Road Tyre Choice

Bloz
Bloz Posts: 31
edited January 2012 in Road buying advice
Will going up a tyre width from 23 to 25 on my winter/trainer bike make much of a difference in terms of speed, comfort and greasy/wet weather grip ? I'm currently running folding Gatorskins at 100-110 psi. Don't want to go any wider cos of roadracer guards - any thoughts ?

Comments

  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    No perceived difference in speed, but the slightly bigger carcass allows you to decrease pressure e.g. (-10psi) and therefore improve grip and comfort. You'll also suffer fewer snakebike punctures. IME the rounder tyre profile also means that cornering is often more predictable - with some skinny tyres the transition can be quite acute and less progressive.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    Conti Gatorskin is durable but has awful wet weather grip so if you want to improve on speed and grip I'd buy a GP4000S. It won't last as long but it's a much better tyre.

    If you want to improve on comfort and grip then the Vittoria Pave is nice but doesn't survive glass quite as well (in my experience) as the GP4000S as costs a lot. Personally I use the GP4000S for winter.
  • ajb72
    ajb72 Posts: 1,178
    I've popped Vittoria Rubino Pro 25mm's on my winter hack and have fitted crud roadracer II's on no problem. The Rubino's are very comfy to ride, not overly sluggish and I've not had a puncture in 2 winters of riding on them.
  • SR7492
    SR7492 Posts: 190
    Sorry to hijack the thread, I'm waiting on my first road bike which should be with me in the next 10 days.

    It will have stock Schwalbe Lugano 700x23c; are these ok to plod about with?

    Ideally I want a tyre that will last and be very durable but at the same time doesn't deficit any speed/comfort to a massive degree.

    Any recommendations?

    Thanks
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    25mm Mich Krylions (good tyre and very good vfm) or

    25mm Conti GP4Seasons (very good tyre but more £)
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • porker33
    porker33 Posts: 636
    SR7492

    Luganos are the worst tyre I have ridden...My caad10 came with them, noticeable wear after 250 miles and successive punctures on winter rides mean they were slung in the garage.....I normally ride 4000S, but I tried Krylions as a durable winter tyre and have been very impressed so far.

    Back to 4000S on the DA 7900's when the weather improves though.
  • SR7492
    SR7492 Posts: 190
    Thanks guys

    I did a bit of research and the following came highly recommended:

    Michlin Krylions Carbon
    Continentals GatorSkins & GP4 All Season
    Specialized Armadillo Elite

    From what I have read, the Specialized seems the best value for money in terms of durability (I have the armadillos on my MTB are they are awesome) however they are a little heavy and I don't like the look of them (they have grooves which doesn't look appealing on a Road bike, if you know what I mean)

    The conti's GP4 All Season seem to be good as the Specialized but seem a little dearer (GP4). However they Gator skin is cheaper. They look better than the Specialized tyre.

    I'm really liking the Michlin Krylion, it looks the part as it has no groves on. However it is probably not as punture proof as the Specialized.

    Also, I've read that roadies have a 23mm at the front and a 25mm at the back; is there a particular reason for this?

    I won't be using my road bike for commuting rather for a weekend hobby (30 miles plus) so I'm looking for something that looks nice on the CAAD10, is fast but is also punture proof :-)

    Michlin the way to go?

    (apologies for the mass questions, what can I say, I'm a little anal about these things)

    :-)
  • porker33
    porker33 Posts: 636
    From my post above...more than happy with the Krylions, what impresses me is that they don't look like they have much grip.....But do!...No wheelspin when climbing either.

    Just to add, they seemed a good deal at Decathlon.

    http://www.decathlon.co.uk/krylion-ts-7 ... 04872.html
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    from those I'd go with the GP4 Seasons or the Krylions and I suspect the Krylions are a lot cheaper.

    In my experience Gator Skins just don't grip well in the wet and although a lot of people like them (presumably for the durability) Armadillo's weigh a ton and the ride is apparently awful. I suspect they're overkill on the durability.

    re 23 and/or 25 mm. It's all down to personal taste really, I'n not sure that it really matters if you run a wider tyre on the back (I don't, I'm used to the feel of 23mm and feel odd whenever I ride anything else) but the theory is that since the rear takes more weight the bigger cushion of a wider tyre is better. Heavier riders may also benefit because you run wider tyres at lower pressure (i.e. less jarring ride).
  • SR7492
    SR7492 Posts: 190
    Thank you; much appreciated (thumbs up)

    I'm going to ask the LBS to take the stock Laguna's off and put on the Michlin instead - hopefully it'll be a case of a slight cost increase.

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