Which Continental Tyres?

buddha

Apologies if this has been asked before. But sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing.

I've been considering between the GP4000, GP 4 Season and Ultra Gatorskin. But can't seem to decide which offers the best puncture protection and durability.

Not too bothered about rolling resistance or weight. Anything will be better than my current setup of Continental Twisters and tyre liners !

ut_och_cykla

I bought Conti 4 season this spring. (25mm) Seem fine.

Don't race but do a funny mix of road surfaces from hardpack gravel roads (short stretches) to glass strewn cycle paths and potholed local 'roads' (yes surfaces are bad here in Sweden - politics not weather!).

Did some long fast descents in the Alps during the summer - no probs.

Do what they say on the label. Just 'run' them in carefully they seemed very 'waxed' when I first fitted them!

Don't have much expereience of other types/brands tho' my hubby's Michelin Pro 2 have also been good for him.

Monty Dog

None of them - IME Michelin Krylions offer far more durability, puncture resistance and grip

wildmoustache

Conti's only decent clunchers are the GP4000S's. Ok, if you want a TT tyre then the supersonics are ok, but i'd personally go with GP4000S or better still Michelin PR2s with any clincher wheel.

I have their Comptition 22 tubulars on my deep section wheels and they are quite good. Lots of grip, comfortable, corner well, loads of puncture resistance etc. Not the lowest rolling resistence I don't think which is their weakspot. problem with tubs is always trading everything against the hope against hope that you don't get a puncture as it is £££

campagsarge

I have Gatorskins on my winter bike. Had two punctures on them last winter which is probably acceptable. They are an absolute b***ER to put on though.

I would go with what Monty Dog says as he seems to put the miles in and knows exactly what he is on about. I might have a punt on the Krylions myself. I use Pro Race 2 during the summer and I love them. I think Cycling+ found them to being the second fastest trye on the market, although I don't know how scientific the testing was.

alfablue

None of them - Gatorskins (judging by posts on this forum) have very poor puncture resistence.

wildmoustache

campagsarge wrote:

I have Gatorskins on my winter bike. Had two punctures on them last winter which is probably acceptable. They are an absolute b***ER to put on though.

I would go with what Monty Dog says as he seems to put the miles in and knows exactly what he is on about. I might have a punt on the Krylions myself. I use Pro Race 2 during the summer and I love them. I think Cycling+ found them to being the second fastest trye on the market, although I don't know how scientific the testing was.

I have krylions as well ... and they are good. The seem VERY puncture resistant for the weight. Well, i've never punctured on the set I have after maybe 2,500 miles. they are slower than the PR2s and a bit less comfortable and supple. They feel more sluggish. But they are a brilliant training tyre for road use. I also sometimes use them in sportifs if I really don't want to puncture.

edsned

steer clear of Gatorskins - terrifying in the wet. no grip at all.

GP4 seasons are the business for winter riding I reckon - I've got 5,000+kms on mine in all weathers with not a single puncture. very little obvious wear/squaring off either. I've even raced a few times on them when I've been too lazy to switch wheels - grip's probably not up to pro race 2, but it's still pretty good.

GP4000 & Mich Pro Race are both great race day tyres, but they wear a lot quicker than GP 4 Seasons (I race on GP3000/4000). I struggle to get more than 1,000kms from PR2 before the puncture count rises.

With all tyres, I find I get more punctures when they're worn & thinner - not rocket science I guess. Hence if you want to avoid punctures, keep your tyres fresh.

buddha

I should have done a poll ;-)
Though it looks like it'll be Krylions, going by what's been said here.
Just have to wait a week until Ribble Cycles have them back in stock, as they're only £15 each (cheapskate eh!).
Now I just have to decide on the colour :roll:

Thanks all for your help.

Niland

Well the ultra gatorskins seem quite durable for me, no punctures this year commuting on a set, but they are pretty useless in the wet (most 23s seem to be anyway..) and I did find a micro-cut on the surface of one. Can't really complain at £15 after a few thousand miles though.

