Tyres for the winter

cyclingchef

Hi there it's been a few years since I had a road bike, so my question is what are a good set of tyres for the winter that don't cost the earth? My new rims are a lot thinner than I remember and the tyres that are on there at the moment are700x23, help!

skyd0g

Michelin Krylion Carbon in 25mm is one possible option.

1_reaper

Shwalbe Durano plus

cyclingchef

Thanks for that I'll check them out at the weekend. The one other item is mudgards, crud catchers mk 2 what's everyones view on them?

Sheikhus

cyclingchef wrote:

Thanks for that I'll check them out at the weekend. The one other item is mudgards, crud catchers mk 2 what's everyones view on them?

Plenty of threads on here about em. General consensus seems to be that they are good if they fit your bike and are a bit fiddly to get on. I got a pair for my secteur and couldn't get them to fit with 25s. I've now changed tyres to 23s (gatorskins - so far quite impressed), and will try putting them on again soon.

rolf_f

Yep - 25s are almost certainly too big for Crud Racers. Clearance is tight even with 23s. I think they are great though. The amount of cleaning I don't have to do on my bike since fitting them has meant they are now permanently attached to my Ribble!

Pumpkin Positive

I have ridden with 25s on Crud Racers Mk2's but it is very tight and they do rub (which gets on your t1ts after a while). I had to modify them to stop the worst of the rubbing.

I have just this afternoon bought a set of 700*23 gatorskins which I hope will suffice as winter tyres and should allow a better fit for my crud racers.

I have heard people remark that punctures are more likely in the wet. Can anyone explain to me why that is?

cyberknight

I think the general consensus is that they are not as grippy in the wet , i have rode them for a couple of years and i cannot say i have had a problem with grip.If it is raining would you take a corner at full speed anyway on any tyre?

I do not think it being wet will affect the puncture resistance although keeping the tyre at the recommended pressure is a must as well as checking regularly for any debris that may have got stuck in the tread.

In the winter i rode all the time and fell off once on a corner on some ice, i did draw the line at trying to cycle on a cycle path covered in compacted snow that had frozen .....

Scrappaman

I've just taken delivery of some Continental Gatorskins which I will fit at the weekend. They look pretty nice and are clearly tougher than my Bontrager R1s that I have on there at the moment.

I only got 1500 miles out of the Bontragers so hopefully the contis will get me further. Comforting to see that others are riding them.

cyberknight

cadseen wrote:

If you want a winter tyre that is puncture proof, I would go for the Armadillo

http://tidd.ly/626f9a97

No such thing as puncture proof unless you use solid tyres , the best you can get are probably marathon plus though .

Pumpkin Positive

cyberknight wrote:

I think the general consensus is that they are not as grippy in the wet , i have rode them for a couple of years and i cannot say i have had a problem with grip.If it is raining would you take a corner at full speed anyway on any tyre?

Oops, that's sort of why I bought them! They felt a bit 'stickier' than the tyres which came fitted to my bike (spesh all condition 700x25) and I'd heard reasonably good reports from others. Not too late to return them to LBS they are not fitted yet and labels are still intact.

If I'm not in danger of hijacking the thread - what are others views?

skyd0g

Pumpkin Positive wrote:

I have heard people remark that punctures are more likely in the wet. Can anyone explain to me why that is?

The water helps small flints/general crud stick to your tyre as it rotates and also acts as a lubricant for any bits to work their way into the tyre. There may also be more crud on the road over the winter months, plus darker skies make it more difficult to see in advance & avoid any potential nasty bits until it's too late.

cyclingchef

Again thanks and that settles that riding in winter= crud catchers with tyres no bigger than 23's I found gatorskins at £20.79 on amazon and Shwalbe Durano Folding £26.99 at the same place which for the Shwalbe Durano seemed quite cheap. Schwalbe Durano Plus Performance Folding Road Tyre I can't find any cheaper than £32-£33 does any one know of it at a better price. As for the puncher proof part do the tyres have a harder rubber compound if so are they offering a poorer grip.

t5nel

cyclingchef wrote:

Again thanks and that settles that riding in winter= crud catchers with tyres no bigger than 23's I found gatorskins at £20.79 on amazon and Shwalbe Durano Folding £26.99 at the same place which for the Shwalbe Durano seemed quite cheap. Schwalbe Durano Plus Performance Folding Road Tyre I can't find any cheaper than £32-£33 does any one know of it at a better price. As for the puncher proof part do the tyres have a harder rubber compound if so are they offering a poorer grip.

Puncture resistance is normally provided by layers of material below the rubber - no doubt with. Conti, Specialized and Schwalbe all do tyres like this with their own brand name but the principle is the same.

The rubber is often less grippy but this is more often as the tyres are designed to be more durable i.e. last longer

Gizmodo

cyclingchef wrote:

I found gatorskins at £20.79 on amazon and Shwalbe Durano Folding £26.99 at the same place which for the Shwalbe Durano seemed quite cheap.

