training tyres...winter months

pilch
pilch Posts: 1,136
edited October 2012 in Road buying advice
Hi, mountain biker looking to get some road miles in over the winter, I want something with reasonable grip and good puncture protection as I will be riding in rural areas on quiet country lanes... I'm looking at:

Specialized Armadillo

Conti Gatorskin

Conti GP 4 seasons

Any particular reasons to favour any of the above... or are they all much the same.... or are there others you would recommend over them?

Cheers
A berm? were you expecting one?

29er race

29er bouncer

Comments

  • Chris James
    Chris James Posts: 1,040
    I alwasy understood the Armadillos to be quite hefty. The Contis each have their advocates, the Gatorskins are supposed to be slightly more puncture resistant.

    Personally I use Vrederstein Fortezza Tricomp Quattros which run nicely, seem pretty robust (I'v eonly ever had snakebit punctures) and are cheapish from Ribble.
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    GP4Seasons, in 25mm

    better than gatorskins. Also look at Mich Endurance.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    Michelin Kylion carbons 23 or 25s - you can still get them, just about
    Vittoria Evo pave CG 24s
    Conti gatorskins 25s
  • MarksMintness
    MarksMintness Posts: 484
    I moved to Vittoria Rubino Pro's following good comments on here about them recently and I love them. Not expensive (sub £20) and do the job for me, lots of colours as well.
    Would agree about going to 25mm if you can, something I wish I had done particularly for winter roads.
    Cheers
    Current bike: 2014 Kinesis Racelight T2 - built by my good self!
  • pilch
    pilch Posts: 1,136
    Cheers guys, thanks for the quick responses, some good options there.
    A berm? were you expecting one?

    29er race

    29er bouncer
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    Gatorskins are nice, roll well, good protection but can be a little 'nervy' in wet weather.
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • orangepip
    orangepip Posts: 219
    Can I throw a new one into the mix? Schwalbe Durano.

    I've had mine for a year or so now and only just starting to look a bit worn having covered approx 5000 miles. No punctures as yet though (touch wood) over the worst of the newcastle roads.
  • OfficerDigby
    OfficerDigby Posts: 110
    My Krylion Carbon 700x23C tyres were slashed to bits in 6 months commuting and chiltern rides.

    Held out for 3 months just picking the odd flint pieces out. Thinking each one would have been a puncture in other tyres. But just recently been sliced right through - sharp flinty grit on country and city roads.

    Can't be more than 2500 miles. Thought they'd last longer

    Am switching to the Schwalbe Durano Plus hopefully do a longer job over winter.
  • yeachan153
    yeachan153 Posts: 401
    orangepip wrote:
    Can I throw a new one into the mix? Schwalbe Durano.

    I've had mine for a year or so now and only just starting to look a bit worn having covered approx 5000 miles. No punctures as yet though (touch wood) over the worst of the newcastle roads.
    +1. Covered over 1000 miles on these without a puncture. The sidewall got slashed, but the tyre seemed to resist this too.

    Impressed with grip as well.
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    OfficerDigby wrote:
    My Krylion Carbon 700x23C tyres were slashed to bits in 6 months commuting and chiltern rides.

    Held out for 3 months just picking the odd flint pieces out. Thinking each one would have been a puncture in other tyres. But just recently been sliced right through - sharp flinty grit on country and city roads.

    Can't be more than 2500 miles. Thought they'd last longer

    Am switching to the Schwalbe Durano Plus hopefully do a longer job over winter.
    that's surprising ..
  • Todd Sweeney
    Todd Sweeney Posts: 117
    I urecently fitted a pair of Vittoria Open Pave Evo for the winter. I got them on sale from Wiggle a few months ago. I like them A LOT so far. They are really, really comfortable, with great grip and, and touch wood, seem durable. I can also daydream that I am riding Flanders or Roubaix thanks to the cool green strip on them!

Categories