Force/Attack tyre problems

Red-Eye
Red-Eye Posts: 20
edited September 2013 in Road buying advice
Hi, I've just come back from a failed ride, 2nd front blowout in 2 rides :-(
After looking for the culprit I noticed that there is a split in the front side wall, only about 4mm long but enough. The tyres are Conti Force/Attack and have only done approx 300mls.
What I would like to know is this a common problem with these tyres & is there a weight limit to these tyres as I'm on the larger size, 105Kg ?
For the time being I'm going to stick my 25mm GP Four seasons back on as I've not had a problem with these so far. Any other advice or people's opinions are much appreciated.

Comments

  • foggymike
    foggymike Posts: 862
    They're great tyres, I've used them since they came out and have never had a p*&%$£(e on them in all that time. I think you've just had some of my bad luck :wink:

    I've never heard of tyres with a weight limit, but you may want to make sure you have enough pressure in to avoid pinch flats.
  • cooper.michael1
    cooper.michael1 Posts: 1,787
    Yeah, I'd say 105kg on a 22mm very lightweight tyre which weighs 175g is probably pushing its design limits. Racing tyres are not particularly durable, so you could have just had some bad luck with something on the road too.

    I agree a slightly more robust 25mm tyre would probably be a more sensible option.
  • Red-Eye
    Red-Eye Posts: 20
    Cheers for the advice mike, I could do with loosing a bit of weight as i am doing, but I'm never going to be an 80Kg whippet. How about a 23mm GP Four seasons on the front & 25mm on the rear to replicate the force/attack setup but with a more robust side wall tyre ?
    Cheers
  • cooper.michael1
    cooper.michael1 Posts: 1,787
    foggymike wrote:
    They're great tyres, I've used them since they came out and have never had a p*&%$£(e on them in all that time. I think you've just had some of my bad luck :wink:

    I've never heard of tyres with a weight limit, but you may want to make sure you have enough pressure in to avoid pinch flats.

    It does come down to pressure on one level but there comes a point when you simply can't put enough pressure in a small volume tyre. For example Schwalbe recommend you put an additional 1% pressure in per Kg above a rider weight of 75kg. http://www.schwalbe.com/gbl/en/technik_ ... _subPoint=

    Therefore a 23mm tyre which has a recommended pressure of 110psi would need an extra 30% for a 105kg rider which would take it to 143psi, which is very high...and above the recommended maximum pressures for most tyres.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,786
    They re super dooper light racing tyres...they re only meant to be used on very special occasions a few times and then binned (I wore through the back one skidding a couple of times). Do yourself a favour and get some GP4000S next time. To be honest you won't really notice much difference in ride quality and they re much tougher.
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • cooper.michael1
    cooper.michael1 Posts: 1,787
    Red-Eye wrote:
    Cheers for the advice mike, I could do with loosing a bit of weight as i am doing, but I'm never going to be an 80Kg whippet. How about a 23mm GP Four seasons on the front & 25mm on the rear to replicate the force/attack setup but with a more robust side wall tyre ?
    Cheers

    There are loads of people out there who are very good bike riders at 100kg, but the equipment built for 70kg pro riders might not be as durable for you. I could not comment on your plan as it is 10 years since i've used a 23mm tyre because on the UK roads I think they ride terribly. You can only benefit from riding a larger tyre, better traction, better rolling resistance, better ride for the expense of about 50g in weight.
  • Red-Eye
    Red-Eye Posts: 20
    Is it possible to fix the tear in the side wall, if so what is the best tried & tested method or is it bin and buy new?
    I did a fix out on the road to get me home last night by puting the plastic card from the lezyne patch kit over the tear & that worked great but would not trust as a permanent fix. Cheers
  • foggymike
    foggymike Posts: 862
    I'd just bin it I'm afraid :(

    If you want a light set up and the ability to take higher pressures there are always tubs, but that means opening a whole new can of worms!
  • pkripper
    pkripper Posts: 652
    just bin it and get some 25mm tyres. Why do you actually want racing tyres for general use?

