Fastest Clincher Tyres

Cagey09
Cagey09 Posts: 9
edited March 2012 in Amateur race
Like the title says, I am interested in what are the fastest Clincher Tyres currently available? I am interested in peoples experience as I am looking to replace my worn out Continentals for this coming racing season...
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Comments

  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Racing? Get yourself some MTB tyres ;)
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  • sandyballs
    sandyballs Posts: 577
    Tony Martin winning the Worlds TT on a clincher is good i suppose.

    http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/c ... yre-31914/
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Tubeless will be 'faster' due to lack of inner tube and energy losses from hysteresis i.e. energy absorbed due to deflection of the tyre carcass. If you are racing, then reliability and durability are more critical factors - plenty of people fail to finish because their uber-fast tyres gave-up on our cr@ppy roads.
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  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    Pro Race 3's
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    Best feeling clinchers I've raced on are Veloflex Corsa. But they're VERY prone to punctures and really don't last very long. I've also raced on Pro 3 Race and they seem to be less puncture prone, but still nice and grippy. I'd agree with Monty that for amateur racing where we don't have the luxury of a support car then some reasonably puncture-proof tyres are more important than out and out performance.
    More problems but still living....
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    Slight hijack.... I used Vittoria Open Corsa Evo tyres to race on. I had a couple of evening races at MK Bowl where it was damp (not puddles, just damp tarmac), at the same place in a couple of races my back end slid out a little. Are the Corsa Evos known for not being good in the damp? Any suggestions?
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Can't believe you're all giving constructive advice to rivals!

    Open corsas are amazing in the dry but not so good in the wet. Open paves better. Damn! I mean you are best using silk tubs in the wet.
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  • Cagey09
    Cagey09 Posts: 9
    Thanks for the advice guys. I found Pro race 3's quite quick but they did not seem very hard wearing.. Last season I raced with Tubs but racing and time trialling on B-roads lead to a few blow-outs, as such will stick with Clinchers... The Continental Grand Prix TT look tasty for crit racing :D
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Try using latex inner tubes too.
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  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    NapoleonD wrote:
    Try using latex inner tubes too.

    Not with carbon clinchers though....
    More problems but still living....
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    NapoleonD wrote:
    Can't believe you're all giving constructive advice to rivals!

    Open corsas are amazing in the dry but not so good in the wet. Open paves better. Damn! I mean you are best using silk tubs in the wet.

    I'm all over them silk tubs, thanks for the advice :lol:
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    amaferanga wrote:
    NapoleonD wrote:
    Try using latex inner tubes too.

    Not with carbon clinchers though....

    Why?
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    Do you want the quickest or the most hard wearing, don't normally come hand in hand unfortunately. Fastest clinchers by far are probably veloflex records, but they are more fragile, though using latex inner tubes I have not had any punctures in racing for the last couple of years.

    Also I don't feel confident using them in the rain, but I only TT so don't really need to turn that much LOL. The Pro Race 3's are good tyres for rougher roads, wet etc, and too be honest are a fastish tyre.
  • Herbsman
    Herbsman Posts: 2,029
    Are Schwalbe Ultremos not 'fast' then?
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  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    Herbsman wrote:
    Are Schwalbe Ultremos not 'fast' then?

    Yes
  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    Cagey09 wrote:
    The Continental Grand Prix TT look tasty for crit racing :D

    I use Diamante Pro lights for Crit racing and bog standard Rubino Pro's for on-road racing - it's all skinsuits and body-position for me, as it were (as a priority) - sod the tyres :)
  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    Herbsman wrote:
    Are Schwalbe Ultremos not 'fast' then?

    They are fast BUT are they the fastest :wink: , they would be comparable to Pro Race 3 in my eyes.
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    Are Ultremos as grippy in the damp as Pro Race 3?
  • Chrissz
    Chrissz Posts: 727
    hammerite wrote:
    Are Ultremos as grippy in the damp as Pro Race 3?

    I've not had a problem with mine in this respect! I wore a set last year at the start of the summer and they have been transferred to my winter wheels where they've been fine too. I p*****re so far and no major slippage detected. I should be able to "finish" them off before the good weather returns and I buy a new set for my summer time wheels.

