Tyre advice

gunny_bedford

Hi, I have just completed my first club ride around the country lanes of Kent, 30 miles and got 2 punctures!!! Which is the first time I have got any with this bike. Doing my normal route during the week I have not picked up any, but this is on A roads, some of the route today was on pretty bumpy country lanes.

So I can only conclude the tyres I have on it at the minute are perhaps not up to the job of minor backcountry roads. My bike is a Carrera Vanquish, so I guess the tyres are not anything special, cant recall of the top of my head what they are.

So what do people suggest are a good replacement tyre, that can offer some protection but not too heavy/bulky??

Thanks

Neil

Steve I

You'll get lots of answers here, but Vittoria Rubino Pro and Continental Gatorskins both work for me. Neither are too expensive. Use a track pump and make sure you've got enough pressure in the tyres to minimise pinch punctures. 90 psi works for me as I'm only 65kg, but if you're heavier you might need 100 or 100+ psi.

acorn_user

Had they just cut the hedges? That causes punctures out the wazoo and happens around now in some places. Also, maybe your tyres were not up to pressure?

martinwitnam

I have Vredestein Fortezza Quattro's on and haven't had a p*ncture now in over two years while riding the country lanes of Kent.
Out of interest Gunny which club did you do your run with? Or what general area?

gunny_bedford

Hi, it was San Fairy Ann, they start and finish the Runs from Marden. My normal week route is the A28 out of Ashford towards Canterbury then onto the A252 and then A20 to get back home. All fairly good A roads, where as the route around the Marden area involved much smaller pot holed back lanes, which i guess the tyres on my Vanquish could not take too well, should have done it on my MTB !!

Neil

jd72kingmerckx

I also have a vanquish which came with conti ultra sport tyres.I have covered 2000 miles since getting the bike in January this year and I have had 4 punctures so far riding on all different road surfaces but all punctures have been pinch punctures, so now never leave the house without tyres pumped to 120psi. I must say these tyres offer excellent grip in the wet (imo),so I wouldn't blame the tyres check your pressure

gunny_bedford

Not pressure i pumped them up that morning before the ride 120 psi in them !! i purchased a pair of conti gator skins today and put them on, on handling both types of tyre the gator skins feel that better protected, i also dug a small piece of stone/flint that had cut right through the tread of the sports, giving me the second puncture !! i would hope the gatorskins stop that !!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

martinwitnam wrote:

I have Vredestein Fortezza Quattro's on and haven't had a p*ncture now in over two years while riding the country lanes of Kent.
Out of interest Gunny which club did you do your run with? Or what general area?

Bought some Quattros last autumn, but they p*ed just like Schwalbe Blizzards, Blizzard sports and the original tyres (Vittoria Rubino Pros?) over the last 18 months of my commute, which in fairness does involve two industrial estates (increasing the odds of glass shards).

Until recently, I was all set to try a set of 25mm Schwalbe Marathons, until I discovered they did a racing bike equivalent model... the Stelvio Plus. These two models have a layer of rubbery compound between the innertube and the outer section of the tyre, which repels most evil things and apparently cushion the ride aswell.

fizz

If you do enough miles you'll eventually get on puncture, its just one of those things. I've had two punctures in the space of as many days. Sh*tty weather has washed all the flint and grit out into the roads...

I've tried various types of tyre and all have punctured. I'm also of the opinion that once the tread starts to get low towards the end of the tyres life, it becomes more suspectable to puncturing..

ruswilks

Not wanting to hijack the thread but 2 of you have Carrera Vanquishes, what do you think of them? Thinking of picking up either a 2007(http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_240383_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_33957)
or
2008 (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_272647_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_47151)
model in the next couple of weeks whilst the 15% off voucher I have is valid.

Mettan

Vittoria Rubino Pro 's - amongst other things, did the Manchester 100 miler on them yesterday - handled everything that was thrown at them with ease - they make an excellent training tyre, if nothing else.

SBothwell

I have an 06 Vanquish and it's fine (better after upgrading bits that I wore out). The wheels (which are the same as on the 07 version) weren't great, but I still got about 3000 miles out of them before I upgraded. To be honest I'd have got longer if I'd looked after the hubs a bit better in the winter but then I wouldn't have had an excuse to get new wheels...