The GP4000 I have are really nice, they do seem to be wearing quite fast but no other complaints.

/edit the GP4000 seem to come in several varieties - important to make sure you get the black chilli ones I think? Not sure on that.

Uranus

wildmoustache wrote:

Conti's only decent clunchers are the GP4000S's. Ok, if you want a TT tyre then the supersonics are ok, but i'd personally go with GP4000S or better still Michelin PR2s with any clincher wheel.

I'm just starting with GP4000 (not GP4000S), bought them because I couldn't get myProRaces on a particular rim. The original GatorSkin was really over-rated, the new version might be better but it was a great name in search of a tyre. GP4000 seems really good so far . . fingers crossed.

Anyway I've had it with ProRace2s. Lovely while they remain intact, but I've burst three on flints and in potholes, they're just not tough enough for British rural b-roads. Okay maybe I should steer more carefully :?

The Krylion Carbon weren't in stock when I needed them. I hope they're an update of the Megamium which I really liked, it was a tough training tyre that was almost good enough to race. I had a look at the Lithion but they looked right cheap and thin.

dennisn

I have always felt tires needed to be evaluated more for their directional stabilty
in relationship to their load paths than on something as mundane as puncture
resistance. The crossline vector forces on all three of these tires has been
measured and all were found to be very close to each other on the force deflection
meter. However, that being said, it doesn't mean that their intrinsic value would have any
relationship to to the above mentioned force vectoring measurements, nor would it be
appropiate to assume that an any analogy formed by these conparisons would lead
to a solution in a real time arena.

Dennis Noward

Toledo, Ohio

alfablue

dennisn wrote:

I have always felt tires needed to be evaluated more for their directional stabilty
in relationship to their load paths than on something as mundane as puncture
resistance. The crossline vector forces on all three of these tires has been
measured and all were found to be very close to each other on the force deflection
meter. However, that being said, it doesn't mean that their intrinsic value would have any
relationship to to the above mentioned force vectoring measurements, nor would it be
appropiate to assume that an any analogy formed by these conparisons would lead
to a solution in a real time arena.

Dennis Noward

Toledo, Ohio

cripes!!! :P

rustychisel

"any analogy formed by these conparisons would lead
to a solution in a real time arena"

Dennis, old chap, is that a longer way of saying 'road tested'? Enquiring minds want to know.

Steven Martin

I've had gatorskins on for 2 Winters, c.2,000 miles, never had a puncture and I think they grip okay.
Almost everyone in my club rides gatorskins in the harsh Scottish Winter and I have not heard of anyone with any gripes.

larmurf

buddha wrote:

I should have done a poll ;-)
Though it looks like it'll be Krylions, going by what's been said here.
Just have to wait a week until Ribble Cycles have them back in stock, as they're only £15 each (cheapskate eh!).
Now I just have to decide on the colour :roll:

Thanks all for your help.

ProBikeKit who are one of my favourite companies have them for £16.20
and are not charging any postage so your might work out cheaper as
well as quicker

buddha

Thanks larmurf. Though, like most places, they're out of stock too.
Anyway I've ordered a pair from Parker International - £14.95 each!

PaulJHart

In a similar vein I've just switch my commuting bike from an old 27" fitted with gatorskins which I found pretty good at preventing punctures (and u dont get that much choice for that size) to a 26" hybrid.

The tyres that were fitted were'nt much kop so i switched to Conti Travel Contacts - they come with a guarantee against puncture but after 3 months and probably 1000 miles the sidewall has split and they puntured (though that could have been the other way round).

Will try out the guarantee but while I'm waiting which are the best 26" slick tyres to prevent punctures in your opinions?

alfablue

I use Specialized All Conditions Pro folding 26x1.0 tyres, never punctured in 4000 miles. Fast and grippy.