best tyres for a sportive

banman77

Hi
Away to do my first sportive any advice on tyres really looking for good puncture resistance looking for ideas for clinchers and tubs not sure what i am going to use yet

bikingjohn

Continental Grand Prix 4-Season?

antsmithmk

Tubs?! For a sportive. No sir.

meanredspider

Vittoria Rubino Pro - quick and great puncture resistance. Very reasonably priced too (<£20) - these are definitely what I'd use. Get the folding variety and, if you want extra wet grip (some people do), get the Tech version.

northpole

At the moment the roads are still full of flints and I'm sticking with Conti GP 4 Seasons until things improve. I did the Fool's Errand last Sunday and whilst there wasn't a huge turn out, there were loads of folks stopped along the route switching out tubes. I'd love to switch over to something lighter and sportier but just not worth the risk at the moment.

Peter

StillGoing

antsmithmk wrote:

Tubs?! For a sportive. No sir.

Why not? I use tubs all year round in all weathers and have yet to experience a puncture whereas when using clinchers I used to get pinch flat punctures regularly. Last ride out myself and one of the group hit the same pot hole at speed. Me nothing but him on his clinchers got a pinch flat and a wrecked inner tube. Carry a spare pre-glued and folded tub (Tufo) for any flat you can't fix at the road side and some superglue and sealant for pin hole flats that you can. No pinch flats, better comfort, roll better and corner better mean to me that you should never not consider using tubs.

I use Veloflex Extreme which are 22mm, but another of our group uses Veloflex Arenburg at 25mm which he finds even more comfortable and seem to roll even better. Expensive yes and probably not as puncture resistant as some of the cheaper tubs out there, but these are built for speed rather than durability. Having said that I've ridden over unavoidable hedge clippings, flints etc and haven't even got a nick in the tyre.

nawty

If money is no object I'd get Vittoria Pave.

antsmithmk

philthy3 wrote:

antsmithmk wrote:

Tubs?! For a sportive. No sir.

Why not? ..... Carry a spare pre-glued and folded tub (Tufo) for any flat you can't fix at the road side and some superglue and sealant for pin hole flats that you can.

Would that lot be over Ryanairs baggage allowance? Just seems a lot to take with you rather than an under tube and a CO2...

StillGoing

antsmithmk wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

antsmithmk wrote:

Tubs?! For a sportive. No sir.

Why not? ..... Carry a spare pre-glued and folded tub (Tufo) for any flat you can't fix at the road side and some superglue and sealant for pin hole flats that you can.

Would that lot be over Ryanairs baggage allowance? Just seems a lot to take with you rather than an under tube and a CO2...

Hardly? I can fit a folded tub, multi tool, spare power link, superglue pen and spare Co2 cartidge in a Fizik saddle bag and anyone who has one of them will know they aren't the most cavernous of things. The Co2 pump goes in a pocket with the sealant, but the other rider in our group using tubs all year round gets everything in his Topeak small saddle bag. When I was using clinchers I would always take out two spare inner tubes which aren't that much smaller than a folded Tufo tub.

imposter2.0

banman77 wrote:

Hi
Away to do my first sportive any advice on tyres really looking for good puncture resistance looking for ideas for clinchers and tubs not sure what i am going to use yet

Assuming you already have tyres on your bike - just use those ones.

PerformingMonkey

I can highly recommend Michelin Pro4 Endurance. Used these in numerous sportives (including one with an attempted sabotage with thumb tacks). Seem to live up to their puncture resistant claims (although I have now officially jinxed my training ride tonight now) and roll nice and fast enough to use whilst racing in triathlons.

I am on my second lot of these.

mpatts

Imposter wrote:

banman77 wrote:

Hi
Away to do my first sportive any advice on tyres really looking for good puncture resistance looking for ideas for clinchers and tubs not sure what i am going to use yet

Assuming you already have tyres on your bike - just use those ones.

What he said. It's just a ride out after all. I'll be out this weekend on Ultremos if it's dry, 4 seasons if its not (dry/wet bike)

slowbike

Other than using whatever is on your bike - it really does depend what the weather is doing and what the course is.

If it's dry and the roads are clear then thinner racing slicks will get you around more quickly.
If it's been wet or the roads are littered with flints/debris then you'll want something a bit more robust.

I rode a New Forest sportive when the organisers emailed out and suggested ppl use winter tyres due to the weather and road conditions - a lot of ppl ignored that and rode on slicks and ended up changing tubes - some more than once. We rode around on our GP4seasons and suffered no ill ...
Then on another one - dry conditions this time - we rode around on a GP4seasons and suffered a puncture ...

If I really didn't want a puncture then I'd probably do the ride on my winter studded tyres on my CX ... but it wouldn't be fast ...

imposter2.0

Slowbike wrote:

If it's dry and the roads are clear then thinner racing slicks will get you around more quickly.
If it's been wet or the roads are littered with flints/debris then you'll want something a bit more robust.

Slicks can be robust, and 'thinner' tyres are not necessarily any quicker than 'fatter' tyres. Let's not confuse the matter with vagiaries...

