Tyres and wheels - Specailized Allez

nicholasj

Hi all,

i recently took the plunge and got off the MTB and now own a new Spesh Allez Double - am loving the road and commute to work (Central London) as well as riding after dinner/weekend etc and do around 100 miles a week.

It currenty has the stock wheels and tyres on it (Alex and Spesh Mondo's) but i want to know if a better quality tyre will make much difference?

i.e would a set of Michelin Pro Race 3's make a noticable difference?

Also how much difference would a set of new wheels make?

Any suggestions as to what is best to look at? (on a limited budget at this stage - Fulcrum 5's etc????)

i'm not looking to race (yet! haha) however will look to some rides over summer and London-Paris next year.


Thoughts and suggestions welcome to help out a newbie..

N

sicrow

i.e would a set of Michelin Pro Race 3's make a noticable difference?

yes definately it will be the cheapest and most noticeable upgrade

Any suggestions as to what is best to look at? (on a limited budget at this stage - Fulcrum 5's etc????)

for £130 you can get a set of Mavic Aksiums again a relatively cheap upgrade which have had many good reviews of this forum

re London/Paris i'll let you know, I go in 29 days !!! and I can't wait

Takis61

Ditto the above, had a Spesh Allez 2003 model, rode the stock tyres until I wore them out, then could not believe the difference when I put on some Vittoria Rubinos.
I also changed the rear wheel after a crash, and wish I had changed the front as well.
If you have a Decathlon near commuting distance they do the Aksiums at a good price, you can check online but you can only buy in a store.
Definitely worth upgrading both at some point.

bobpzero

i have last years specialized allez sport, changed the wheels to (silver) mavic ksyrium ssc sl

i would recommend michelin krylion carbon tyres - insanely hard to put on but worth it for all the benefit of actual puncture protection and high mileage.

FatLarry

Definitely worth upgrading the tyres. A very harsh ride on the originals and you'll see far less of the puncture fairy.

I'd also recommend some new brake pads too. The stock ones are terrible...

.. I only realised how terrible when I bought another bike.

nicholasj

Thanks for the words of wisdom guys, as i said i've no other experience so the stock rims and tyres are my only benchmark right now.

i'll have to have a shop around and see what i can find - just off to google decathlon now..

ditto on the brakes - i did think they were a bit weak however i have found they do get better with a bit of rubber on the rim.

i heard the kyrlions are very good, however seems the pro race 3's are about for near the same price.

FSR_XC

I bought Mich Pro 3's when the Mondo Pro rear wore down on my Allez.

Yep, they grip well and are a very good tyre.

However I won't be buying any more Pro 3's.

At £30+ per tyre (I managed to get a set for £53) I do not consider them good value for money. Today a swopped the rear with the part worn Mondo Pro I had left over, as after 3 months I am showing carcass. :shock:

I reckon it had done around 1500 miles - Can anyone tell me that is good value????????

In comparison the Mondo Pro's lasted a year and around 3k miles. I never had a P* and they were grippy enough with little difference in rolling resistance (compared to the Pro 3's)

I am now considering Continental Ultra Sport or Vittoria Rubino Pro.

Infamous

What do you expect from a race tyre? get krylion carbons if you want them to last.

Rich Hcp

I have Vittria Rubino Pros on my Allez Sport, much better than the stock tyre.

I'll only upgrade the wheels if they break

zoglug

I was contemplating putting some new wheels on my Allez, but have decided against it. I am however going to get some new tyres (once i sell my Nintendo Wii!) as i really dont feel confident on the stock tyres, especially in then wet. I think im going to go for Conti 4000s. £33 a tyre from evans, im hoping i can get a deal on them and get them to fit it when my bike goes in next week for its 6 week check up.

on-yer-bike

FSR_XC wrote:

I bought Mich Pro 3's when the Mondo Pro rear wore down on my Allez.

Yep, they grip well and are a very good tyre.

However I won't be buying any more Pro 3's.

At £30+ per tyre (I managed to get a set for £53) I do not consider them good value for money. Today a swopped the rear with the part worn Mondo Pro I had left over, as after 3 months I am showing carcass. :shock:

I reckon it had done around 1500 miles - Can anyone tell me that is good value????????

In comparison the Mondo Pro's lasted a year and around 3k miles. I never had a P* and they were grippy enough with little difference in rolling resistance (compared to the Pro 3's)

I am now considering Continental Ultra Sport or Vittoria Rubino Pro.

I've had PRO-3s on since December when I swopped them for the Rubino pros on my best bike and put the Rubinos on my Allez. No sign of excessive wear with the PRO-3s at about 100 miles a week. The Rubinos are 13 months old and still going strong and have been used on a Turbo.

topdude

I think im going to go for Conti 4000s. £33 a tyre from evans,

You had better have a look at "Merlin Cycles" Conti 4000s are only £23.95

jordan_217

topdude wrote:

I think im going to go for Conti 4000s. £33 a tyre from evans,

You had better have a look at "Merlin Cycles" Conti 4000s are only £23.95

+1 Conti 4000S - £21.78 from J E James:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/continen ... 38766.html

topdude

topdude wrote:
Quote:
I think im going to go for Conti 4000s. £33 a tyre from evans,


You had better have a look at "Merlin Cycles" Conti 4000s are only £23.95 Very Happy


+1 Conti 4000S - £21.78 from J E James:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/continen ... 38766.html

£21.77 or less ? Anyone

Hornetto

Hi, just tagging on to the back of this thread as I didn't want to start a completely new thread when my question is very similar to the OP. Hope that's OK.

I've got a Spesh Allez Sport (just like bobpzero's in one of the posts above) and I'm wondering if changing the tyres will make a significant difference. I've been p******* free on the stock Mondo Pro 23mm tyres, but have a few cuts and small bits of stone/glass embedded in the tyre so am thinking about upgrading. However, will I actually notice a difference in average speed? I was looking at changing to Vittoria Rubinos (about £17 a pair) or Rubino Pros (about £35 a pair) if I do change.

I've started commuting once a week (50 mile round trip) and I average about 15mph on the stock wheels and tyres - do you think this will improve much with new tyres alone?

Cheers
H

nicholasj

i ended up buying some Michelin Krylions - good compromise between performance and puncture protection and so far i am very happy i made the swap from the stock Mondo's.

Definately more grip and less resistance - i would recommend these for the commuter and weekend warrior who wants good performance and good p******* protection.

I have increased my speed a little and my bike is more comfortable.

well worth the £40.00 i paid.

as for the wheels themselves, still waiting for a good deal but leaning towards the Fulcrum 5's or Aksiums..

Surf-Matt

Only just got our 2010 Allez Elite - went for it over the base model mainly because the wheels are a fair bit better. Tyres seem fine so far - but the bike has racked up less than 100 miles so far :oops:

ride_whenever

On the wheel front, i built up some handbuilts for my mate's allez, cpx22 with dt aerolites and ultegra hubs. He say's they're not much lighter, but they are stiffer, accellerate faster and have transformed the bike.