Winter / wet tyre for noob

dagza

I'm a heavyish bloke who has recently got a road bike to compliment my mountain bike collection

What tyres would you recommend for winter riding? I am not especially worried about rolling resistance and weight. Grip is my main priority followed by puncture resistance.

Been looking at Continental Ultra Gator Skins but have had a few recommendations for Michelin Kyrilion.

Subjective topic but opinions welcome.

Thanks.

guilliano

For winter a Conti 4 seasons 25mm is what I'll be using. Purely because I already have them and they grip bloody well in serious wet weather

dagza

Argh not more options!

OK, off to read about them now ....

dagza

Nope, still confused :oops:

Anyone else got anything to add?

fast as fupp

what is a noob?

bobpzero

why cant you just buy a pair of michelin krylion carbon tyres, fit them on without nipping the side of the tube. pump them up to about 100psi and go ride.

dagza

bobpzero wrote:

why cant you just buy a pair of michelin krylion carbon tyres, fit them on without nipping the side of the tube. pump them up to about 100psi and go ride.

Because I can do exactly the same with any other tyre. Just because it fits on my wheel doesn't make it the best choice for for needs :?

merlinghnd

I have got the Michelin Krylions and done about 500 miles puncture free riding and I am very pleased with them. I am about 15 plus stones.

However from what I can gather you want maybe something a bit more grippy for bad weather days. The Krylion has no tread but is not bright shiny rubber and seems to grip well, the Continental has some tread from what I can see so maybe a 25 tyre might be for you.

Fact is any tyre can slip and there is no such thing as a puncture proof tyre. and your right, too much choice and advicce sometimes!!

Mike400

I was always of the impression tread is pointless on a road tire, regardless of weather etc, as the late great Sheldon Brown says:

"Bicycle tires for on-road use have no need of any sort of tread features; in fact, the best road tires are perfectly smooth, with no tread at all!
Unfortunately, most people assume that a smooth tire will be slippery, so this type of tire is difficult to sell to unsophisticated cyclists. Most tire makers cater to this by putting a very fine pattern on their tires, mainly for cosmetic and marketing reasons. If you examine a section of asphalt or concrete, you'll see that the texture of the road itself is much "knobbier" than the tread features of a good quality road tire. Since the tire is flexible, even a slick tire deforms as it comes into contact with the pavement, acquiring the shape of the pavement texture, only while incontact with the road.

People ask, "But don't slick tires get slippery on wet roads, or worse yet, wet metal features such as expansion joints, paint stripes, or railroad tracks?" The answer is, yes, they do. So do tires with tread. All tires are slippery in these conditions. Tread features make no improvement in this."

See http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

nferrar

Not sure there are any tires particularly good in the wet, just stay with slicks (tread doesn't help) and maybe drop the psi a bit. I rode last winter on Schwalbe Ultremos and they were fine, have a Conti GP4000s on the rear atm as a piece of glass destroyed my Ultremo R - the Conti seems fine to (the black chilli compound should be as good as anything in the wet IMO).

bobpzero

dagza wrote:

bobpzero wrote:

why cant you just buy a pair of michelin krylion carbon tyres, fit them on without nipping the side of the tube. pump them up to about 100psi and go ride.

Because I can do exactly the same with any other tyre. Just because it fits on my wheel doesn't make it the best choice for for needs :?

obviously you are a noob. make your decision noob

37monkey

nferrar wrote:

Not sure there are any tires particularly good in the wet, just stay with slicks (tread doesn't help) and maybe drop the psi a bit. I rode last winter on Schwalbe Ultremos and they were fine, have a Conti GP4000s on the rear atm as a piece of glass destroyed my Ultremo R - the Conti seems fine to (the black chilli compound should be as good as anything in the wet IMO).

What's the opinion of Michelin pro race 3, I like the look of the navy blue one's, they'll match my frame a treat, but I know that I can't choose a tyre just because of the colour. The guy in my lbs recomended continentals with black chilli rubber? he has them on his bikebut they have some tread on the sides

Monty Dog

PR3s a lightweight, race-oriented tyres - simply not robust enough for winter. My two recommendations have been mentioned - GP 4 Seasons or Krylions - both are tough but roll pretty well, Gatorskins are far inferior in comparison - they cut too easily. For heavier riders, fit the fattest tyres you can fit - 25 or 28s - they give better grip and don't suffer pinch punctures as easily - it makes no difference to rolling resistance

Lagavulin

+1 Krylion Carbons.

Alternatively Vittoria Open-Pave Evo CGs. I like these. Not cheap by any means and some may not like the colour but the ride is sublime and - touch wood - I've not endured the cuts some reviews have highlighted on either of my road bikes.

yogi

Schwalbe Blizzard Sport. Great punture resistance and they roll well too. If you get the wire ones you can pick them up for around £12 each - just the job for winter.

I have also been using some Michelin Pro 3's since they came out. Great tyre for the summer but too lightweight for winter use - unless you're rich and can afford to replace them all the time. My first set lasted a year. I've wrecked the 2nd set after less than 6 months due to a near miss with a car and the subsequent double wheel lock-up. Took the top surface of the tyre right off!