Bloody GP4000Ss

apreading

ShandyH wrote:

Unless you're unlucky with what you ride over, I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed if you go for them.

You could say this about most tyres - the big question is 'how much pixie dust is sprinkled on them at the factory to improve your luck!'

itboffin

I'm quite tempted to shove some tyre sealant in mine, not to try and run them tubeless more for when i do pick up my next unexpected visit it won't involve a dark wet and no doubt cold roadside repair.

I've been on rides so grim that i would have ridden a bare rim home. tubeless has to be the way forward?

apreading

Surely with a tube inside, the sealant will not be able to move around to get to the hole and seal it?

veronese68

Sealant inside the tube. This was being discussed recently here. Not sure if TGOTB has tried it yet though.

itboffin

that green slime stuff is rubbish that much i know

veronese68

Having read up on the MTB forum consensus seems to be that Stans No Tubes is the best of them. A little bit can also be used in a tube, contrary to what the name implies. There is a thread about it in MTB general I believe.

wheelwobble

Has anyone had experience of how Michelin Pro 4 Endurance (25mm) tyres stack up against the Vittorias or Contis?

fat_tail

Update on Rubinos. I replaced the cut RUbino with another one a couple of weeks ago. Last Sunday morning I went for a ride. It was a freezing cold morning so plenty of black ice around and I fell off the bike going round a sharpish bend luckliy I was doing about 10 kph. This morning (after another freezing night) I went for a ride. I fell off twice. Once going up Box Hill and another in Ewell. Not sure if it was just the Rubinos or if other riders had a similar experience. I have to say the fall on Box Hill was on the lower slopes and I was travelling in a straight line although putting out some fearsome power. and the fall in Ewell was on the level and travelling relatively slowly.

okgo

Rubber provides no grip on ice, cheers for that.

il_principe

meanredspider wrote:

I've a set of Vittoria Pave CGs to put on - super grippy - I'm going to try them. Failing that, I'll stick to Rubino Pros but maybe get the grippy (Evo?) version of them as my ride down the Amstel today had a variety of slippery surfaces.

Pretty unimpressed by Dutch roadies - only 1 slowed to ask if all was ok despite loads passing me.

My rear Rubino Pro has suffered 4 punctures in a month. Useless. Getting binned this evening. I use Vitoria Paves on the winter bike and will be putting Gator Hardshells on this evening.

FWIW our mechanics swear by Marathon Plus'

meanredspider

Il Principe wrote:

My rear Rubino Pro has suffered 4 punctures in a month.

Amazing and not good. That's more than I've had in 2 years and god knows how many thousand miles. But less than I've had in a few hundred miles on GP4ks.

il_principe

meanredspider wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

My rear Rubino Pro has suffered 4 punctures in a month.

Amazing and not good. That's more than I've had in 2 years and god knows how many thousand miles. But less than I've had in a few hundred miles on GP4ks.

Am cursed at the moment. Have an old Ultraskin on the front. Suffered a load of punctures in Nov/Dec, then 3 in 2 days last week. Broken glass all over the place in London at the mo, hard to see in the wet/dark.

meanredspider

Il Principe wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

My rear Rubino Pro has suffered 4 punctures in a month.

Amazing and not good. That's more than I've had in 2 years and god knows how many thousand miles. But less than I've had in a few hundred miles on GP4ks.

Am cursed at the moment. Have an old Ultraskin on the front. Suffered a load of punctures in Nov/Dec, then 3 in 2 days last week. Broken glass all over the place in London at the mo, hard to see in the wet/dark.

If the chunks of glass are big enough, only the most bulletproof tyres will stop it. And, in my experience, the most bulletproof tyres are terrible to ride on. I like Rubino Pros not because they're the most puncture-proof, or the grippiest, or the fastest, or the cheapest but a generally great mix (and, yes, compromise) of all 4.

iPete

ShandyH wrote:

I'm now on Vredestein Fortezza Tricomps. They are superb tyres in the wet. They get a few nicks but what doesn't? Far more assured in the wet than Gatorskins and more hardy than most. Very pleased with them.

Snap & when you can get them at Ribble for £22 (-the usual discount codes) they are a massive bargain.