CRC have Shwalbe Durano Folding for £26.00 with free delivery in the UK.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=45436

gingermagician

So, first puncture on the new bike today (currently have the supplied Schwalbe Lugano fitted to its RS10s) has got me thinking about a new set of tyres for the winter. From the little I've read online about the Luganos, they do seem to be perceived as puncture-magnets to a degree.

Anyway, I'm considering the Gator Hardshells that the BR guys have given a pretty positive write up - does anyone have an experience of these compared to the standard Gatorskins?

Any other recommendations gratefully received!

MatthewBulmer

skyd0g wrote:

Michelin Krylion Carbon in 25mm .

+1

meanredspider

I'm perfectly happy with Gators. Worth checking any tyre once in a while for embedded glass etc that will eventually work its way through. Never had an issue with Gators level of grip.

Pokerface

+1 for Schwalbe tyres. Durano or DD for winter miles.

mattshrops

gatorskins and armadillos both work well.
if you want something a bit lighter and almost as good try armadillo elite 8)

Extralight

+1 for the Michelin Krylion Carbons from me. I've done 1,800 on a pair of 23mm without any problems (fingers crossed that by mentioning this I don't get cursed with a string of punctures). They're showing some significant wear now, with lots of cuts, but no punctures yet and they look like they'll be good for a while still. I really like them - reasonably light, good puncture resistance, reasonable ride quality (a bit harsh perhaps, but good for a durable rather than racing tyre) and good grip in the wet. I feel alot more secure on greasy wet roads and going over wet ironwork than I did with Conti Gatorskins.

APIII

Fitted Vittoria Randonneur 28mm this week. I usually stick with Gp4000's, but had a few issues recently. They're heavy, but cheap at £15 each.

jejv

Tyres for winter ?

Umm, no tyres that fit road bikes.

The sight of the winter sun on the frozen fields is great. But to avoid broken bones, fat tyres at low pressure, preferably with hard pointy bits, are the way to go.

The downhill followed by the shady corner...

CX bikes are a bit under tyred for winter, unless your CX takes 40-50mm tyres.

Road bikes are for
- Racing
- On the road
- In the Summer

If that's not what you do, you need a different bike.

unixnerd

I run 28mm Marathons on my tourer and they're superb in the wet, very confidence inspiring but pretty heavy.

One thing you want to look for in a cold weather tyre is a soft rubber compound. That's what car snow tyres use to stay pliable when it's icy and still dig into the road surface. Soft tyres that wear quickly in summer will last much longer in winter.

TOM14S

Another +1 for Michelin Krylion Carbons 23's 4 me, 1500 miles no issues, I use them all year round, and 2nd everything Extralight said... And they're on sale on ribble atm.

gingermagician

Thanks for all the responses and recommendations chaps, I'll check them all out.

Pseudonym

jejv wrote:

Road bikes are for
- Racing
- On the road
- In the Summer

If that's not what you do, you need a different bike.

what a complete load of nonsense.

dennisn

Other than it being hot or cold out what factor(s) would lead you to believe there was a need for Summer or Winter tires? How about Spring and Fall tires? I guess I wouldn't be surprised when manufacturers come out with them though. They'll sell millions of them, and the only difference from the Summer models will be labeling. I think you have quite a marketing ploy there.

fish156

dennisn wrote:

Other than it being hot or cold out what factor(s) would lead you to believe there was a need for Summer or Winter tires? How about Spring and Fall tires? I guess I wouldn't be surprised when manufacturers come out with them though. They'll sell millions of them, and the only difference from the Summer models will be labeling. I think you have quite a marketing ploy there.

Temperature isn't the main issue IMO. Here in the UK, once autumn sets in, the wetter weather means there's far more cr@p on the roads that necessitates good puncture resistance. With lots of steady winter miles, long lasting "training" tyres also make financial sense.

By the summer, the roads are far cleaner and you can get away with "race" tyres with much better feel, handling and grip.

KnightOfTheLongTights

MatthewBulmer wrote:

skyd0g wrote:

Michelin Krylion Carbon in 25mm .

+1

yep, great value at 20-odd nicker too

DrLex

dennisn wrote:

Other than it being hot or cold out what factor(s) would lead you to believe there was a need for Summer or Winter tires? How about Spring and Fall tires? I guess I wouldn't be surprised when manufacturers come out with them though. They'll sell millions of them, and the only difference from the Summer models will be labeling. I think you have quite a marketing ploy there.

If bike winter tyres are a similar composition to vehicle winter tyres, then the compounds used are designed for 7deg C and lower. Ignoring the studded versions, the tread pattern can be different - siping for example.
Bear in mind that many European countries have winter tyre requirements for cars & lorries in certain areas between specified months, so hardly a 'marketing ploy' as far as motorised road users are concerned.