Kimble

there's very little wrong with Conti GP 4000s! are about £50 for 2...

marcusjb

Imposter wrote:

banman77 wrote:

Hi
Away to do my first sportive any advice on tyres really looking for good puncture resistance looking for ideas for clinchers and tubs not sure what i am going to use yet

Assuming you already have tyres on your bike - just use those ones.

Seems a good option to me as well.

Unless the bike ride is on some dramatically different surface to that which you normally ride on, then stick with what you have.

drlodge

As others have said, what's wrong with whatever you have on the bike at the moment?

I do Sportives on the Rourke, which is my "best" bike. Used to have GP4000S on it, now moved to Michelin Pro4 Service Course 23c. GP4 Seasons are a good tyre, have 25c version of them on my commuting/winter bike but I would want something faster for a long sportive.

I did try the Open Paves mentioned above, but they cut up easily. So tyre selection depends on what the weather is doing and the amount of cr@p on the roads.

northpole

I did try the Open Paves mentioned above, but they cut up easily.

That was my experience with them - I won't be using them again.

Peter

banman77

Thanks for your views i am running tubs at the moment conti gator skins they are fine it was just that i have never changed one in anger and i was thinking that clinchers might be easier if i get a puncture just planning to make it as easy as possible for my first sportive

meursault

Did the Stevenage CTC Start of Summertime Audax 210k other week on Conti Ultra Gators. No punctures. Also have used conti 4 seasons with no problem before. I would just steer clear of more race type tyres, as I don't think it matters much on an Audax. Unless you are super fit and quick of course. Only downside is German rubber has no soul! I need something Italian really, any suggestions anybody?

Brakeless

Cont gator skin tubs! Is there such a thing?

passout

PerformingMonkey wrote:

I can highly recommend Michelin Pro4 Endurance. Used these in numerous sportives (including one with an attempted sabotage with thumb tacks). Seem to live up to their puncture resistant claims (although I have now officially jinxed my training ride tonight now) and roll nice and fast enough to use whilst racing in triathlons.

I am on my second lot of these.

Ditto.

meanredspider

Kimble wrote:

there's very little wrong with Conti GP 4000s! are about £50 for 2...

Don't get me started on those - I've not come across a less puncture-proof tyre - especially in the wet.

northpole wrote:

I did try the Open Paves mentioned above, but they cut up easily.

That was my experience with them - I won't be using them again.

Peter

That's because they're a soft compound - the grip is incredible, especially on wet cobbles and (unsurprisingly) pave. Grippy tyres will be soft and cut up. Only use them when you need them. They also aren't that fast - I couldn't match Strava segment times on them but I've ridden a lot of cobbles on them and not had a single "moment".

Moonbiker

Only downside is German rubber has no soul! I need something Italian really, any suggestions anybody?

Rubino's they have being mentioned already

Or maybe theese coz they come on nice colours:

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYGOIKFT/g ... lding-tyre

sloppyschleckonds

You're riding a sportive, you could do it on a shopping trolley

pippi_langsamer-2

passout wrote:

PerformingMonkey wrote:

I can highly recommend Michelin Pro4 Endurance. Used these in numerous sportives (including one with an attempted sabotage with thumb tacks). Seem to live up to their puncture resistant claims (although I have now officially jinxed my training ride tonight now) and roll nice and fast enough to use whilst racing in triathlons.

I am on my second lot of these.

Ditto.

Tritto!

northpole

meanredspider wrote:

Kimble wrote:

there's very little wrong with Conti GP 4000s! are about £50 for 2...

Don't get me started on those - I've not come across a less puncture-proof tyre - especially in the wet.

northpole wrote:

I did try the Open Paves mentioned above, but they cut up easily.

That was my experience with them - I won't be using them again.

Peter

That's because they're a soft compound - the grip is incredible, especially on wet cobbles and (unsurprisingly) pave. Grippy tyres will be soft and cut up. Only use them when you need them. They also aren't that fast - I couldn't match Strava segment times on them but I've ridden a lot of cobbles on them and not had a single "moment".

They're the only tyres that went from under me without warning - incredible grip did not describe my thoughts at the time. Could have been a bad day out. I don't intend to investigate further.

Peter

drlodge

I found the Paves extremely fast, grippy and comfortable. In fact, a really excellent tyre except for the cuts.

tjo

Conti GP Classic 24mm, comfortable, fast and grippy. I find the Vittoria Rubino to be somewhat slippery in wet conditions.

racingcondor

Brakeless wrote:

Cont gator skin tubs! Is there such a thing?

Yup - http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti%20sprinter_gatorskin.shtml

Personally though my advice for the OP is the usual clinchers. GP4000S or possibly the Michelin Pro4. Both are good.

meanredspider

northpole wrote:

They're the only tyres that went from under me without warning - incredible grip did not describe my thoughts at the time. Could have been a bad day out. I don't intend to investigate further.

Peter

Yup - I guess we all have differing experiences (I wince every time someone suggest GP4000Ss) - though it may be that you hit a patch of something slippery like diesel. Fir the last 6 months I've run them on both my bikes in Amsterdam and have been very impressed at the grip.

tjo wrote:

I find the Vittoria Rubino to be somewhat slippery in wet conditions.

As I think I suggested earlier, there's a grippier "Tech" version but I've never felt the need.