    You'll also be able to run slightly lower pressures (vs a 22/23mm anyways) so your rolling resistance will reduce, grip and comfort will increase and you'll probably have a faster set up than over-pressurised 22mms which will skip alarmingly on rough roads.
  • Red-Eye
    Red-Eye Posts: 20
    As I'm new to road riding I was recommended to remove the 25mm Gp Four Seasons & get some "summer tyres" therefore I took the advice of a more experienced rider, oh well we all learn by our mistakes.
    Would I have the same sort of problem with the Conti Gp 4000s or best to stick to running the 25mm Gp Four seasons as they say in the name, through out the whole year?
    Cheers ;-)
  • pkripper
    pkripper Posts: 652
    if you're after new tyres, get some 25mm GP4000s for the summer, and switch out for the 4seasons in the winter. I'm afraid the advice you got didn't necessarily factor in your weight, or even the basic understanding of tyre dynamics, and how the different dynamics compete with each other. Each tyre will be a compromise in one way or another, but I weigh 71kg, and use 23mm GP4000s in the summer on 23mm wide rims (mimicking a wider tyre), and switch to 25mm GP4000s once the winter base miles kick back in, purely for comfort - it's like riding a sofa for me! A fast sofa.

    And keep my racing tyres (23mm vittioria open corsa evo cx) for the racing wheels.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,533
    i've used the force/attack, they're not very durable due to the thin construction and soft sticky rubber and their rolling resistance is poor for a racing tyre, once i've used up my spares i'll be switching, wouldn't recommend them at all

    gp4000s is a much more robust tyre than force/attack, i've got them on my commute/training bike, they'll last much longer

    as above, go for 25mm minimum, better traction, comfier, last longer

    but there's nothing wrong with keeping the gp4 seasons on, you could even go to 28mm on the rear if the frame allows (i.e. 25 front, 28 rear)
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • 2oldnslow
    2oldnslow Posts: 313
    got a couple of pairs of GP 4 seasons in 28mm and in my experience on a "non wide rim" come up smaller than their stated size so yes a big +1 for the suggestion of going with the larger size. They fit perfectly well under the ultegra brakes on my Cervelo which isn't exactly known for it's "touring clearances".

    I'm only (only ?) 82 kg but on the roads around here I wouldn't think of using a narrower tyre for non competitive riding. In fact I've just bought a pair of Challenge Eroica in 30mm for my new bike. Mind you that will have disc brakes so oodles of clearance. Bit of a struggle getting them on the rims mind you.
  • timbo43
    timbo43 Posts: 7
    Red-Eye wrote:
    How about a 23mm GP Four seasons on the front & 25mm on the rear to replicate the force/attack setup but with a more robust side wall tyre ?

    Can anyone else weigh in on the merits of this please? It looks like an appealing notion...

    Thanks in advance.
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    Remember heavy guys running high pressures can run pressures which exceed the recommended for some rims too.
  • springtide9
    springtide9 Posts: 1,731
    Red-Eye wrote:
    Hi, I've just come back from a failed ride, 2nd front blowout in 2 rides :-(
    After looking for the culprit I noticed that there is a split in the front side wall, only about 4mm long but enough. The tyres are Conti Force/Attack and have only done approx 300mls.
    What I would like to know is this a common problem with these tyres & is there a weight limit to these tyres as I'm on the larger size, 105Kg ?
    For the time being I'm going to stick my 25mm GP Four seasons back on as I've not had a problem with these so far. Any other advice or people's opinions are much appreciated.

    I also found that they were prone to pinch flats (90kg) and I gave up on them after just a few rides. Due to the width, the ride was harsh and on rougher roads didn't ride as fast as a slightly rider tyre. They also didn't have the grip of the standard GP's I was used too.

    I'm sure they are great racing tyres and fine for lighter riders, but I wouldn't recommend them for everyday training tyres for heavier riders (based on my limited experience)
    Simon
  • Gazzetta67
    Gazzetta67 Posts: 1,890
    Eh i would read the topic on Conti GP4000's before buying. no time to find it just now...but a good few people finding problems with the sidewalls splitting at the wire beading ? coincedental or just a bad batch ????. only done 500 miles on mine, both in the bin should have just stuck with Michelin's

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