    An alternative would be Pro Race 4s.
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  • nferrar
    nferrar Posts: 2,511
    Can't see much beating an Ultremo HD + latex tube combo (without going the tubeless route)
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    In order of speed (and reverse order of durability) -

    Veloflex Corsa or Vittoria Evo CXII
    Pro 3 (or 4)
    Conti GP4000S

    I haven't ridden Ultremo's but suspect they're around the group with Pro3's.

    Personally I'll be riding Pro4's this summer most of the time and digging out the Vittorias for crits.

    Latex tubes are brilliant for race day but a bit of a pain for normal riding and as has been mentioned shouldn't really be used with carbon clinchers because carbon doesn't dissapate heat as well as a metal rim. Build up too much heat and apparently they blow up (unlike butyl tubes). It's not a problem for tubulars because the tube is better protected and less of it is exposed to the hot carbon or the rim.
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    racingcondor wrote:
    In order of speed (and reverse order of durability) -

    Veloflex Corsa or Vittoria Evo CXII
    Pro 3 (or 4)
    Conti GP4000S

    I haven't ridden Ultremo's but suspect they're around the group with Pro3's.

    Personally I'll be riding Pro4's this summer most of the time and digging out the Vittorias for crits.

    Latex tubes are brilliant for race day but a bit of a pain for normal riding and as has been mentioned shouldn't really be used with carbon clinchers because carbon doesn't dissapate heat as well as a metal rim. Build up too much heat and apparently they blow up (unlike butyl tubes). It's not a problem for tubulars because the tube is better protected and less of it is exposed to the hot carbon or the rim.

    Why are they a pain for normal riding?
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,597
    Does anyone ever really notice if one tyre is faster than another? Probably because I'm particularly s**t but I really can't tell one from another with all other things (bike, wheel, pressures etc.) being the same.
  • HiMoz
    HiMoz Posts: 62
    Any perceived difference with the vast majority of cycling kit is placebo. I'd really like some of the big culprits such as the writers for cycling plus do some double blind testing of different bikes etc, then hopefully they will fall of and knock some sense into themselves.
  • Herbsman
    Herbsman Posts: 2,029
    HiMoz wrote:
    I'd really like some of the big culprits such as the writers for cycling plus do some double blind testing of different bikes etc,
    That would be a bit difficult for tyres.
    CAPTAIN BUCKFAST'S CYCLING TIPS - GUARANTEED TO WORK! 1 OUT OF 10 RACING CYCLISTS AGREE!
  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    Pross wrote:
    Does anyone ever really notice if one tyre is faster than another? Probably because I'm particularly s**t but I really can't tell one from another with all other things (bike, wheel, pressures etc.) being the same.

    I notice the difference between Veloflex Record and Pro Race 3 without a doubt, especially the lack of grip when going around a wet roundabout whilst trying to go as fast as possible :lol:

    They just zip along better, though in terms of time I would doubt it is a huge margin if I am honest, but marginal gains and all that :wink: . If I was road racing though I wouldn't think about using records, and would stick to more resiliant tyres.
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    PeteMadoc wrote:
    racingcondor wrote:
    Latex tubes are brilliant for race day but a bit of a pain for normal riding

    Why are they a pain for normal riding?

    You don't get tired of having to pump your tyres up every day rather than once a week? I commute on the bike, and pump the tyres up for my 'proper' riding at the weekend. Latex tubes are great (and don't get me wrong, I use them for my best wheels) but in my opinion they're not a good option for all purposes.
  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    One thing I have noticed as well, is that if you have a hole in the tyre, a butyl tube will not squeeze through it, but a latex tube could do.

    Must admit the daily pumping up of a tyre or every 2 days for me normally, didn't bother me, I tend to do this with butyl tubes as well, though obviously they generally don't actually need it, just habit I suppose LOL.
  • Cagey09
    Cagey09 Posts: 9
    Thanks for the tips guys , am thinking about using the Schwalbe (unable to spell) Ultramoes with a Latex tube combo .. it is interesting to think how much difference it does make and whether it is just a placebo i.e. you think your on something fast ergo you feel fast......
  • twoscompany
    twoscompany Posts: 4
    Try those new mavic,griplink,powerlink

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