It looks like they are building down to a price - the 08 looks to have better wheels, but iirc from seeing one in the shop the rear mech is sora not tiagra as on the 07, and both have tiagra shifters. Theres probably not much in it between the two - you should be able to negotiate a better price for the 07 model though, to get it out of their store (I got 30% off my 06 by buying it in May 07).

For tyres I like Michelin Krylions, but they are like rocking horse poo atm. The Michelin Pro Race 3's have a good feel and I find them sure-footed in the wet. I think tyres are a very personal thing though and there's probably a lot of superstition about them as well tbh.

gunny_bedford

Well to be honest its a bit difficult to comment, My Vanquish is my first road bike i have had, so cant really compare it to anything else (mainly a MTB'er).

I still feel uncomfortable on longer runs 20+ mainly pain in my neck and bang in the middle of my back where the neck joins. SO dont know if that is just my knackered body, a badly fitting bike ( i have the medium size am 5"10' tall and have purchased a shorter stem to prevent me leaning forward more) or if it is because the vanquish has not got very good frame geometry/comfort.

Also at present i am not riding to a very high/fast level on the road, so not exactly pushing the bike or its component very hard.

I guess its fair to say that as a starting bike for somebody just getting into road riding, who is not looking to compete in the tour de france in a few months, its a fairly good bike especially for the price, as similar spec models from Trek, Giant etc, seem to be that bit more expensive. I have upgraded bits due to a. trying to get a bit more comfort and b. cos i like shiny things. I changed the handlebars and stem, to try and prevent the neck ache and the seat and seat post as i found the one supplied too wide and squidgy. I have also put on a pair of clipless pedals and changed the tyres to conti gator skins to try and help prevent punctures. As i like shiny things i have purchased on e bay a hardly used 105 rear mech, and am contemplating ugrading the whole gear train to that, or thinking just to wait and maybe buy a frame only in a year or so and start putting on bits to that.

So i guess all in all its a good starting bike, but if you get into it you may find yourself upgrading bits or thinking you should have purchased a slightly more expensive/better equipped bike in the first place.

Neil

giant_man

SBothwell wrote:

I have an 06 Vanquish and it's fine (better after upgrading bits that I wore out). The wheels (which are the same as on the 07 version) weren't great, but I still got about 3000 miles out of them before I upgraded. To be honest I'd have got longer if I'd looked after the hubs a bit better in the winter but then I wouldn't have had an excuse to get new wheels...

It looks like they are building down to a price - the 08 looks to have better wheels, but iirc from seeing one in the shop the rear mech is sora not tiagra as on the 07, and both have tiagra shifters. Theres probably not much in it between the two - you should be able to negotiate a better price for the 07 model though, to get it out of their store (I got 30% off my 06 by buying it in May 07).

For tyres I like Michelin Krylions, but they are like rocking horse poo atm. The Michelin Pro Race 3's have a good feel and I find them sure-footed in the wet. I think tyres are a very personal thing though and there's probably a lot of superstition about them as well tbh.

You can get the 23s but not the 25s, oooh no, not the 25s .....

simon_e

There are no Krylions available until later this year. Everything I've read indicates they are very good tyres.

In the meantime you might try Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase. Mine have been very puncture-resistant so far, a bit heavy compared to some but inexpensive and tough (you can't have it all ways). I've not had a problem with pinch punctures on or offroad, despite running low pressures quite often. Perhaps I don't eat enough pies or the p-fairy smiles kindly on me. Nah, must be the pies Go for 25 or 28mm, they'll offer a little more cushion than the popular 23mm size.

Lots of threads on this subject with a variety of (often contradictory) opinions, including this recent one.

The Bontys are available in a range of sizes for a tenner here.

jd72kingmerckx

ruswilks wrote:

Not wanting to hijack the thread but 2 of you have Carrera Vanquishes, what do you think of them? Thinking of picking up either a 2007(http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_240383_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_33957)
or
2008 (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_272647_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_47151)
model in the next couple of weeks whilst the 15% off voucher I have is valid.

My vanquish is also my first road bike so I can only compare it to previous mtbs. Most weekends I cover 80 miles over hilly roads and average 17 mph (average will go up next year after more miles) :oops: I also use it for 6 mile daily commute and have had no problem with the bike,it feels comfortable and handles well but then again sometimes run out of gears even on the compact. Will be looking to upgrade the wheels next year but would recommend it as a first foray into road riding



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