Any better tyre options for £50 ?

mjw123

Hi,

Just upgraded to some Zonda wheels and want to put some light tyres on - are these michelens a good punt for £50. Mainly use bike for commute and weekend but want to improve my strava segments :-)

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/michelin-pro4-c ... ustReviews

TIA
Mike

How Far is too Far

Pro 4 are very good tyres and seem to last ok. Good value for money.

lostboysaint

If you use it mainly for commuting I'd take a good look at the Pro4 Endurance. Little weight penalty, little of any other penalty, fantastic puncture resistance and wear.

Matthewfalle

i've got some of them and they are fab - recommended in all conditions.

I got mine through a deal at CRC - two tyres and free tubes for £40 I think - worth a gander.

But overall yup, go for it.

northpole

I have used the Pro4 Service Course and found them to be excellent tyres. Wiggle's link seems to be out of stock and higher priced than some other competitors eg

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... ichtyrf215

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... ichtyrf224

They remain an underpriced tyre in the UK market compared with the likes of Conti GP4000s (IMO).

Peter

ai_1

I just started using a set of Pro4 Service Course in 25mm and I'm very happy with them. Easy to fit, good comfort and feel. I expect grip will be good, I've certainly had no grip issues so far. Rolling resistance is pretty impossible to determine simlpy by riding them IMO. I've seen published lab test data suggesting these to be slightly slower than GP4000s but on a par with most similar level tyres. Haven't had them long enough to comment on durability but I expect they'll be fine.

meanredspider

I like Pro 4 too. Generally in tyre threads it's a tyre most people can agree upon (whilst not necessarily being many people's favourite, if that makes sense). Other tyres tend to divide opinion more.

mjw1234

Thanks for all the help guys - went for the michelin pro4 service course at £38/pr from Ribble. Felt the SC might give me that bit more longevity.

Hoping to see an improvement in the New Year over the stock wheels on my ribble sportive bianco :-)

tomhowells

Recommend the Pro 4 Endurance. I use them on shocking roads for commuting. I have put about 1,000 miles on them & they are very very good. I previously used Gatorskins, so maybe the improvement was to be expected, but these just feel so much smoother & quicker.

pippi_langsamer-2

If it's longevity you wanted, should've got the Endurance version.

As stated, for what you are doing there's very little penalty weight wise but a lot more to gain from resistance to cuts.

Pro4 Endurance are simply the most impressive tyres I've ever used. Punctured one of mine for the first time in two years the other week. Sure, punctures are mainly down to bad luck than any tyre technology, but the grip, speed and most importantly- resistance to cuts of the P4E is superb.

If you havent yet fitted them, I'd actually suggest you try swap them.

holiver

tomhowells wrote:

Recommend the Pro 4 Endurance. I use them on shocking roads for commuting. I have put about 1,000 miles on them & they are very very good. I previously used Gatorskins, so maybe the improvement was to be expected, but these just feel so much smoother & quicker.

I can echo the improvement after switching to 25mm Pro4 Endurance from 23mm Gator Hardskins. Absolute night and day difference and by far the best 'upgrade' my bike has seen.

mjw1234

Pippi Langsamer wrote:

If it's longevity you wanted, should've got the Endurance version.

As stated, for what you are doing there's very little penalty weight wise but a lot more to gain from resistance to cuts.

Pro4 Endurance are simply the most impressive tyres I've ever used. Punctured one of mine for the first time in two years the other week. Sure, punctures are mainly down to bad luck than any tyre technology, but the grip, speed and most importantly- resistance to cuts of the P4E is superb.

If you havent yet fitted them, I'd actually suggest you try swap them.

It wasnt just endurance - i felt the service course gave a good all round solution of speed /weight / endurance.

bendertherobot

The Pro 4 are superb. Not sexy apparently. But, as long as you don't care about that, one of the best.

Get the 25c if you can. Lovely whooshy ride.

Matthewfalle

mjw1234 wrote:

Pippi Langsamer wrote:

If it's longevity you wanted, should've got the Endurance version.

As stated, for what you are doing there's very little penalty weight wise but a lot more to gain from resistance to cuts.

Pro4 Endurance are simply the most impressive tyres I've ever used. Punctured one of mine for the first time in two years the other week. Sure, punctures are mainly down to bad luck than any tyre technology, but the grip, speed and most importantly- resistance to cuts of the P4E is superb.

If you havent yet fitted them, I'd actually suggest you try swap them.

It wasnt just endurance - i felt the service course gave a good all round solution of speed /weight / endurance.

S/C you've bought will be more than fine - I've run Pro 3 S/C before and they last for donkeys, so boo hiss to naysayers who say "shouldv'e gone for .....".

northpole

Ha Ha to the last poster - I wax lyrical about the Pro4 tyres but my goodness what a nightmare I found the Pro3's to be on UK roads - they were lovely to ride on but for me, they cut up in no time. I reckon Michelin learnt a lesson between the two generations of tyres as demonstrated by the much hardier Pro4's. (I weigh 85-90kg's which may have a bearing on this!).

Peter

DKay

Another plus of 25mm Pro4s, is that they size up to be more like 27mm. Drop the pressures and they ride great. I recently switched to the Endurance version and I've been very happy with them.

dodgy

DKay wrote:

Another plus of 25mm Pro4s, is that they size up to be more like 27mm. Drop the pressures and they ride great. I recently switched to the Endurance version and I've been very happy with them.

