Best 700c x 25c tyre around £25

mikeyj28

Hi all

Any good suggestions for a good light, durable and relatively resistant to punctures tyre for approx £25 per tyre?

Currently running continental ultra sport II tyres.

Thanks

northpole

Have a look at the Michelin Pro 4 Service Course or, for a bit more longevity/ protection their Endurance model may suit your requirements better.

Peter

freestyle_gus

I'd highly recommend the Vredestien Fortezza Senso All Weather. Recently upgraded from bog standard Schwalbe Lugano, they are fantastic! Super grippy, super comfy.

£42.95 for a twin pack from ribble.

gusm41

Rose have the Continental Grand Prix 4000 S II tyre £22.96 only bad bit is the postage £7.60

jordan_217

I recently fitted the Vredesteins but the Senso Extreme versions, I'm really impressed with them. Very supple and grippy. I did puncture first time out in them but it was a big piece of sharp glass which would of got through any tyre.

I did try fit the 25mm Michelin Pro Endurance tyres initially but they were too high and were catching on the front mech band. 23mm Michelins come up at 24mm and the Pro SC are my favorite clinchers at the mo.

My commuter is fitted with Conti GP4 Seasons which I have found to be good all rounders but they don't feel as plush. They seem to be creeping up in price too.

ayjaycee

Sorry of it's not what you want to hear but I suggest that you stretch the budget by about £15 for the pair and go for Continental GP 4 Seasons. At 90 PSI, they are tough, fast enough and comfortable.

Given the potential cost of a half decent bike, I've never really understood why people compromise on either tyres or brake pads which, at the end of the day, are the contact point on the road and / or the things that might keep you unharmed (possibly even alive) if it all goes wrong.

lostboysaint

I was on Conti GP4S and now run Michelin Pro4 Endurance. That'll tell you something....

buckmulligan

lostboysaint wrote:

I was on Conti GP4S and now run Michelin Pro4 Endurance. That'll tell you something....

That you wanted to try different tyres?

markhewitt1978

ayjaycee wrote:

Given the potential cost of a half decent bike, I've never really understood why people compromise on either tyres or brake pads which, at the end of the day, are the contact point on the road and / or the things that might keep you unharmed (possibly even alive) if it all goes wrong.

I've always taken the same view, compromising on most things in a bicycle setup will only result in just making you a tiny percentage slower, but tyres are a safety thing so I always get the best available - whatever is 'best' is subjective of course but I don't see the advantage in buying cheap tyres when the cost saving is minimal in comparison to other components.

I'm currently running GP 4 Seasons 25mm for the winter.

lostboysaint

BuckMulligan wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

I was on Conti GP4S and now run Michelin Pro4 Endurance. That'll tell you something....

That you wanted to try different tyres?

Yep, 'cos the Continental were proving not to be as good as I'd remembered. The Pro4 are better in every respect.

freestyle_gus

markhewitt1978 wrote:

ayjaycee wrote:

Given the potential cost of a half decent bike, I've never really understood why people compromise on either tyres or brake pads which, at the end of the day, are the contact point on the road and / or the things that might keep you unharmed (possibly even alive) if it all goes wrong.

I've always taken the same view, compromising on most things in a bicycle setup will only result in just making you a tiny percentage slower, but tyres are a safety thing so I always get the best available - whatever is 'best' is subjective of course but I don't see the advantage in buying cheap tyres when the cost saving is minimal in comparison to other components.

I'm currently running GP 4 Seasons 25mm for the winter.

The OP hasn't asked for advice on cheap tyres. All the alternatives to Conti's (Vredestiens or Pro4) are highly regarded and not cheap.

I think whichever way he chooses to go, it's a good choice.

lostboysaint

He asked for the "best 700c x 25c tyre around £25". My Pro4 Endurance were less than that.

matt-h

You should be able to get some Schwalbe Ultremo from somewhere.
've never got on with any Continental i've tried.
GP4 seasons were over rated and GP4000s not as plush as the Ultremo
Have Gatorskins on my winter bike at the moment and while never punctured they ride like crap.

Matt

jordan_217

lostboysaint wrote:

He asked for the "best 700c x 25c tyre around £25". My Pro4 Endurance were less than that.

You'd have to be mad to spend more than £45 on a set TBH, looking at the bundle deals on Ribble and CRC.

apreading

Before this morning, I would have recommended the GP4000S but when I got the bike out the front was flat... Mind you, it has been over a year and 4000 miles on this tyre since I last had a puncture! they do come up a bit bigger than the rated 25mm though - which is a good thing for me as I prefer 28mm tyres ideally (I have a GP4000S II in 28mm now that they make them, to try when this one wears out) but might not be good for someone with limited clearance.

northpole

In terms of clearance, conti gp4000s in 25mm fouled my frame on the rear wheel on my best bike - had to change to 23mm. I didn't think to check, assuming there would be no issue - the clash occurred on the top of the tyre, not sidewall clearance.

Re 4 Seasons, I do tend to use them on my winter bikes but they cost north of £30 which takes them outside the OP's brief. I'm not convinced they offer much over the Pro 4's which easily fit within the set budget. Another possible candidate is the Schwalbe Durano Plus - a pal rates them highly, but I've not felt the need to try another tyre type.