Apologies though folks, I got the last ones.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... redtyrf225

fat_tail

keeping the thread going and update on tyres. in the past 12 months I have ridden on 3 different types of tyres and this what I think:
1. gatorskins - tough as anything. harsh ride, terrible grip
2. rubino pro iii - great ride (that 150 tpi again), not bad when it comes to toughness but grip not so good
3. Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp - good ride, seem tough but early days yet and grip feels phenomenal

jonny_trousers

Just a bit of positivity for the GP4000Ss. I've been commuting on mine for the last 3 or 4 months in the worst possible conditions and so far puncture free (I appreciate I am massively tempting fate here).

gbsahne001

fat_tail wrote:

keeping the thread going and update on tyres. in the past 12 months I have ridden on 3 different types of tyres and this what I think:
1. gatorskins - tough as anything. harsh ride, terrible grip
2. rubino pro iii - great ride (that 150 tpi again), not bad when it comes to toughness but grip not so good
3. Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp - good ride, seem tough but early days yet and grip feels phenomenal

over the past few years.....

1. Gatorskin Hardshell: not very puncture proof, grip rubbish
2. durano: OK, a few punctures but looking at the tyre lots of cuts and flint embedded in the tyre
3. Rubino Pro; good ride, tough and not had any issues with grip
4. RibMo: fast, reasonably puncture proof, grippy in dry but beware in the wet
5. GP4000: fantastic ride but too thin and lots of punctures
6. Conti, winter contact 2; very grippy, a few punctures but so slow
7. Conti, travel contact; good fun, take them off road, reasonably fast for width but suffered a few visits

pollys_bott

wheelwobble wrote:

Has anyone had experience of how Michelin Pro 4 Endurance (25mm) tyres stack up against the Vittorias or Contis?

I bought some Pro 4s when PBK were selling them for silly money just after Christmas. Couldn't believe how soft and smooth they felt on the first ride and I was thinking that they wouldn't last five minutes with all the crap being washed onto the roads. However, they've probably had about 500 miles put on them so far and I'm struggling to see any nicks or cuts in them at all. Sure, I'm not commuting through the suburban hell-holes that some undoubtedly do but some of the lanes I go down on my rides out would be better tackled on a cross-bike so they've had a bit of abuse. They're quite 'fat', actually 26/27mm wide so clearance on Cruds is tight but I can put up with the odd bit of interference. I was on Rubino Pro and got about 4000 miles with 2 visits out of my last pair. They did have a couple of deep cuts in which had gone right through (which was why I replaced them) but general wear was fine and I would have happily kept using them, but when the Pro 4s were there at the same-ish price I just had to try them and I'm glad I did.

So far so happy with the Pro 4s, and if they do suddenly fall to bits then I've got some Fortezza Tricomps and Schwalbe Ultremo ZX HD to try as well... Planet X have the Pro 4s at £20 at the mo as well...

itboffin

the tricomps are excellent i've been running them for a few months and very happy with them

Initialised

Have any of you lot heard of Specialized Espoir tyres?

My bike came with 28mm Espoir Sports, they each punctured once in a 4000 mile lifespan, so I replaced them with the 23mm Elite version. So far ~2500 miles I have suffered two punctures with these, however, neither was penetrative, one was leaving the hot hose on the tyre while cleaning the bike, the other was a pinch because I'd carried on using the 28mm tube in the 23mm tyre and hit a lump in the path, it punctured on the fold. I'm going to get the 25mm version next time as the 23mm is a bit unforgiving on lumpier ground.

meanredspider

Just another spot bit of "data" to support my argument today. 6 of us did 90km in some pretty foul conditions in Limburg (cold, wet and windy). The only guy to puncture was the one guy running GP4000Ss (given the conditions, none of us were delighted)

antsmithmk

For what its worth my GP4000s tires only go on for summer and early autumn. They dont have a great deal of shelf life and they puncture very easily

jeepie1999

+1 for the Vreidestein tyres. A struggle to put on but I don't plan taking them off till they wear out.
Had 6 weeks and 500 miles from them. Great grip and fast rolling.

markhewitt1978

Ran GP4000S for 1,500 miles and they had their first puncture yesterday. Although it was an obvious bit of glass I ran over.

Although this was their first run out since last November as I've been running GP 4 Seasons over the winter - puncture free.

tincaman

Jeepie1999 wrote:

+1 for the Vreidestein tyres. A struggle to put on but I don't plan taking them off till they wear out.
Had 6 weeks and 500 miles from them. Great grip and fast rolling.

+1 for the Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp, have run the same tyres for 2 winters now with zero deflations