"Open" Clinchers & Latex

il_principe

Has anyone here ever experimented with so called "Open" clinchers - i.e the Vittoria Evo SC? I'm going to need a new set of tires soon and was contemplating giving these a go over the summer. The CX versions are on offer on Wiggle at the mo.

Also - latex tubes? From what I understand, if you're going to run open clinchers then you should use latex. Problem is that no-one makes 80mm latex inners. So I'd need tubes with removable cores and valve extenders. I didn't get on with valve extenders the last time, so again does anyone have experience of removable valve core tubes and extenders that they would care to share?

I'll probably just go with Pro Race 3 again, but thought this was worth exploring.

pitchshifter

Not used either of them but lots of people rave about Veloflex masters, cheaper than the evo's too..


The whole "Open" thing is just marketing dribble isn't it? I thought all it means is that they use the same material as the tubular..

il_principe

pitchshifter wrote:

Not used either of them but lots of people rave about Veloflex masters, cheaper than the evo's too..


The whole "Open" thing is just marketing dribble isn't it? I thought all it means is that they use the same material as the tubular..

Thats my assumption. Just intrigued to see if there's any discernible difference.

bigmat

Open Corsa / Veloflex will last about 5 minutes on our roads, by all accounts. Pro Race 3/4, GP4000S, Rubino Pro / Diamante Pro, and (hopefully, as I've just bought a pair) Ultremo ZX are probably a better balance between speed and durability for "every day best" as opposed to out and out racing.

spasypaddy

GP4000s are the only tyres i use on my good wheels.

however on my rubbish wheels im starting to use plain old cheap vittoria rubinos. they seem to be holding up well

il_principe

BigMat wrote:

Open Corsa / Veloflex will last about 5 minutes on our roads, by all accounts. Pro Race 3/4, GP4000S, Rubino Pro / Diamante Pro, and (hopefully, as I've just bought a pair) Ultremo ZX are probably a better balance between speed and durability for "every day best" as opposed to out and out racing.

I'm really only thinking of using them for the very best days in the summer, my trip to Cyprus and to the Pyrenees. I currently run Pro Race 3 and Attack/Force and am pretty happy with both.

gabriel959

spasypaddy wrote:

GP4000s are the only tyres i use on my good wheels.

however on my rubbish wheels im starting to use plain old cheap vittoria rubinos. they seem to be holding up well

Rubino Pro's are very good tyres. Well recommended.

Gussio

I was riding with Vittoria Open Pave's until the end of last year. Comfy, durable and good puncture resistance but not very fast. My understanding is that the Open Corsa's are pretty much the opposite. Now using Conti GP4000S's which are much faster and (touch wood) haven't punctured yet.

Kieran_Burns

I'm am so disappointed by the content of this thread...

PBo

Thought clincher might be some kind of code word for nipple clamp, and this was a S&M thread....

spasypaddy

gabriel959 wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

GP4000s are the only tyres i use on my good wheels.

however on my rubbish wheels im starting to use plain old cheap vittoria rubinos. they seem to be holding up well

Rubino Pro's are very good tyres. Well recommended.

not even using the pros. pure rubinos.

£7 a tyre!

bigmat

Il Principe wrote:

pitchshifter wrote:

Not used either of them but lots of people rave about Veloflex masters, cheaper than the evo's too..


The whole "Open" thing is just marketing dribble isn't it? I thought all it means is that they use the same material as the tubular..

Thats my assumption. Just intrigued to see if there's any discernible difference.

In that case I'd go veloflex - good deals at ribble at the moment, and they come in red!

bigmat

spasypaddy wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

GP4000s are the only tyres i use on my good wheels.

however on my rubbish wheels im starting to use plain old cheap vittoria rubinos. they seem to be holding up well

Rubino Pro's are very good tyres. Well recommended.

not even using the pros. pure rubinos.

£7 a tyre!

Snap! Great for commuting.

clarkey cat

I bought some corsa evos

They ripped up within minutes and I got 5 punctures in 3 days.

Super fast though.

prawny

GP4000s are the dogs.

Rubino Pro's are super comfy.

Both are pretty good on uk roads, if I was going abroad/racing I'd be tempted to try some veloflex ones, but I'm not sure I'd get much benefit over the conti's tbh. They even wear well.

spasypaddy

BigMat wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

GP4000s are the only tyres i use on my good wheels.

however on my rubbish wheels im starting to use plain old cheap vittoria rubinos. they seem to be holding up well

Rubino Pro's are very good tyres. Well recommended.

not even using the pros. pure rubinos.

£7 a tyre!