I was just about to mention that, too. The 25mm Pro4 on my bike measure at a fraction under 28mm. I've no idea why they don't just call them 28mm.

DeVlaeminck

bendertherobot wrote:

The Pro 4 are superb. Not sexy apparently. But, as long as you don't care about that, one of the best.

Get the 25c if you can. Lovely whooshy ride.

Problem with Pro4 25s is they measure more like 27s and don't fit every bike - if they do fit though yeah they are nice.

bendertherobot

DeVlaeminck wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

The Pro 4 are superb. Not sexy apparently. But, as long as you don't care about that, one of the best.

Get the 25c if you can. Lovely whooshy ride.

Problem with Pro4 25s is they measure more like 27s and don't fit every bike - if they do fit though yeah they are nice.

If you can't run 27c you need a new bike!

northpole

If you can't run 27c you need a new bike!

And so it begins all over.....

Peter

alihisgreat

The Pro 4 SC isn't a rugged tyre, puncture protection is on a par with GP4000s but the sidewalls are like tissue paper and they cut up and start to bulge quite quickly; I ruined two rear tyres after less than 200 miles on each from sidewall cuts earlier this year.

I'm giving Vredestein Fortezza Senso All Weather a go this winter and first impressions are good - not to mention that they were great value from Ribble.

So when your Pro4 SC are ruined in a few hundred miles, give those a go!

bendertherobot

I have mine on a year now. Certainly well over 1000 miles. They look like new.

But, really, you can't compare the SC to All Weather tyres. Different comparison altogether.

alihisgreat

bendertherobot wrote:

I have mine on a year now. Certainly well over 1000 miles. They look like new.

But, really, you can't compare the SC to All Weather tyres. Different comparison altogether.

I mentioned the Vredesteins since the OP mentioned commuting and longevity. The Pro4s SC is a three season race tyre vs the Vredestiens which are a 4 season race tyre.

Actually It was late March and early April when i ruined the two Pro4 SC rears, so maybe they're not a 3 season tyre!

northpole

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

The Pro 4 SC isn't a rugged tyre, puncture protection is on a par with GP4000s but the sidewalls are like tissue paper and they cut up and start to bulge quite quickly; I ruined two rear tyres after less than 200 miles on each from sidewall cuts earlier this year.

I'm giving Vredestein Fortezza Senso All Weather a go this winter and first impressions are good - not to mention that they were great value from Ribble.

So when your Pro4 SC are ruined in a few hundred miles, give those a go!

I used SC's for a complete winter commute and on into the summer in central London and suffered zero issues with the side walls and minimal cuts considering the amount of cr*p on the roads. Very different experience to GP4000s which others have not shared - I have my suspicions about the consistency of quality control with the Contis, so different are people's experiences with them. I suppose it depends on the type of terrain you're covering.

Peter

bikingjohn

Below link might interest you...

http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com ... ke-reviews

northpole

That's quite an education - particularly the difference in rolling resistance for same tyres with different tubes - I've learned something today!

Peter

bendertherobot

It is very interesting. Have to say, I've had quite a few of those, and know how GP4000S roll.

But, for me, the Pro 4 have always seemed very fast.

holiver

bikingjohn wrote:

Below link might interest you...

http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com ... ke-reviews

Interesting site!

DKay

bendertherobot wrote:

It is very interesting. Have to say, I've had quite a few of those, and know how GP4000S roll.

But, for me, the Pro 4 have always seemed very fast.

Let's face it, nobody is really going to notice a difference of 5W from the best to the worst. Grip, ride quality and durability are far more important than a saving 30sec over a 50mile ride.

mugensi

My first set of Pro4 SC's lasted approx 2500km before the rear tyre was wore flat (I'm 75kg) in that time i had no punctures. I replaced them with 2 new tyres (even though the front one was fine and has plenty of mileage left in it yet) I've approx 1200km done on the new set and noticed a 10mm tear in the side wall on the front tyre last week. The bike hasnt been used since early October so I have no idea if it happened in the garage or on the road on my last spin anyway its in the bin now and the front tyre from the first set is back on the wheel again.

I really like them, I'm impressed with their puncture resistance as none of the 4 tyres have any nicks or tears on the contact surface of the tyre and I find them very comfortable when inflated to approx 100psi. I have Krylion carbons on my winter bike. They're much harder wearing and ever so slightly less comfortable than the SC's.

bendertherobot

DKay wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

It is very interesting. Have to say, I've had quite a few of those, and know how GP4000S roll.

But, for me, the Pro 4 have always seemed very fast.

Let's face it, nobody is really going to notice a difference of 5W from the best to the worst. Grip, ride quality and durability are far more important than a saving 30sec over a 50mile ride.

The other odd thing as well is that, amongst my mates, I've always had a name for descending faster than each of them. Not skill descending. Put us all on a downhill and let us go and I will always roll past the next guy. Doesn't matter what tyres I have, who's heavier, what bike etc. Just happens.

In fact, a few weeks back, I rolled faster on my CX with Uncle John 33c CX tyres than my mate on his Scott CR1 on Ultremo.

So many variables so, as you say, choose what's nice. Choose what works.