Winter Tyres?

tigerocket

I’m looking for some nice new winter tyres. It seems that it is pretty hard to get any really advice as to what are any good or may it is just down to taste. I am going to put them on my Wilier Mortirolo which currently has - standard Wilier Racing tyres but they are starting to split through a puncture hole.

I was thinking about some on the these but has anyone got any other suggestions?



http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=18794

andyp

Continentals are like Marmite - you either love or hate them. I'm in the latter camp as I've always found them to be suspect in the wet.

I've recently fitted a pair of Michelin Krylions to my winter bike as they were recommended on here (by Monty Dog amongst others). It's early days yet but I've been impressed with them so far.

Whichever brand you end up choosing I'd wholeheartedly recommend you go for 25c tyres to give you a bit more comfort and surface contact area through the winter.

tigerocket

http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/review/rev ... 1/v/1/p/1/

just had a quick search, look like they get good review, where did you get yours ?

andyp

I got them from Parkers I think. Jeez, my memory is shot!

Yes I did: they are selling them at £14.95 each at the moment which is 44% off.

tigerocket

http://www.parker-international.co.uk/P ... ec148a9d28


sorted, couldn't miss out on that for £15 each. dam postal service - they won't be here until monday because of the postal stike.

do you race on a dodgy one over the weekend or get one for the meantime?

think i know the answer - depends how dodgy it is.

buddha

2nd the Krylions - thanks to advice from others on here. And what andyp said about 25mm too.
Good puncture resistance and wet weather performance, as I have just discovered in today's downpour!

Do check with Parker International first as to whether they have them in stock. As most places (incl Parkers) can't seem to source them until late October. I bought mine (the last pair in stock ;-)) from wiggle. £36 for the pair, including tubes.

tigerocket

yeah parker say they can have some to me by monday so i might get one of these for this weekend,


Specialized All Condition Pro Tyre 700C 2007 - 25
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/ProductDeta ... 271a4ce599

portuguese mike

tigerocket wrote:

yeah parker say they can have some to me by monday so i might get one of these for this weekend,


Specialized All Condition Pro Tyre 700C 2007 - 25
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/ProductDeta ... 271a4ce599

Avoid like the plague i got some earlier this year and the wet weather grip is abysmal and they seem very puncture prone

tigerocket

nice one, i think then i might go for a slick tyre as this weekend in going to be dry (maybe). probably a michelin pro 2 and use the Michelin Krylions for winter riding

pb21

DO NOT get a specialized tyre.

I have used these as well as Contis, Vittorias and Bontragers in my time. the Specialized are without doubt the worst.

giant_man

I'm just echoing what other posters have said already, Michelin Krylion Carbons for wet and crappy weather and Pro Race 2s for dry, or you could try the Conti Gatorskins which are very good when new, but not so when getting worn.

celbianchi

Schwalbe Stelvio get good reports as pretty puncture resistant tyre for the winter. I personally have not tried them.

maddog 2

what about 28mm tyres?

I'm currently running gatorskins and they're okay, but limited in grip.

Any ideas when it comes to replacing them?
The Mich carbons only go up to 25mm in the link above.

Kléber

25mm Krylions have a soft compound, so they feel grippier than the Gatorskins, I find them very slippery, especially in the wet, because the casing is very rigid and so you need to lower the pressure for grip.

alfablue

portuguese mike wrote:

tigerocket wrote:

yeah parker say they can have some to me by monday so i might get one of these for this weekend,


Specialized All Condition Pro Tyre 700C 2007 - 25
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/ProductDeta ... 271a4ce599

Avoid like the plague i got some earlier this year and the wet weather grip is abysmal and they seem very puncture prone

I have used my current set for an entire year (20 mile commute), not one single puncture, great handling and grip - so another "Marmite" situation! I gave up on Cont's, low grip, high wear, and frequent punctures, despite the "guarantee".

Lagavulin

I used Spesh Mondo Pros (with their armadillo protection thingy) for about 9 months and they were ok.
Probably the heaviest tyre I've used (didn't do well in C+ rolling resistance test either) but they felt good in the wet and I only had 1 rimside puncture with those so not the tyres fault.
Plenty of cuts on the tread but nothing made it through the carcass.

I like to try different tyres though. I've got GP4000s, GP4000S' on my best wheels and have just bought a set of Krylion Carbons for my winter wheels.

Only put about 150m on the Carbons and but for nearly shatting my bibs on Sunday with a massive slide (how I didn't go down...) they seem good too.

tigerocket

well i think we are finding the answer, there isn't one really.

i was chatting to a Guy at Cycle surgery and he says conti's are a marmite thing due do ride weight, chunkier fellers don't like em

campagsarge

I have Conti Gatorskins and find them a bit like Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet. Although this could be because I put too much air into them.

They are s*ds to put on as well - I have the wired versions but I think the rims on my Campy Vento's are tough to put tyres on anyway.

If I was buying some new winter tyres I think I would go for the Mich Krylion Carbon's as advocated by others.

tigerocket

i have heard campag rims are hard to get yres onto so that might be part of the problem

bigdawg

gatorskins avoid like the plague - they revised them last year and they got rid of all the good things about them, very slippery and puncture prone now.

Michelins I like but they do seem to wear out very quickly (esp pro race 2's), and somehow always seem to get sidewall holes in them. Good grip though.

Currently been riding Conti 4 Seasons on my commuter. A year of 5 day a week commuting, a handfull of punctures (usually due to glass) but the grip is the best Ive found so far, and theyve still got plenty of life left in them.

celbianchi

tigerocket wrote:

i have heard campag rims are hard to get yres onto so that might be part of the problem

Goes for Fulcum as well, imo (owned by campag i think so no surprises). I wrestled with a pair of training fulcrum 5's for 45 minutes last night to put new tyres on them. Unbelievably tight.

The Mechanic

I have a pair of Krylions from Parkers lost in the post somewhere. Hopefully they will get delivered now that the posties are back to work. (for now anyway).

edeverett

Anyone else use Pro2 Grips? They don't seem to get much attention, but I feel a lot more confident in the wet when I've got one on the front.

(I've got a gatorskin on the back which is reliable, but I wouldn't trust it too much on wet roads)

Smokin Joe

Whatever you get, go for grip as the main priority. I'd rather mend a puncture than fall off.