All round racing tyres.

irezumi

I realise this topic has been covered a lot, and I have used the search function, but I'm after a tyre I can use for racing and training all in one.

Will Ultremos/Pro-race/GP4000 be what I should be looking for or should I stick to something a bit more durable such as the Lugano/Krylion etc.

Thanks for any help on the subject and sorry to re-do an over done topic.

sungod

i ride gp4000s all year round on commute/training bike, better to get to know your tyres and develop feel for how they'll behave

Monty Dog

Oh yeah, just what we need, another bleedin' "what tyre" thread - I'm out!

markmod

Oooo it's just like Dragons Den here....

neeb

It really just depends on how often you are prepared to fork out to replace them. I use Pro3 Race all summer because I like the feel of them and for me that is worth the (relatively) frequent cost of replacement. GP4000s are supposed to be a bit more durable than Pro3s while still being a fast "performance" tyre, so might be a good place to start.

porker33

Neeb......I have a set of pro 3 waiting to be used when the summer is here......could I ask when you start using them and expected mileage.

To the original poster, I have been using 4000S for the last 3000 miles and they have been great and puncture free (until I typed that!)......
I only bought the Pro3 as I heard they rolled ever so slightly better, although I have yet to find that out for myself.

neeb

porker33 wrote:

Neeb......I have a set of pro 3 waiting to be used when the summer is here......could I ask when you start using them and expected mileage.

To the original poster, I have been using 4000S for the last 3000 miles and they have been great and puncture free (until I typed that!)......
I only bought the Pro3 as I heard they rolled ever so slightly better, although I have yet to find that out for myself.

First of all I should say that I am in Helsinki, so I'll be starting using them a lot later than you..

In the spring here one of the biggest issues is grit left over from the winter - it gets swept away sometime around April but there is always some left over and it's great for embedding itself in your tyres... For that reason I have learned not to use a brand new set of Pro3s first thing in the spring, rather I use the worn set from the previous autumn and let them pick up all of the grit. Then by the time I need to put the new set on the roads are cleaner.

I reckon I get about 2000 miles out of them, but I'm quite light. I swap the front & rear once the rear has started to flatten noticeably.

rich164h

Pro Race 3 all year round. No problems so far. I had more punctures with the cheapo continental ultra sport tyres I used previously that I thought would be much harder and puncture resistant.

Considering that someone is always selling this sort of tyre for more or less the same price as supposedly cheaper tyres there's no reason not to use them all year round. or what amounts to only a few pounds more I'd much rather have the extra grip and lower rolling resistance.

Perhaps if you are commuting everyday through London, but then that's a whole different thing and 23mm road tyres and a full on race bike probably aren't the best option in the first place.

SBezza

rich164h wrote:

Pro Race 3 all year round.

+1 for me. I might put a Lithion on the rear during the worst of the winter, but other than that Pro Race 3 all year round for me.

I race with Veloflex Record on the front, and a Veloflex Carbon on the rear on the TT bike.

BBH

Schwal Ultremo R1's, seem to stand up ok.
Not sure about the new ZX??

irezumi

Thanks for the reply's.

I'll give the Pro 3's a go and see how they stack up. I cycle around the lanes in Kent which can remain quite gritty/gravelly for a while but hopefully they'll last a bit. That and theyre a tenner less than the GP400 mentioned.

I'll post in here in a month or so to give a report.

porker33

Also tks from me for the response on Pro3 useage.

I also cycle around Kent, mostly cudham/knockholt/westerham/7oaks out to brasted.4elms/penshurst etc......after recent rides, there is still too much grit and debris on the road to be comfortable with my better bike, so I may wait for a really dry day before trying the pro3 for the 1st run out..
cheers.

Squillinossett

I have these, and they are cracking tyres! http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... HALTYRF200

ride_whenever

the ultremo zx is an amazing tyre...

simply awesome

Finbar Saunders

neeb wrote:

I swap the front & rear once the rear has started to flatten noticeably.

You put the worn tyre on the front? I typically go the other way, when the rear wears down I put a new one on the front and the old front goes on the rear. What do others do?

chrisw12

Finbar Saunders wrote:

neeb wrote:

I swap the front & rear once the rear has started to flatten noticeably.

You put the worn tyre on the front? I typically go the other way, when the rear wears down I put a new one on the front and the old front goes on the rear. What do others do?

Can of worms perhaps. If I could be bothered to swap tyres around I'd definitely want the best one on the front. A new tyre will probably have less chance of puncturing and a front puncture is probably a bit harder to control than a rear one. Saying that a rear puncture is a bit more of a pia than a front, so perhaps best to have best tyre on rear:? ...I knew there was a reason I've never changed them around.

neeb

chrisw12 wrote:

Finbar Saunders wrote:

neeb wrote:

I swap the front & rear once the rear has started to flatten noticeably.

You put the worn tyre on the front? I typically go the other way, when the rear wears down I put a new one on the front and the old front goes on the rear. What do others do?

Can of worms perhaps. If I could be bothered to swap tyres around I'd definitely want the best one on the front. A new tyre will probably have less chance of puncturing and a front puncture is probably a bit harder to control than a rear one. Saying that a rear puncture is a bit more of a pia than a front, so perhaps best to have best tyre on rear:? ...I knew there was a reason I've never changed them around.

It all depends when you swap them of course. I swap the rear with the front when the rear is a bit worn, but not excessively so. So the tyre that has had the most wear is now wearing more slowly and visa-versa.

porker33

Fitted the pro 3, nice and easy, always nice when you can fit a tyre with your hands and a lever is not required......
They ride well, certainly responsive and roll for a long time, even allowing for the placebo affect!

izza

ride_whenever wrote:

the ultremo zx is an amazing tyre...

simply awesome

+1

PeterBL

izza wrote:

ride_whenever wrote:

the ultremo zx is an amazing tyre...

simply awesome

+1

Any experience with puncture resistance with this tyre? It has the same HD Speed Guard as the Marathon Supreme, so shouldn't be to bad, but I would like to hear from some users.

simon_e

irezumi wrote:

Will Ultremos/Pro-race/GP4000 be what I should be looking for or should I stick to something a bit more durable such as the Lugano/Krylion etc.

That's not a question anyone can answer for you. If you don't mind the comparatively faster wear rate and likely poorer puncture resistance then go ahead and get the race tyre. You can see that some people ride them all year round so it can be done.

Michelin and Schwalbe produce comparison tables that might help you:

http://bicycle.michelin.co.uk/bicycleuk ... 23108.html

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/racing_tires

I'd throw in a recommendation for Rubino Pro III with the Krylion etc but would class Durano/Durano S alongside with those, not Lugano (the latter based on what I've read, not any experience).