Road tyres for CX

stu-bim

Have CX tyres on Raleigh RX 2.0 and want to change them to road tyres. http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1086738_-1___

Roads in Barbados are really slick when it rains. Seems like very little gravel/stones are used as roads have a very smooth surface, probably to resist excessive heat and tropical downpours.

Tyres available from LBS are
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/michelin-pro4-s ... road-tyre/ - $20
or
http://www.amazon.com/Michelin-MDST-P-D ... B007XRAZ0I - $80

or online option for continental 4000s but may be a while waiting to get here.

Main concern is grip.

Any experience on these tyres or are the 4000s worth the wait?

cjcp

My Spesh Roubaixs have been pretty good in all conditions so far. 4000s are good, but if the rain leaves behind a lot of gravel, I'd go for something a bit tougher. Do your rims have a minimum tyre width requirement?

First.Aspect

Ive been running 4000 25c's on my cross bike for ages. My old commute took me down a farm track which was a mix of gravel and rubble and any other sh1t washed from the fields. I didn't notice any more cuts than with my Gatorakins.

The roads in Barbados didn't seem that bad to me. Note however that if oil on water is an issue over there (certainly it was in Tobago, given the general state of the vehicles there) there's not much better than good old caution to keep you upright.

So, the 4000s are good tyres IMO, but if its a pain to get hold of them, order well in advance because they aren't as long lived as some. That is the trade off you get for grip I'm afraid.

phy2sll2

Pro4 SC have loads of grip (as do 4000s), but I cut mine up very quickly. Couldn't tell from that third sentence whether the gravel was small, or there wasn't much gravel. If the former, I would go for something a bit tougher.

stu-bim

The roads I commute on are decent when its dry but slick up real fast when it rains. Mixture between smooth surface (not much stone content in Tarmac) and plenty of oil and standing water on the roads.

phy2sll2

Go for the pro4s then.

slowbike

If you're going "online" then I'd consider the Conti GP4 seasons - they stick well in the wet and are pretty robust - reportedly more so than the 4000s. I've run a couple of thousand miles on mine in all conditions and they're still going strong.
I did a sportive where road conditions were atrocious after a lot of wet weather and there were punctures seemingly every mile or so (for 60 miles!) but the GP4seasons held strong.

tgotb

Slowbike wrote:

If you're going "online" then I'd consider the Conti GP4 seasons - they stick well in the wet and are pretty robust - reportedly more so than the 4000s.

Far more robust, in my experience. The 4000s are a nicer tyre to ride in good conditions, but the sidewalls can be a bit fragile; I founf them a bit too delicate for commuting, especially in Winter. I've ended up with 4000s on the good bike and 4 Seasons on the commuter, and feels like I've hit the longevity/performance tradeoff about right in both cases.

jejv

stu-bim wrote:

Roads in Barbados are really slick when it rains. Seems like very little gravel/stones are used as roads have a very smooth surface, probably to resist excessive heat and tropical downpours.

Awesome Geology. The rocks get older as you climb. The record in the terraces of global sea level changes.
Oh. Ahem. Sorry, wrong forum.

If puncture resistance isn't an issue, then a soft, light - so probably compliant to the road surface - slick. You have a CX, so don't have to stick to narrow road tyres. Fatter tyres maybe grip better. Can't aquaplane a bike. Schwalbe Ultremo ZX 28-622 ? Bit cheaper/tougher, rated on BikeRadar: Vittoria Rubino Pro 28-622.

Dunno if anyone here's tried Ultremo Aqua - which seems to have a fine tread pattern similar to the sides of Rubino Pro's.

bunter

I have 28mm Conti 4 seasons on my Kinesis Crosslight. Not exactly road tyres at that width I suppose, but I am very happy with them. I have about 1/2 mile of rough, potholed gravelly track on my commute which they handle fine. Pretty good in the wet and they roll well. I think this is a good balance between toughness, grip, weight and comfort (for me at least). They look ok on a cross bike too.

ugo.santalucia

Have you thought of a touring tyre? More durable and robust and nearly as fast... I recommend Vittoria Randonneur

ddraver

jejv wrote:

stu-bim wrote:

Roads in Barbados are really slick when it rains. Seems like very little gravel/stones are used as roads have a very smooth surface, probably to resist excessive heat and tropical downpours.

Awesome Geology. The rocks get older as you climb. The record in the terraces of global sea level changes.
Oh. Ahem. Sorry, wrong forum.
.

Oh my God is there another Geologist on here??