tyre advice

TheGreatGatsby

right I need some new tyres for my summer steed and was hoping for some advice. I'm looking for light tyre with good puncture resistance, good grip and low rolling resistance as I am doing quite few long rides and don't want to be worried about punctures.

I was thinking either Tufo, Vittoria or Schwalbe but not sure which would be the best to go for? Any body got any recomendations on the various ranges?

cheers

GAts

andrewgturnbull

TheGreatGatsby wrote:

right I need some new tyres for my summer steed and was hoping for some advice. I'm looking for light tyre with good puncture resistance, good grip and low rolling resistance as I am doing quite few long rides and don't want to be worried about punctures.

I was thinking either Tufo, Vittoria or Schwalbe but not sure which would be the best to go for? Any body got any recomendations on the various ranges?

cheers

GAts

Hi gats.

I've always been a Michelin man myself [insert obvious joke here]. For out and out speed I always use something from the pro-race range, but if you want to factor in a bit of puncture resistance, then the ironman is an excellent tyre. As sold by an irish bloke called peter here:

http://www.totalcycling.com/index.php/p ... ncy&id=GBP

Cheers, Andy

pdrolo

I always like fortezza tricomps - but for £6 a throw - you can't beat rubino's !

TheGreatGatsby

yeah currently I'm rolling on Michelin Krilion Carbons and reckon they're a pretty good all round tyre and not that heavy at 235g each.

I was considering Vittoria Corsa's but got so confised with the ranges I decided not to bother! Plus they're pretty expensive.

Gats

Steve I

For value it's hard to beat the Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick. A quality folding tyre with a high thread count. It's very puncture resistant and quite light (220g), all for £13 from Ribble Cycles.

SteveR_100Milers

You can buy tricomps for £14 online if you look hard enough, which makes them fantastic value.

Lagavulin

Thought the Krylion Carbons were wonderful from October thru January.
Hard as nails and decent grip (the roads were invariably in a pretty shocking state).

Needless to say, first ride out, having re-mounted a set of Fortezza Tricomps, I got a puncture. Revenge for me removing the Krylions despite giving flawless service. :evil:

Currently have Vredestein Fortezza Tricomps on two sets of wheels though and think I'll be specifying or mounting a set for the new bike too. Yield good grip in a multitude of conditions and just the one puncture (from an evil looking chunk of glass). They look pretty cool too. 8)

il_principe

ContiGP4000S (Black Chili) Fantastic tyres. I regularly ride 100k on mine and have had no problems at all. Plus they are a joy to fit to my Fulcrum wheels, whereas the GP4000s tyres are a total nightmare.

Lagavulin

[Hijack on]

Anyone have fond memories of Conti GP3000? I've never used them but have the chance to pick an unused set in 25C for a few quid. Good or old hat now?

[HIjack off]

scherrit

I loved the 3000's had good service from a set...
S.

APIII

Just ordered myself a pair of the black chillis. The GP4000s gave sterling performance, bags of grip and no p*nctures, so I'm looking forward to trying them out.

wildmoustache

Lagavulin wrote:

[Hijack on]

Anyone have fond memories of Conti GP3000? I've never used them but have the chance to pick an unused set in 25C for a few quid. Good or old hat now?

[HIjack off]

not a great tyre. ok, but there are much better. they cut pretty easily. some people are happy riding with cuts and picking flint out of them before each ride but i'm not. GP4000s also cut easily IME and are never as light as claimed.

spend a few more £ and go for PR2s which are available in 25mm if that is what you're after.

aracer

Michelin Pro Race 3 8)

wildmoustache

aracer wrote:

Michelin Pro Race 3 8)

yeah, yeah ... i've pre-ordered too, but this man wants the tyres now!

to be honest I'll wager that PR3s will relieve us of £10 more than PR2s with 0.00001% performance improvement and a few more punctures!

i can't wait!

APIII

wildmoustache wrote:

not a great tyre. ok, but there are much better. they cut pretty easily. some people are happy riding with cuts and picking flint out of them before each ride but i'm not. GP4000s also cut easily IME and are never as light as claimed.

spend a few more £ and go for PR2s which are available in 25mm if that is what you're after.