Snap! Great for commuting.

gonna shove some on my fixie when i get it back up and running! need to order 3 more though. as i have a rear wheel needing a tyre. genuinely very impressed with them and at £7 a tyre you cant go wrong

did you use them through the winter?

bigmat

spasypaddy wrote:

BigMat wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

GP4000s are the only tyres i use on my good wheels.

however on my rubbish wheels im starting to use plain old cheap vittoria rubinos. they seem to be holding up well

Rubino Pro's are very good tyres. Well recommended.

not even using the pros. pure rubinos.

£7 a tyre!

Snap! Great for commuting.

gonna shove some on my fixie when i get it back up and running! need to order 3 more though. as i have a rear wheel needing a tyre. genuinely very impressed with them and at £7 a tyre you cant go wrong

did you use them through the winter?

Yes, although I tend to bring the mountainbike out for really bad weather days. Tyres have probably done a couple of thousand miles though, and look in great shape (haven't inspected recently, but had no cause for concern). On the other hand, managed to flat spot the Diamante Pro on my best bike doing an emergency stop and went through to the canvas which I was a bit annoyed about - they are a lot less tough (but still just about acceptable for daily commuting, as long as you avoid mishaps!)

il_principe

spasypaddy wrote:

BigMat wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

GP4000s are the only tyres i use on my good wheels.

however on my rubbish wheels im starting to use plain old cheap vittoria rubinos. they seem to be holding up well

Rubino Pro's are very good tyres. Well recommended.

not even using the pros. pure rubinos.

£7 a tyre!

Snap! Great for commuting.

gonna shove some on my fixie when i get it back up and running! need to order 3 more though. as i have a rear wheel needing a tyre. genuinely very impressed with them and at £7 a tyre you cant go wrong

did you use them through the winter?

I ran Rubino Pros for a while, but then had an utterly ridiculous spate of punctures with them and gave up.

spasypaddy

BigMat wrote:

Yes, although I tend to bring the mountainbike out for really bad weather days. Tyres have probably done a couple of thousand miles though, and look in great shape (haven't inspected recently, but had no cause for concern). On the other hand, managed to flat spot the Diamante Pro on my best bike doing an emergency stop and went through to the canvas which I was a bit annoyed about - they are a lot less tough (but still just about acceptable for daily commuting, as long as you avoid mishaps!)

i've got my CX for really bad weather and studded tyres for REALLY REALLY bad weather.

Il Principe wrote:

I ran Rubino Pros for a while, but then had an utterly ridiculous spate of punctures with them and gave up.

thats what i do, i rate tyres until they go wrong on a regular basis. my rear wheel which has a very old durano plus on it is constantly going wrong, going to swap it for a rubino. those pros are a bit more expensive so i'll keep bashing the normal rubino drum until they annoy me

daviesee

Open Paves for me.
I use them on the summer bike here and in Mallorca.
I love them but buy them for comfort rather than speed. They seem to be as robust as most.

mrc1

clarkey cat wrote:

I bought some corsa evos

They ripped up within minutes and I got 5 punctures in 3 days.

Super fast though.

I used Vittoria CX and latex tubes during RAAM and about 1000 miles of training before hand in Essex without any problems (800 miles on the hard shoulder during RAAM) - nicest riding tyres I've had. I have one on the back at the moment (and haven't had problems but I doubt they'd last long in the wet/gravel). I've got an Ultremo on the front which is also pretty grippy but feels a bit more substantial. CX should be fine in the Pyrenees and will be lovely on the descents.

Latex tubes are a PITA for day to day as they drop pressure so fast but on a best set of wheels they are lovely.

fossyant

Got Michelin Latex in my Pro Race's - my they make a lovely whoosh sound !

clarkey cat

Ah - I had latex tubes on my fixie and I ditched them as they kept going down!!!

Still got a Corsa Evo CX on the front... as soon as I have got around the fixing the rear I will put it back on. They are really nice to ride on.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I'm am so disappointed by the content of this thread...

I wonder whether this thread title is as close as you can get to guaranteed "pervert or cyclist" detector.

I am pleased to say I am a cyclist after all.

clarkey cat

as I have learnt - dont google 'latex tubes' at work

prawny

I use latex tubes now, they do sound fantastic, and they 'seem' a bit comfier could be in my noggin though.

I noticed on a sportive last week that I was rolling downhill faster than most even though my rear hub is fubar. Could be tyres or tubes or a combination though I suppose.

They do need pumping up weekly though, wouldn't use them for commuting.

PBo

prawny wrote:

I use latex tubes now, they do sound fantastic, and they 'seem' a bit comfier could be in my noggin though.

I have a special chair to sell you which makes your hifi sound better!

prawny

PBo wrote:

prawny wrote:

I use latex tubes now, they do sound fantastic, and they 'seem' a bit comfier could be in my noggin though.

I have a special chair to sell you which makes your hifi sound better!

If it cost £7 I'll take it :-)

Actually normal tubes are about £4 aren'y they. I'll take it off your hands for £3