.

So, if you are looking for lifespan AND ruggedness - then perhaps the Vittoria Rubino Pro is a better choice.

In my opinion, the Vittoria's roll a little more true than the Contis. especially the tubulars. But the Conti Gator has my full support as one of the best all arounder out there (clincher or tubular). Like FE, my event tire is EVO Tubular (Crono or CX) and my trainer / winter tire <different> is Gatorskin (Tubular or Clincher)
 
One season for me is summer,spring, fall.

Well it's going up every year, but my first year I did 1000, last year I did 1900 and I'm at 600 so far this year (started riding again in The end of April)

At that mileage, go gatorskins, and leave them on for 3-5 years.
 
If you're looking to max your wear - then you need to look at the Gatorskin or other tire that has significantly denser tread with extra layer for punc protection, etc. I've run the Gators into the ground and back - on fixed gear - skidding through to the kevlar belt. They are still servicable. The EVO's are meant for performance. That means max grip and minimum Cd. The profile, weight and composition is formulated to get you on the podium - or close as you can to it. Not 2000km down the road. Competition tires generally use higher quality and qty of natural rubber and much less UV block and other components. They don't need it. So - even if the tire itself would go 5000km, it's doubtful the tread will withstand the outdoor environment that long unless you care for them properly. And this composition is designed so that the DS can age tires to desired hardness based on specific event types. There is a window in which the tire will be the best choice for the task at hand.

Another good choice (and cheap) for daily riders are the Pana T-Servs. Named (and inspired) by our own hometown messengers. You can also get these in slightly wider profiles making them very nice for touring or just plain smoother riding.

Typically the higher threadcount tires can be made a little lighter and also hold a rounder profile. These will be more expensive than the low threadcount 'trainers' which are heavier and rely on more layers / dense rubber as a general rule.

So, if you are looking for lifespan AND ruggedness - then perhaps the Vittoria Rubino Pro is a better choice.

In my opinion, the Vittoria's roll a little more true than the Contis. especially the tubulars. But the Conti Gator has my full support as one of the best all arounder out there (clincher or tubular). Like FE, my event tire is EVO Tubular (Crono or CX) and my trainer / winter tire <different> is Gatorskin (Tubular or Clincher)

Thanks GS I'll look at the Rubino Pro too, have you had any issues with the side walls of the Gators?
 
I can second the Rubino Pro. Much more rugged than the Evo, and cheaper too. Still a fast tyre.
 
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