road tyres, going through them like children eat sweets !..

hubba

Ok i've been talking to various people in the group club run rides yet everything i seem to try has epic fail !... during the summer the first say ten rides were puncture free with stock tyres from purchase of bike which i think were continential ultra sport, but once the wet winter weather settled in i started to get regular punctures, so on advice got some continential grand prix 4000s, after fitting first ride rear tyre sliced and unuseable, thrird week (using once a week for around average a 60mile ride) slice on side wall of front tyre. so my choice for the rear was now a swarbe blizzard sport puncture protection, first ride out (on rear) fine great ride, second ride out two punctures and noticable slit holes in the centre path of the tyre.

so i'm after somthing which has good rolling with great puncture protection, we are talking of a 700 x 23c for specs at present, any idea's.

i've heard swarbe durano plus are good but slow and feel "wooly", mixed feedback on durano's,

anyway comming from a very angry cyclist at present due to haing a puncture every ride for the last six rides out i'm not impressed (and also a lot of £'s lighter due to expense of goods totalled)
i do check for flints after the half way point in club run rides, i aslo check the tyres during the week inbetween rides for any inbedded items or cuts to the tyre, sort out the chain lube / clean and generally tweak the gears if it needs it check brake pads etc..

any help would be greatly recieved... !!!....

hubba

oh forgot to add with the blizzard sport tyres i was loosing traction when off the saddle pushing to get up the steep hills, is this a common thing with these tyres ?..

tri-sexual

bloody hell, that is alot of tyres :shock:
what pressures are you running?
you need over 100 psi (weight dependent)but not silly high because too much pressure/ tyre hardness makes tyres more prone to punctures from bits of flint, sharp stones and glass etc which cuts into the tyre
your question about poor traction when putting power down whilst out of the saddle is not a tyre fault but is poor riding technique, your weight distribution is too far forward (not enough weight over the back wheel), shift your weight back a little and problem solved

ADIHEAD

There's lots of threads on this but you pay a compromise on getting puncture protection, with more weight and rolling resistance.

Of the tyres you've tried, Ultrasports are total pants, blizzards are very cheap though my only experience is a friend who only rides them in the summer anyway. GP4000's are race tyres and you're pushing your luck riding them this time of year.

Anyway, Michelin Krylion Carbons are well regarded. Not used them myself but a good friend has used for 2 years without a puncture and keeps up with the rest of us nicely.

I use Vittoria Rubino Pro Techs in 25mm form and have never punctured in 2 years of running them. They are heavy though and you notice a small difference in rolling resistance, they grip very well though. I've also a set of Conti GP4 seasons on a spare set of wheels, which I've only done 800 miles on but they grip well and no punctures - a bit harsh in the ride department though.

Durano's are well thought of tyres but don't forget there's too versions - 1 with heavier puncture protection which apparently is a bit stodgy.

Hope this helps?

danowat

Rather than looking at changing tyres, I'd start with looking at the pressures you are running them at, and also how much you scan the road infront of you for debris.....

I've run GP4000's all over the winter (audaxes, commuting, reliability rides) with only a single puncture

keef66

Conti 4 seasons 25mm; 2 punctures in 2 1/2 years. Never tried anything else though, they came with the bike.

Jungli

Conti Gator Hardshells or Spesh All Conditions Armadillo Elite tyres are the most puncture proof tyres I have used both in 23mm.

I am currently using Vitt Open Paves but they cut easily. Have had 3 punctures in over 1000km which I can live with. Very grippy and comfy and roll very well.

what brakes

I agree with the tyre pressure! I run at 110psi and rarely puncture, whereas a mate was running at 90ish psi and was always punturing! I have pursuadehim to run at 110psi, but its too early to confirm this works as he has also changed tyres aswell.

MaxwellBygraves

danowat wrote:

I've run GP4000's all over the winter (audaxes, commuting, reliability rides) with only a single puncture

+1
Although they are racing tyres, I run them through winter as their punctur protection is as good as an winter tyre, they just wear quicker, and that's the trade off.

Down the Road

Swear by these

http://www.birminghamcitycycles.com/ind ... ct_id=3092

Berk Bonebonce

Vittoria CX come with a puncture resistant belt and the rubber is reinforced with Kevlar. They are the best tyres available. They are available in a tubular and an 'open'/tyre version.

Are you sure you are getting 'proper' punctures and it is not a case of the spokes puncturing. Some rim tapes are not suitable for high pressures.

racingcondor

I'm in London and run PR3's in the summer and Conti GP4000S in the winter (mostly, also experimenting with various Vittorias) and expect to puncture about twice a year on average. It sounds to me like several things are happening here -

1) Bad luck. Punctures are pretty random but when you get one there often seems to be another just around the corner... Some people do also get more than others.

2) Replacing too early (something I still do). You may well be chucking perfectly good tyres away because of surface cuts. If the cut doesn't go right through (i.e. though the fabric as well as the rubber) then the tyre is fine.

You could try Conti 4 seasons. I have a friend who ran one pair of them for over 2 years so they're definitely tough. GP4000S are pretty tough but I've found the side walls are vulnerable.

