Best 700c x 25c tyre around £25

pippi_langsamer-2

P4E's currently £20 at Wiggle in 23 and 25mm. Buy them. I just bought a pair of 25mm and pair of 23mm (both all black).

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/michelin-pro4-e ... road-tyre/

Apart from my race wheels (tubs), and MTB, I'm running P4E's on all my bikes now- all seasons. Suffered one puncture in three years, and never had one slide-out beneath me.

The all-black versions look really nice too.

Do they roll as well as a SC? Probably not, but you arent going to notice the difference I dont think. You have to weigh-up rolling resistence and other such marginal gains against the fact your less likely to lose 5 mins stood by the side of the road mending a tube in your lighter, more fragile tyre....

DKay

matt-h wrote:

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

I love Vittoria Open Corsas too, as they just ride amazingly well. The P4Es certainly don't compare in that respect, but they're not hosepipes.

Bordersroadie

holiver wrote:

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.

A very relevant post for me - can I ask another question?

I too have a Kinesis T2 and I recently changed from GP4 Seasons (25c) to Gator Hardshell (25c). The reason was that the GP4S cut up and puncture too regularly on our local roads and as I do an awful lot of winter night-riding I placed puncture resistance above all else. Oh, and they're easy to get on and off my Excellight rims, a vital factor on close-to-zero nights in the middle of nowhere.

I love the Hardshell puncture resistance (they've been 100% bulletproof) but, my God, they roll like they're made of stone! And they slip when riding steep hills on wet roads.

How have you found the Pro4E in comparison? How easy are they to get on and off the rims compared to the Hardshells?

Cheers,
BR

luv2ride

I'm running Pro4 Endurance (previously used Michelin Krylions) and they go on my Ksyrium Equipes fine. I like them a lot, but did notice a bit of wheel slip going up a hill this afternoon, but it was really very greasy so think anything bar my file tread cross tyres would have also struggled. Have also got good service out of these Conti Grand Prix's:
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... onttyrf291
Great price at Ribble at the moment, or the Pro 4 Endurance at Wiggle for £20 ea as previously posted.

holiver

Hey BR,

The Pro4s are a revelation in comparison to the Hardshells in terms of comfort and feel. I got them in late summer last year. Grip is very good in the dry and I have been pretty careful this winter. I am also yet to have a puncture and the tyres don't seem to cut up at all.

I have only put them on the once, but they were very hard to get onto my Khamsin rims. Others may be easier?

IanRCarter

Lots of talk about the P4 Endurance, has anybody tried the P4 Grip? Looks like it could be a good tyre for in the wet, which is quite often here in the UK, and better puncture resistance than the P4SC. Interesting that they only do a 23c in this tyre though.

stuart_c-2

With regards to sizing on the PRO4's, how does the 25, or 23, measure up in comparison to a GP4000S in 25?

Currently have GP4000S in 25 on my bike and will need to replace soon. Clearance is a bit close so wouldn't want to go much bigger, but like the feel of the size, so wouldn't want to go much smaller. Have heard the PRO4's come up big, but if the GP's do as well then it doesn't matter.

DKay

My 25mm Pro4Es come up just under 27mm wide on a 19mm wide rim.

apreading

DKay wrote:

My 25mm Pro4Es come up just under 27mm wide on a 19mm wide rim.

Sounds like about the same size as the 4000S then, in fact maybe even wider!

eddiefiola

Pippi Langsamer wrote:

Apart from my race wheels (tubs), and MTB, I'm running P4E's on all my bikes now- all seasons. Suffered one puncture in three years, and never had one slide-out beneath me.

I had one slide out a couple of weeks back but just my stupidity, not even sure an Ice Spiker would have kept me upright going into a downhill corner at 30kph and hitting black ice, good thoughts in general about the tire so far though.

markhewitt1978

northpole wrote:

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.

I've been running GP4000S 23mm for the last two summers. I've been eager to try the 25mm version but I'm wary of fit even though others assure me they do fit the Scott CR1. Just it's a lot of money to drop on a pair of tyres just to discover they rub the frame.

dodgy

Michelin Pro 4 25mm measure at very nearly 28mm. Just bear that in mind if you have tight clearances, other than that they're great. Today I'm taking off the 32mm Gatorskins from my Tripster and replacing with 25mm Pro4 Endurance, shame they're not available in 28mm (which will likely measure at 30mm) yet, but they're coming.

calum001

Torn between the Conti GP 4 Seasons and Michelin Pro 4 Endurance, cost and wear rate are not a requirement (although the P4E does look like a bargain in comparison as highlighted in this thread), only concerned about wet grip and puncture resistance which there is obviously a trade off between them

