Rubino Pros - C+ review

Alibran

I ordered a pair of Vittoria Rubino Pros from Wiggle last week because I've read some good things about them here, and I wanted something with a bit of puncture protection with all the resurfacing that's going on around here. They're on back order as out of stock in 700x25 at the moment, and after the recent C+ review that says they're no good in the wet, I wonder if I should cancel the order. I commute in all weathers and need a tyre I can trust on wet roads.

I'm considering spending the extra money and getting Conti 4 seasons, or even 4000s instead, although my only doubt over the 4000s is the size availability - will 700x23 give a harsh ride on very poor quality road surfaces?

The tyres I'm replacing are Bontrager Select that came with the bike, and I gather they're pretty basic, but can't find much information on them. Does anyone know anything about them - weight, etc? I don't want to replace them with something heaver.

Simon Notley

I had some Rubino Pros and they were awful in the wet... maybe they've improved, but I would cancel and go for something else if I were you.

Simon

redddraggon

I've Rubino Pro Slicks which are apparantly far worse than normal Rubino Pros.

They don't seem any less grippy in the wet than my Michelin Pro Race 2s

DavidBelcher

Alibran wrote:

I'm considering spending the extra money and getting Conti 4 seasons, or even 4000s instead, although my only doubt over the 4000s is the size availability - will 700x23 give a harsh ride on very poor quality road surfaces?

23mm tyres should be fine as long as you don't pump them up to staggeringly high PSI. I'm none too impressed with either Vittoria or Conti tyres at the moment as neither seems much cop in the durability stakes from my experience. I'd plump for Vredestein Fortezza Tri-Comps; OK price-wise, decent ride, fine in the wet, good puncture resistance and durable - only punctures I've had with them have been "snakebites" due to potholes/raised manholes/my own incompetence (:oops:) when installing new tubes.

David

andy_wrx

Alibran wrote:

I'm considering spending the extra money and getting Conti 4 seasons, or even 4000s instead

I found Conti GP4Seasons absolutely awful in the wet, which was a bit ironic for a tyre called 4Seasons...

As well as
- being almost impossible to fit to Fulcrum or Shimano rims, dreaded the idea of having to get them off and on at the roadside
- getting lots of punctures, the tread pattern seemed to sweep-up thorns so several times I found them flat in the garage when I came to try to take the bike out - I even got a flat on the rollers as an embedded thorn worked its way into the tube !!!
- lots of sidewall damage very easily - it appeared to be cosmetic, but not filling me with confidence in riding the things

Lab reviews have also showed them to have pretty high rolling resistance too.

I took them off and replaced with...Rubino Pros !

Mettan

My Rubino Pro's have been excellent - put atleast 600 miles on them with no problems - perfectly competent in the wet, and again competent in the dry - for a mid-range price you get a mid-range tyre - that seems fair enough to me, atleast.

I've found the Pro's are considerably more resistant to cuts than the standard Rubinos (strange, I know ).

fast as fupp

conti 4 seasons are by far the worst tyres ive ever used- felt like wood and andy wrx is spot on about the thorn problem

rubino pros are as good as any in the wet but if you want a good all round tyre id go for michelin krylion carbons

redddraggon

fast as fupp wrote:

rubino pros are as good as any in the wet but if you want a good all round tyre id go for michelin krylion carbons

Wouldn't we all? It's just shame you can't get them anywhere.

italiaandyf

Hi
I use Rubino Pro Techs front and back, as they have additional puncture resistance. I find them ok in the wet, I just make sure I run them at a lower pressure. Typically I use these pressures :-
Dry - front 7 bar, rear 8 bar
Wet - front 5.5 bar, rear 6.5 bar.

Alibran

Thanks, everyone. I think I'll give the Rubino Pros a go and see how I get on with them. It sounds like more people have had good experiences than bad, so hopefully they'll be fine.

I think I do run my tyres at fairly low pressures anyway - 90psi front and back, mainly because I find it too much effort to pump them up any harder. I'm not sure how this translates into bar.

fast as fupp

redddraggon wrote:

fast as fupp wrote:

rubino pros are as good as any in the wet but if you want a good all round tyre id go for michelin krylion carbons

Wouldn't we all? It's just shame you can't get them anywhere.

can you still not get them?

good grief!!!