Peter

tomhowells

Can't recommend Pro4 Endurance enough. If I could attach a pic of the beast I pulled out of my tyre at the weekend (and still kept running), it would sway many people! I'm about 1,200 miles in so far & they are awesome.
I have also tried Gatorskins, Lugano & Raddoneur & Zaffiro's - just for balance :-)

keezx

Conti Grand Prix never let me down in the winter for £20 a piece or £35.95 twin pack.

ai_1

I've been very happy with 25mm Continental 4 Seasons all year round for the last few seasons. However they are kinda pricey. I've recently started using Michelin Pro4 SC (again 25mm) and they're very nice tyres. I don't expect they'll be quite as durable as the 4 seasons but if you want that there's the Pro 4 Endurance. So far I'm very happy with the Pro 4 SC and wouldn't hesitate to suggest them.

holiver

I don't think you can go too wrong with any of the big suppliers. Michelin, Continental, Vittoria, Vredestien etc all produce decent tyres.

ai_1

holiver wrote:

I don't think you can go too wrong with any of the big suppliers. Michelin, Continental, Vittoria, Vredestien etc all produce decent tyres.

I dunno about that. Many on here would say Continental Gatorskins constitute going wrong!

holiver

Yeah other than the Gatorskins and Gatorhardskins! I had the latter on my Kinesis and moving to the Pro4 Endurance was the single best change I have made to my bike other than finding the saddle that suits me best.

forestnot1

Vittoria open pave cx isogrip!

DKay

matt-h wrote:

You should be able to get some Schwalbe Ultremo from somewhere.
've never got on with any Continental i've tried.
GP4 seasons were over rated and GP4000s not as plush as the Ultremo
Have Gatorskins on my winter bike at the moment and while never punctured they ride like crap.

Matt

Ultemos ride nice...

...during the time you're not fixing punctures/tending to cuts/peeling bits off the sidwalls.

I'm another Pro4 Endurance user. Just love their cut resistance and large air volume in 25mm.

mikeyj28

DKay wrote:

matt-h wrote:

You should be able to get some Schwalbe Ultremo from somewhere.
've never got on with any Continental i've tried.
GP4 seasons were over rated and GP4000s not as plush as the Ultremo
Have Gatorskins on my winter bike at the moment and while never punctured they ride like crap.

Matt

Ultemos ride nice...

...during the time you're not fixing punctures/tending to cuts/peeling bits off the sidwalls.
I'm another Pro4 Endurance user. Just love their cut resistance and large air volume in 25mm.

Are the Pro4 Endurance tyres very draggy and don't roll that well in comparison? How do they rate with punctures from your use?

mikeyj28

freestyle_gus wrote:

I'd highly recommend the Vredestien Fortezza Senso All Weather. Recently upgraded from bog standard Schwalbe Lugano, they are fantastic! Super grippy, super comfy.

£42.95 for a twin pack from ribble.

Are they really that good? Will I be needing to change them in the summer? Especially as I shall possibly try out a race or two

DKay

mikeyj28 wrote:

Are the Pro4 Endurance tyres very draggy and don't roll that well in comparison? How do they rate with punctures from your use?

Well, they're round and made of rubber. Seem to roll fine to me. Certainly can't see any evidence that they're slowing me down. Puncture and cut resistance is superb.

stevie63

DKay wrote:

matt-h wrote:

You should be able to get some Schwalbe Ultremo from somewhere.
've never got on with any Continental i've tried.
GP4 seasons were over rated and GP4000s not as plush as the Ultremo
Have Gatorskins on my winter bike at the moment and while never punctured they ride like crap.

Matt

Ultemos ride nice...

...during the time you're not fixing punctures/tending to cuts/peeling bits off the sidwalls.

I'm another Pro4 Endurance user. Just love their cut resistance and large air volume in 25mm.

I also tried Ultremo Zx and found that I was always picking up punctures like they were going out of fashion so it was back to Fortezzas for me

freestyle_gus

mikeyj28 wrote:

freestyle_gus wrote:

I'd highly recommend the Vredestien Fortezza Senso All Weather. Recently upgraded from bog standard Schwalbe Lugano, they are fantastic! Super grippy, super comfy.

£42.95 for a twin pack from ribble.

Are they really that good? Will I be needing to change them in the summer? Especially as I shall possibly try out a race or two

I've been impressed so far. It's early days.

I'm not a racer, so I'll be using them all year. They feel plenty zippy enough to me, but I don't have the experience to advise you.

matt-h

stevie63 wrote:

DKay wrote:

matt-h wrote:

You should be able to get some Schwalbe Ultremo from somewhere.
've never got on with any Continental i've tried.
GP4 seasons were over rated and GP4000s not as plush as the Ultremo
Have Gatorskins on my winter bike at the moment and while never punctured they ride like crap.

Matt

Ultemos ride nice...

...during the time you're not fixing punctures/tending to cuts/peeling bits off the sidwalls.

I'm another Pro4 Endurance user. Just love their cut resistance and large air volume in 25mm.

I also tried Ultremo Zx and found that I was always picking up punctures like they were going out of fashion so it was back to Fortezzas for me

interesting.
i might give some Pro4s a go when next on offer.
I'm a bit of a sucker for supple tyres though and am currently loving Vittoria CX.
The Veloflex Masters before used to gash sidewalls for fun

Matt

lostboysaint

mikeyj28 wrote:

DKay wrote:

matt-h wrote:

You should be able to get some Schwalbe Ultremo from somewhere.
've never got on with any Continental i've tried.
GP4 seasons were over rated and GP4000s not as plush as the Ultremo
Have Gatorskins on my winter bike at the moment and while never punctured they ride like crap.

Matt

Ultemos ride nice...

...during the time you're not fixing punctures/tending to cuts/peeling bits off the sidwalls.
I'm another Pro4 Endurance user. Just love their cut resistance and large air volume in 25mm.

Are the Pro4 Endurance tyres very draggy and don't roll that well in comparison? How do they rate with punctures from your use?

They roll very well indeed. Better than GP4s (in my experience). They also have the benefit of being more comfortable as the air chamber is larger (for nom. 25mm width) so you can run lower pressures for more comfort with excellent rolling.