tyres - differences

trickydisco

I've recently got a road bike (2nd hand) and noticed it's fitted with schwalbe blizzard sport tyres (700 x 23c) The back one is getting very worn

Now i'm a complete numpty when it comes to road gear (i've been into mountain biking for 5 years and tried out many tyres) I don't get what a training tyre is?

Is this purely for going out on short training rides? is it grippier than normal tyres hence wearing more?

I thought mountain bike tyre choices were all over the place which i can understand with different tread patterns for different conditions, different sizes/widths and tread compounds but why so much choice with road tyres and what's the different when tread patterns surely aren't going to make as much difference (or have i opened a can of worms here)

and with that.. can anyone recommend a tyre which will be used for commuting and the odd weekend ride

N0bodyOfTheGoat

If puncture resistance and comfort is more important to you than tyre weight and speed, I recommend the Schwalbe Marathon Plus or Stelvo Plus, very happy with the pair of the formaer that went on my Felt a few weeks back (latter going on sometime next year).

Mister W

A tread pattern on a road tyre is like nipples on a man...... completely useless.

Road tyres go from very light racing tyres with low rolling resistance to heavy and robust winter tyres with puncture resistant features. For commuting you should be looking at the puncture resistant end of the market. Lots of my friends rate the Specialized Armadillo or Continental Ultra Gatorskins.

trickydisco

Cheers

So what's the purpose of a training tyre?

passout

Training? I mean, speed/weight isn't the priority. Durability, value & grip are more important.

You can get turo training specific tyres too - they tend to be orange.

Then again I'm a MTBer too really, so what do I know......?

John.T

A training tyre is usually a 23mm tyre that is slightly heavier than an out and out race tyre. It will (or should) be longer lasting and more puncture resistant. It will not roll quite as fast due to the heavier construction.

BUICK

Does tread come into it's own in winter though, when there are piles of leaves, ice and snow on the road? I've wondered if a 'slick' cycle tire is more likely to slip on grit as well - isn't it effectively fine 'gravel'?

Al_38

I wouldn't have thought it makes much of a difference to be honest. Given that your tyre pressure will be 80-120 psi, they don't really deform much when they touch the ground. So any tread pattern is pretty much useless. Wet leaves / ice / snow are all very sketchy on road bikes or mountain bikes for that matter. It is more a case of adjusting your riding style to suit the conditions rather than chianging tyres - being as smooth as possible, not leaning hard into corners and generally taking it easy. If it was icy out I would use a turbo rather than take the increased risks of a big spill.

Al

wildmoustache

people still parrot the "robust/heavy tyre for training" "light/fast tyre for racing" nonsense!

I say nonsense as the truth is that most of us around here want to be fast and beat our mates while training and want to feel the bike at max speed. not ride through treacle.

on clinchers I train and race on PR3s. Modern race clinchers such as these are actually pretty puncture resistant. I've had 1 puncture in about 6000km of riding on them this year.

Ok, for commuting I use a bike with slightly tougher tyres (Michelin Krylion Carbon) ... but that's more an accident of my cycling wardrobe ... they're still sub 250g and still 23mm and still pretty fast.

Find a fast tyre with good grip and puncture resistance and you can race, train and commute on it ... whatever the wannabe traditionalists say!

John.T

I race on Conti Supersonic which are too light for general riding. Training (what little I do) and general riding, sportives etc on Conti Attack and Force or GP4000. Winter riding is on Conti 4 Seasons or what ever is spare at the time. Some would say that any clincher tyre is a 'training' tyre as they would only use tubulars for racing. A commuter using 28mm Swalbes would probably consider all my tyres as racing ones. It just depends on your point of view.
As regards tread patterns, I have never noticed any real difference in performance. Compound makes far more especially in the wet.

alfablue

BUICK wrote:

Does tread come into it's own in winter though, when there are piles of leaves, ice and snow on the road? I've wondered if a 'slick' cycle tire is more likely to slip on grit as well - isn't it effectively fine 'gravel'?

A tread pattern will make no difference on leaves, any tire just grips the leaves, the leaves then slip on the road, that is the problem. I ride with slick Specialized All Conditions Pro's (I got some Quickstep team ones for my best bike). They are light, supple and seem fast, but are puncture proof. I got a pair for £35 here.