Which is the best tyre?

chewymk4

I've narrowed my trye choice down to the three below:

Michelin Pro Race 3
Continental GP4000S
Schwalbe Ultremo

Any advice on which is considerd to be the best?

Looking for lightweight (around 200g), fast and fairly durable.
Feel free to chuck in any outside choices!

Cheers

Monty Dog

Either use the search function or save the question for next spring when the roads return to the type of condition which would warrant the use of such tyres.

trailstar

gp4000S are amazing.

had a pair on my fixie winter bike that have seen a few thousand miles over a couple of years and had a pair of the white ones that saw 4000 miles this summer on my geared bike until a rip last weekend.

and just got two new ones today for the geared bike.

not tried the schwalbe, but the pro race 3 are supposed to be excellent however not as tough as the GP4000S

inseine

Michelin pro3race (why does everyone call them pro race 3?) are the best for punctures. I used to puncture all then time on them!
Continental force and attack? I love em.

Berk Bonebonce

Vittoria CX have been the mainstay of pro teams since time began. Well, perhaps not quite that long ago.

inseine

Vittoria CX have been the mainstay of pro teams since time began. Well, perhaps not quite that long ago.

Yeh, but they're tubs.

Berk Bonebonce

inseine wrote:

Vittoria CX have been the mainstay of pro teams since time began. Well, perhaps not quite that long ago.

Yeh, but they're tubs.

Where have you been dude? Vittoria have done a tyre/open version CX for a decade or more.

Chip \'oyler

Ultremo's. Dog's doo dah's

clx1

I have run all three and would rank them as follows,
1. Pro3Race
2. 4000S
3. Ultremo

They are all great tyres and you wouldn't be disappointed with any of them. Unlike one of the other posters I don't agree that you need to wait until Spring, I have run all three through the Winter with no more punctures than at any other time.

inseine

Where have you been dude? Vittoria have done a tyre/open version CX for a decade or more.

I know :roll: but they've not the mainstay of the pros since time began.

dmch2

CLX1 wrote:

Unlike one of the other posters I don't agree that you need to wait until Spring, I have run all three through the Winter with no more punctures than at any other time.

Why would some people think you potentially get more punctures in winter or want to wait til summer?

It's not like salt is going to corrode it... Comfused...

Essex Man

dmch2 wrote:

CLX1 wrote:

Unlike one of the other posters I don't agree that you need to wait until Spring, I have run all three through the Winter with no more punctures than at any other time.

Why would some people think you potentially get more punctures in winter or want to wait til summer?

It's not like salt is going to corrode it... Comfused...

More rain, more crap washed onto the roads e.g. flints.

Bozman

Another vote for the vittoria corsa evo cx! I've used 4000/s for a while but i've been using the vittoria for 3mths on one bike and i have to say they feel better for grip and ride(maybe i'm lucky with no punctures/cuts).I won't knock the Continental 4000s they're a top tyre but they're a 9/10 to a vittoria 10/10.
P.S Michelin pro3 - 10/10 grip but p**s poor for cuts and punctures. 5/10 overall
This is all down to my own experience using the tyres.

dmch2

Essex Man wrote:

More rain, more crap washed onto the roads e.g. flints.

Ah, makes sense. Presumably only in flinty parts of the country though?

inseine

The roads are generally damp in winter so crap sticks to your tyres, flint or not you puncture more.

andy162

GP4000s for me. Not a single p*ncture since I put the first pair on in March. Gone thru 2 sets over the year & now the best bike is in hibernation a new set is going to go on when I start using it again next year.

clx1

Essex Man wrote:

dmch2 wrote:

CLX1 wrote:

Unlike one of the other posters I don't agree that you need to wait until Spring, I have run all three through the Winter with no more punctures than at any other time.

Why would some people think you potentially get more punctures in winter or want to wait til summer?

It's not like salt is going to corrode it... Comfused...

More rain, more crap washed onto the roads e.g. flints.

I ride in Oxfordshire which is known for it's flint, I wouldn't dream of using different tyres in Winter, as I said before I haven't experienced any difference in the incidence of punctures.
In any case all three tyres discussed here have some form of puncture protection.

ADIHEAD

Think you should read the user reviews on Wiggle and roadbikereview.com to get a good idea on longevity etc. But these are my experiences, living in the Mendips which include a lot of stand up climbs, and poorly surfaced roads. I'm 75kg btw:-

Conti GP4000's - not the S
Only one puncture in 1500 miles - but these were only used in the summer and in the days when I used to mainly solo ride and on main roads. They grip well but seemed a bit harsh.

Conti GP4 Season
Great all weather tyres, only 1 puncture - which I think may have been due to the rim anyhow. Ride harsh again though and watch the nylon cords shredding from the sidewalls. They seem just as fast as GP4000 to me and only a bit heavier.

Conti Force/Attack
Fantastic feel and sense of speed. Great Grip. But like paper - cut up like mad and I'd be lucky to get 600m out of the rear. A race tyre, like it says on the packet but not for general use unless your local roads are clean?

Michelin Pro3Race
Great when brand new, wear quickly and cut up badly on poorly surfaced roads. In 2009 I got through 4 in 5 months, through cuts etc. The last set however seemed better and no punctures. But I didn't venture out in the wet with them much. Fast and good feel. Look great also.

Vittoria Open Corsa CX
Simply the best feeling tyres I've tried. Very fast and absorb vibration well. However, keep them for good roads only as they cut up. Discarded them after just under 1000 dry miles as rear squaring off and cuts in front and rear. No puncures but dry running only.

Vittora Open Pave
Fantastic feel again and look great if you can live with the green. They're not puncture proof though - I used them as summer wet weather tyres and had several puncutures. I'd love to call them a great 'wet sportive' tyre but I wouldn't risk them unless brand new!

Vittoria Rubino Pro
Fantastic as a training and poor weather sportive tyre. No punctures and quite fast, great grip. I use the Pro Tech 25mm in the winter and recommend them

Vittoria Diamante Pro
I currently run these on my best bike and they feel fast and a good compromise between the Rubino and the Open Corsa CX. I've only done 300m on them but no cuts whatsoever.

So my answer would so far would be Diamante Pro's for lighter tyres that don't cut too badly, or GP4 Season for all round use if you don't mind the harsh ride. I haven't personally tried GP4000's but a lot of the guys I ride with love em and they don't seem too fragile.

Yeh I'm a geek

Bozman

All of the top tyres are made of soft sticky rubber, if you run over flint, glass, stone or a frozen marshmallow these tyres will puncture. We all have a preference and some of us get taken in by hype(gp4000s) or swish graphics(schwalbe) but it's all down to luck!

Berk Bonebonce

Maybe trye width and the pressure at which they are run are more 'critical' than which brand name are on them, assuming you get the top of the range type of product.

billysan

I too have recently changed from GP4000s to Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX, definately an improvement.

+ 1 for Vitts