Avoid the Vittoria Evo CX recommended above, they're an outright race tyre and won't last 5 minutes on bad roads (lovely though the ride is).

ajb72

nother vote for the Vittoria Rubino Pro's. Not the quickest tyre out there but this is my second winter on mine and they have been trouble free.

cougie

My GP4000s are fantastic for avoiding punctures - I run them about 95 as the Conti mechanic advised. My last flat was due to the innertube having aged rather than anything getting through the tyre. Is your local geography good for getting flints on the road I wonder ?

Extralight

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

Vittoria CX come with a puncture resistant belt and the rubber is reinforced with Kevlar. They are the best tyres available. They are available in a tubular and an 'open'/tyre version.

Corsa CXs in open (clincher) or tubular are indeed lovely tyres, but in my experience they're far too fragile for this time of year with so much cr_p on the roads due to the weather. The rubber is very soft, and the kevlar protection not adequate protection against cuts. If you want a light but fast tyre that's durable and still rides well, try the Michelin Krylion Carbons as suggested earlier.

oscarbudgie

And another for Rubino Pro's. Pretty colours too. Incidentally Vittoria Zaffiro's are amazingly puncture resistant if you don't mind having feck all grip in the wet

Buckled_Rims

oscarbudgie wrote:

...... Incidentally Vittoria Zaffiro's are amazingly puncture resistant if you don't mind having feck all grip in the wet

+1

Strange you should mention that because yesterday morning up a short steep section the rear tyre was spinning away without a grip in the world Still, I like Zaffinos and they feel very tough.

As for the OP, I'd probably go 25mm tyres. You don't lose much if any of the 23mm benefits, plus you have a slightly tougher build (I don't know your weight).

canamdad

Your experience isn't too different from mine. I ride in the Chilterns as you probably also do and it's a flint infested place in the winter. I have had tyres just destroyed by flint cuts that go right down through the casing and, like you, in the first 100 miles of use. You're doing the right thing in checking them often and pulling out flints in the tread. I also use a Mr Tuffy strip (www.mrtuffy.com/) and there are some others out there as well. I think that a lot of it is just luck- bad if you lose a tyre early and good if you don't. That said, I'm over a year on a Schwalbe Stelvio Plus (now Durano Plus) on the rear wheel and, although it is cut up pretty good in the Plus strip, it's still going. Mind you, the front one succumbed before 200 miles with a cut sidewall so what can I say? Sure, they're heavier than some others out there but how much time do you lose to repair a puncture- particularly on the back?

AndyF16

Jungli wrote:

Spesh All Conditions Armadillo Elite tyres are the most puncture proof tyres I have used

agree wholeheartedly with that - never had a problem with these in 23mm and done around 250 miles per week for the last 4 months on them.

nothing to compare rolling resistance to though as that's all i've ever used in 700c. their 26" armadillos have been just as reliable too IME

Velonutter

what brakes wrote:

I agree with the tyre pressure! I run at 110psi and rarely puncture, whereas a mate was running at 90ish psi and was always punturing! I have pursuadehim to run at 110psi, but its too early to confirm this works as he has also changed tyres aswell.

Yep +1

High tyre pressures = less punctures, I use Michelin Lithion 2's on my training bike and run the rear on 110 and the front on 105.

On my best bike I run Michelin Pro 3's and run at 110 at the front and 120 on the rear.

flasher

another +1 for GP4000s, run them year round, no problems at all.

ride_whenever

You could always go the whole hog and run ribmos in 23 flavour....


Not great but you really shouldn't puncture them!

Bozman

I've used 4000s and more recently Vittoria cx, apart from one double puncture day they've been fine, i was amazed to get through the hedge cutting period puncture free.
With these tyres it's down to luck and you're having a bad run.

hubba

just reading over everyone's feedback....

i could not resist from a cheap place on the web a pair of tyres for £15 with puncture resistance and kevlar a brand of michelin tyre so will give that a go, i've also just bought one for now swarbe durano tyre which i will fit to the rear if i get another punture this weekend.

as for pressure i'll allways pump it up to the max the tyre rating states on it, in this case it's 115psi, but when out on the road i'll only pump it as hard as the pump will allow (so i need to upgrade my pump for a decent high pressure one where i am able to get the pressure when i get a puncture to a decent psi.

anyhow i have the swarbe which i'll try, other than that i guess next step could be bonty hard case then conti gator's, hell if i'm still getting punctures like mad i'll just go hole hog and get solid tyres !!..
on to my next question now in that pumps which one ?, i tried topeaks mountin morph which is great for mtb tyres but useless for road tyres can only get to say 85 ish psi, i purchased a lezanne (the smaller one out of the two) but again once at 85ish psi again was struggling to get it inflated past that.

trtimothy

I run Michellin Pro 3's at 120 psi all year round and have never punctured them in two years. Really great tires (but do not get the light versions or the service course, just the standard ones as friends have destroyed the others).

Pumps definitely a SKS CO2 airgun with replacement cyclinders bought cheap in bulk from amazon (any standard 16g threaded cartridge). Really small and really good pump

tx14

I have a 700*25 specialized all condition which came with my 2nd hand bike. I have done maybe 2000 miles on it, through all kinds of weather. tread pattern is worn but it's still going. this is just my experience.