I've heard a few people complain about Conti's cutting up. I'm slightly puzzled by this as I've had the 3000s and 4000s for years which no such problems. The only explanation I can think of is quality control, or lack of, or the state of your local roads...

aracer

wildmoustache wrote:

aracer wrote:

Michelin Pro Race 3 8)

yeah, yeah ... i've pre-ordered too, but this man wants the tyres now!

to be honest I'll wager that PR3s will relieve us of £10 more than PR2s with 0.00001% performance improvement and a few more punctures!

i can't wait!

He might want them now, but he doesn't need them now! Your other points are valid, though they do definitely weigh slightly less...

kenbaxter

I went over to Vredestien Foretezza tricomps after one too many Michelin Pro races ended up in the bin with cuts in them after very little wear. Fine for your race wheels but not if you want some normal wear on them as well.

The tricomps are awesome. Incredibly puncture resistant - in fact I can't remember the last time I had one (doh, shouldn't have written that) and they are one of the only tyres which I replace because they are genuinely worn out. In fact I use them for summer racing and winter training for that very reason. If you like high pressure tyres then these take a very high pressure. And they come in nice colours!

Ribble do them at great prices.

wildmoustache

kenbaxter wrote:

I went over to Vredestien Foretezza tricomps after one too many Michelin Pro races ended up in the bin with cuts in them after very little wear. Fine for your race wheels but not if you want some normal wear on them as well.

The tricomps are awesome. Incredibly puncture resistant - in fact I can't remember the last time I had one (doh, shouldn't have written that) and they are one of the only tyres which I replace because they are genuinely worn out. In fact I use them for summer racing and winter training for that very reason. If you like high pressure tyres then these take a very high pressure. And they come in nice colours!

Ribble do them at great prices.

I like vreds as well, but don't last long IME. while they do last, they are superbly puncture resistant as you say and cut less than Conti or Michelin I would agree. What puts me off them is the additional weight and the concern about whether they roll as well at my preferred level of press at around 105psi.

i also once punctured on the etape with them ... not a good day to get let down by a tyre!

mike ives

Another vote for the Tricomps. Just changed from Schwalbe and I think my new tyres are great. They roll really well. I will definitely be getting more of them eventually. Got the information on the Tricomps from the Forum. Thanks guys.

northpole

Has anyone tried the specialized roubaix armadillos?

Lifted this off Evans web site:

* New for 2007 the Roubaix Armadillo Elite is one of the perfect tyre for those long fast rides where comfort and reliability cannot be sacrificed.
* The newest and lightest addition to the Armadillo Elite series of tyres is joined by the unique 23/25 Roubaix casing design to provide the rider with a tyre that is fast compliant and virtually flat proof.
* The best part of this is that you get all of this without compromising ride quality and adding just 35grams to a lightweight and race ready dual compound tyre.
* 120 TPI casing with 60/70 dual compound Dual Radius tread design.
* DRT design for low rolling resistance and great cornering
* Aramid bead

Peter

SteveR_100Milers

I just put a brand new pair of Tricomps on a pair of F racing 3's....boy were they hard to fit! I had to fit the tyre without the tubes first to see if they would actually get on the rims, eventually made them up, and snapped a tyre lever in the process! Never had that problem with them before, so assume the racing 3's are on the large side.....

Eat My Dust

APIII wrote:

wildmoustache wrote:

not a great tyre. ok, but there are much better. they cut pretty easily. some people are happy riding with cuts and picking flint out of them before each ride but i'm not. GP4000s also cut easily IME and are never as light as claimed.

spend a few more £ and go for PR2s which are available in 25mm if that is what you're after.

I've heard a few people complain about Conti's cutting up. I'm slightly puzzled by this as I've had the 3000s and 4000s for years which no such problems. The only explanation I can think of is quality control, or lack of, or the state of your local roads...

I've been using 4000s since they came out and wouldn't consider anything else. My current set have done almost 2000 miles with one puncture which was a chunk of glass, so probably would have gone through anything. I think people get concerned with them "cutting up" easily, which they do, but this is the soft outer rubber grippy bit, not the actual main section of the tyre.