One of my pals has been running the Pro 3 and had nothing but problems with punctures and has warned me off Michelin but hasn't used the Pro 4 so unsure how it compares grip/puncture wise

lostboysaint

As I said earlier in the thread, I used to use GP4S and now use Pro4 Endurance - that tells you what I think!

roll as well, better puncture resistance, larger volume (25mm=27mm in reality) so less pressure needed so more comfortable, better grip in the dry, as good grip in the wet.

apreading

lostboysaint wrote:

As I said earlier in the thread, I used to use GP4S and now use Pro4 Endurance - that tells you what I think!

roll as well, better puncture resistance, larger volume (25mm=27mm in reality) so less pressure needed so more comfortable, better grip in the dry, as good grip in the wet.

You could have achieved those by simply buying 28mm GP4S though, to be fair. They come up at 27mm and have all the other advantages you cite from the Pro4E which could possibly be attributed to the larger volume...

Thats not to say that the Pro4 arent good or better though, simply that this criteria is not enough to judge it by.

I also wouldnt judge the whole marque by what someone said about the Pro3 - different tyre. If you looked at things that way, you wouldnt buy any Contis because of the apparently woeful Gatorskins.

Personally, I would probably try the Pro4s, especially as the price seems good and they are well regarded by actual users. Having said that, every time I make a buying decision on that basis it seems to be a couple of weeks later the general consensus of the interweb forums turn against the item in question and say it is rubbish and we should all be buying something else which is much better etc......

lostboysaint

The 28mm GP4s are significantly more expensive (the second thing that made me look away from Continental, the first was that they weren't as puncture resistant as I wanted and Gatorskins are made of Teflon) and don't have the puncture resistance.

ai_1

I haven't seen any evidence of a problem with puncture protection for the Pro4 tyres. Certainly I've had none to date with my Pro4 SCs and I haven't seen anyone on here complaining about therm or the Endurance version either. I don't know about the Pro3 but not a concern with the Pro4 I think.
Bear in mind punctures can be sporadic and due to many factors. Poor roads, debris, under-inflated tyres, poor repairs, etc can all make a big difference but the big one is probably luck. If you get a few punctures in a row it's probably natural to blame the tyres. It may be they are prone to punctures or it may be bad luck. I take complaints about punctures with a grain of salt unless they come from multiple sources.

dodgy

Wiggle have just started listing the Pro Race 4 Endurance 28mm, no stock yet. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/michelin-pro4-e ... -700-x-28/

The secret rider

Some kind chap posted about the michelins in my 'first bike thread' a few days ago. Gone to buy them now ive been paid and they are out of stock and no longer £20

pippi_langsamer-2

The secret rider wrote:

Some kind chap posted about the michelins in my 'first bike thread' a few days ago. Gone to buy them now ive been paid and they are out of stock and no longer £20

I bought them all y'see. Mwhahahahhaaaa....

Stockpiling innit. Snooze and you loose.....

beski

I've recently fitted folding Schwalbe Durano Plus' they roll well with good grip and puncture protection seems really good (time will tell!). They were a bitch to get on though!

jordan_217

beski wrote:

I've recently fitted folding Schwalbe Durano Plus' they roll well with good grip and puncture protection seems really good (time will tell!). They were a ***** to get on though!

They are good tyres. Though the ones I had were affected by the sidewall issues that hit the mk1 Ultremo's. I gave them away when I sold a wheel set and the new owner managed to get a new set of tyres from Schwalbe but by then I had lost confidence in them.

Though I'm currently debating whether or not to give their Ultremo HT tubs a try….or the Michelin Pro 4 tubs……...

calum001

thanks for the input lostboysaint/apreading/Ali_1

i've been looking for an excuse to use the michelins and i think you've just given me that so will give them a try, hopefully the wet grip will be comparible as thats probably my main want/need

i always thought the GP4S were thought of as more puncture resistant than the P4E for some reason though?

everything seems to be subjective with mixed reviews as mentioned like in this thread: viewtopic.php?t=12905035&

so will just have to see what works for me

The secret rider

Pippi Langsamer wrote:

The secret rider wrote:

Some kind chap posted about the michelins in my 'first bike thread' a few days ago. Gone to buy them now ive been paid and they are out of stock and no longer £20

I bought them all y'see. Mwhahahahhaaaa....

Stockpiling innit. Snooze and you loose.....

let me know if you see them on offer again money bags