Schwalbe Ultremo ZX 23x622, two rides, two punctures

p1tse

First time was on the rear and pinched a pothole
Now second time front tyre and unsure how it happened, need to inspect tyre and inner tube when I get a chance

declan1

Interesting.

16mm

I had a puncture a month over 6 months last year, in ZXs. First ride on them this year another puncture.
They roll great and are fast, but have poor puncture resistance. Binned mine after todays puncture.

bigpikle

16mm wrote:

I had a puncture a month over 6 months last year, in ZXs. First ride on them this year another puncture.
They roll great and are fast, but have poor puncture resistance. Binned mine after todays puncture.

if you binned them then please recycle them and send them to me - seriously

I've had numerous pairs of these in 23 and 25 and can count on 3 fingers the number of punctures I've had!

smoggysteve

p1tse wrote:

First time was on the rear and pinched a pothole
Now second time front tyre and unsure how it happened, need to inspect tyre and inner tube when I get a chance

Out of interest, what pressures did you do put in them?

itboffin

I have two sets of these and they are for sure race tyres but I love them, i've had a couple of visits but mostly because the road around here aren't real tarmac anymore more rutted muddy potholed farm tracks.

This wont stop me using them just not on the commute when I actually care about how long it takes to get where im going.

Also keep them inflated 110-120 psi seems to help.

smoggysteve

itboffin wrote:

I have two sets of these and they are for sure race tyres but I love them, i've had a couple of visits but mostly because the road around here aren't real tarmac anymore more rutted muddy potholed farm tracks.

This wont stop me using them just not on the commute when I actually care about how long it takes to get where im going.

Also keep them inflated 110-120 psi seems to help.

I think they need to be kept at over 100, I only ever had 1 puncture and it was the one time I didn't rememeber to pump them up to what I normally ride on. I don't think it was a coincidence that I got the flat. I even noticed I picked up more abrasions than normal that day.

Froomes Edgar

SmoggySteve wrote:

itboffin wrote:

I have two sets of these and they are for sure race tyres but I love them, i've had a couple of visits but mostly because the road around here aren't real tarmac anymore more rutted muddy potholed farm tracks.

This wont stop me using them just not on the commute when I actually care about how long it takes to get where im going.

Also keep them inflated 110-120 psi seems to help.

I think they need to be kept at over 100, I only ever had 1 puncture and it was the one time I didn't rememeber to pump them up to what I normally ride on. I don't think it was a coincidence that I got the flat. I even noticed I picked up more abrasions than normal that day.

Secteur

They are fast training tyres / amateur race tyres.

They have minimal puncture resistance.

On UK roads, why is the OP suprised by this?

Froomes Edgar

Secteur wrote:

They are fast training tyres / amateur race tyres.

They have minimal puncture resistance.

On UK roads, why is the OP suprised by this?

He seems the type to be surprised that the sun comes up every day

smoggysteve

Secteur wrote:

They are fast training tyres / amateur race tyres.

They have minimal puncture resistance.

On UK roads, why is the OP suprised by this?

Not sure I read much surprise in his post. And as I say, 1 puncture in over 6 months running Zx's shows they aint as bad as people suggest. Yes they cut from time to time, but they stick to the road in all weather and I feel confident using them. If you don't like them, fine. Go use Conti or Michelin or whatever brand you like but don't scare people away from them without having just cause. BTW, the ZX DD are very good at puncture protection and still have lower rolling resistance than a most of the tyres out there.

MattC59

I've had a pair in my Enigma since last June, not had a single problem with them, and there are a lot of sh*t roads around here.

1_reaper

Six thasound miles odd last year with several pairs and three flats. Run them at 120. I weigh 65KG. Just maybe the OP is unlucky?

moscowflyer

They seem to be very hit and miss when you read reviews. I have some in the garage, they came with the bike but I took them off and replaced them with some GP4000s without really giving them much of a chance as the general consensus was if they didn't give you loads of punctures, they'd wear out anyway within 600-700 miles.

Secteur

I'm biased.

I've only ever had 2 punctures, and both were in the short 6 weeks i was using these tyres - one after 100 miles, the other after about 10 miles.

Otherwise i've always used Schwalbe Duranos with no punctures and to be honest i couldnt tell any difference from the ultremo's in terms of the ride.

Buying better wheels (Equipes) made a massive difference - using "sportier" (Ultremos) tyres didnt

p1tse

Not an element of surprise but wanted to gauge other users experience.
Does inner tube make any difference?

What I am surprised about is that the hole I got in the inner tube was rim tape side?

bianchimoon

Been running ultremos for 2years on all sorts of roads not a single puncture, you've been unlucky is my guess

ShutUpLegs

I blame farmers cutting hedges

smoggysteve

p1tse wrote:

Not an element of surprise but wanted to gauge other users experience.
Does inner tube make any difference?

What I am surprised about is that the hole I got in the inner tube was rim tape side?

Is this not more likely to be debris inside the rim and not the tyre?

Raffles

conti ultra gatorskin here, 23 and i run em at F/R 100/110 and love them and never had a problem .....great tyres

itboffin

I had 50 punctures in my first year of riding a road bike, dont believe me ..? i created a thread to record them, I even had two whilst not on the bike in front of multiple BR witnesses.

Me and the PF we're like that X

Bobbinogs

Tyre pressure is a very subjective thing, and also very dependent on weight. I am 65kg and run my tyres at 80f/90r and don't get any problems. In fact, the Schwalbes are great at that pressure, very supple, fast and yet grippy at the same time. No visits from the fairy for a long while.

If you get a pinch flat then it means you either tw*ted a pothole (so it's a bit tough to blame the tyre) or haven't got the tyre pressure right for your weight.

smidsy

Secteur wrote:

They are fast training tyres / amateur race tyres.

They have minimal puncture resistance.

On UK roads, why is the OP suprised by this?

Because people come on here claiming all sorts of wonderful things like no punctures in 1000's of miles or no problems with low spoke count wheels even if they are 100 kg

bianchimoon

smidsy wrote:

Secteur wrote:

They are fast training tyres / amateur race tyres.

They have minimal puncture resistance.

On UK roads, why is the OP suprised by this?

Because people come on here claiming all sorts of wonderful things like no punctures in 1000's of miles or no problems with low spoke count wheels even if they are 100 kg

I must be lying then, no ultremo puncture's in 2 years and no problems with my low spoke count wheels! not 100kg tho

smidsy

bianchimoon wrote:

I must be lying then, no ultremo puncture's in 2 years and no problems with my low spoke count wheels! not 100kg tho

No just lucky. And good on ya for that.

bianchimoon

smidsy wrote:

bianchimoon wrote:

I must be lying then, no ultremo puncture's in 2 years and no problems with my low spoke count wheels! not 100kg tho

No just lucky. And good on ya for that.

must say i'm surprised, prior to that running ultra gatorskins punctures were a regular occurance, only thing i can pin it on is the tyres and losing 10kg, and obviously some luck, who knows, but am pleasantly surprised

nolight

I use Ultremo ZX 700x23C tires with 105-110 psi. No problem so far over 1000km.

16mm

Bigpikle wrote:

16mm wrote:

I had a puncture a month over 6 months last year, in ZXs. First ride on them this year another puncture.
They roll great and are fast, but have poor puncture resistance. Binned mine after todays puncture.

if you binned them then please recycle them and send them to me - seriously

I've had numerous pairs of these in 23 and 25 and can count on 3 fingers the number of punctures I've had!

The sidewalls on one was disintegrating. Maybe a bad batch, but I'm not getting any more. They are safest in the bin.