tyres do they really make a difference ?
stronginthesun
Posts: 433
gone from some cheap planet x rage which you an pick up for a tenner each to vittoria open corsa . despite the blurb and the £20 + price and I can tell no difference whatsoever ?
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Without knowing how or where you ride it's hard to know how new tyres might benefit you. Also, tyre width and the pressures your running them at compared to the previous tyres is going to determine how they feel plus assuming you have the experience of various tyres to know what improvements can be anticipated rather than just what the manufacturer may claim.
If all your doing is riding on straight tarmac and riding cautiously through bends then no, you probably won't feel a difference but if your flop-flopping round a roundabout at 40mph or trying to take the fastest line through a hairpin at the limits of adhesion then yes, you probably will feel a difference.0 -
Some very good points in the reply above.
Tyre pressure is indeed a very big factor and many beginners seem to run most tyres far too hard (they read 120PSI somewhere on the sidewall and then inflate to that). Tyre pressure is very dependent on weight, road condition and tyre size...I weigh 65KG and usually run 25mm at 80F and 90R. I also work the tyres hard and have found there is a big difference between good and bad tyres, although less of a difference between various good tyres.0 -
im 65kg too and usually run at 110 front and rear mainly to stop punctures and its what ive always done , no problems with comfort ect but as the previous reply mentioned ive yet to test them flat out around a roundabout in the wet , the planet x tyre had done 1500 miles with no issues and was just starting to show signs of wear , so despite it being cheap I would say it is a good tyre ?Some very good points in the reply above.
Tyre pressure is indeed a very big factor and many beginners seem to run most tyres far too hard (they read 120PSI somewhere on the sidewall and then inflate to that). Tyre pressure is very dependent on weight, road condition and tyre size...I weigh 65KG and usually run 25mm at 80F and 90R. I also work the tyres hard and have found there is a big difference between good and bad tyres, although less of a difference between various good tyres.0 -
Pressures of 110psi is way too high for your weight, so it's no wonder you can't tell a difference between tyres. You may as well be running solid rubber. I'd drop 20psi minimum on the rear and more on the front. You won't be any slower and you'll have a much more compliant ride. If the reason you're running such high pressures is to avoid pinch punctures, then just stop smashing through potholes.
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What tubes are you using? IMO The vittoria is a very good tyre made even better by latex tubes...0
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It's your contact with the ground, Of course they make a difference.
Cannot comment on the two you have mentioned as I have not used the cheap ones, but generally decent tyres make a difference IMO and its not something I would skimp on to find out for sure.
Tyres, bib shorts and glasses are my top three things (weather aside) for not skimping on.
Are the Vittoria's the ISO grip version?
I would second the latex tube recommendation too.
You have them now, so play around with them a bit and see how you feel after more miles.
At the end of the day just wear them out by cycling loads and go back to the £10 ones if you like them as much.0 -
not iso . open corsa slick . with vittoria tubes , all of the planet x website in the sale . I suppose as you say I need to get a few more miles on them before making a real conclusion . only bought them because they were heavily discounted . but who pays full list anyway ? will try going down to 90psi see how that feels . thanks for all the inputIt's your contact with the ground, Of course they make a difference.
Cannot comment on the two you have mentioned as I have not used the cheap ones, but generally decent tyres make a difference IMO and its not something I would skimp on to find out for sure.
Tyres, bib shorts and glasses are my top three things (weather aside) for not skimping on.
Are the Vittoria's the ISO grip version?
I would second the latex tube recommendation too.
You have them now, so play around with them a bit and see how you feel after more miles.
At the end of the day just wear them out by cycling loads and go back to the £10 ones if you like them as much.0 -
Just another recommendation for using latex tubes with Vittoria and Veloflex 'open' tyres.0
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Try some 19mm TT or track rubber (tubs or clinchers); good tyres are nice; it's unfortunate that really nice tyres aren't very good for day-to-day use or bad road surfaces.0
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I get where most of these posts are coming from re tyre pressure and body weight but you need to also bear in mind that Vittoria run higher pressure than most tyres and even their own website / app recommends most than common sense would suggest.
These days pretty much all my bikes run one form or another of Vittoria and I've observed running at least the minimum on the tyre is the best place to start, which is again higher than you'd expect.
I say this based on experience and yes I'm heavier than you OP but ride 10 psi lower than on the lowest recommend level and I'd say you'll feel much more secure and notice the difference between tyre makes & models.
Fwiw I can now tell even a 5 psi difference in my Vittoria tyresRule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.0 -
I've never felt the need to run my Vittoria tyres at silly pressures...0
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i notice Vittoria tyres have different characteristics to conti/ michelin etc, but to ride them at silly high pressures doesn't work for me at all.
a couple of people in our club run these at 120+psi and wonder why they are having lower back problems, the fools!0 -
Maybe try latex tubes at 120psi before ruling out 120psi.
Latex also lose pressure by the end of a long ride, so they kind of self adjust to your fatigue lol.0 -
What does the inner tube have to do with it? 120psi is simply unnecessarily high for the OP's tyres.0
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[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19715652#p19715652]Simon Masterson[/url] wrote:What does the inner tube have to do with it? 120psi is simply unnecessarily high for the OP's tyres.
It would be high for me on my Corsa Tubs but I run 120 on the rear open Corsa. Any less and it feels like I have a puncture.Simon Masterson wrote:I've never felt the need to run my Vittoria tyres at silly pressures...
Not silly, not unnecessary, just subjective
"You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19715702#p19715702]Charlie Potatoes[/url] wrote:[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19715652#p19715652]Simon Masterson[/url] wrote:What does the inner tube have to do with it? 120psi is simply unnecessarily high for the OP's tyres.
It would be high for me on my Corsa Tubs but I run 120 on the rear open Corsa. Any less and it feels like I have a puncture.Simon Masterson wrote:I've never felt the need to run my Vittoria tyres at silly pressures...
Not silly, not unnecessary, just subjective
I tend to run mine at 120 too, but I tend to use 19mm. And read the comment that was in reference to - Vittoria tyres inflate like any other.0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19715825#p19715825]Simon Masterson[/url] wrote:[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19715702#p19715702]Charlie Potatoes[/url] wrote:[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19715652#p19715652]Simon Masterson[/url] wrote:What does the inner tube have to do with it? 120psi is simply unnecessarily high for the OP's tyres.
It would be high for me on my Corsa Tubs but I run 120 on the rear open Corsa. Any less and it feels like I have a puncture.Simon Masterson wrote:I've never felt the need to run my Vittoria tyres at silly pressures...
Not silly, not unnecessary, just subjective
I tend to run mine at 120 too, but I tend to use 19mm. And read the comment that was in reference to - Vittoria tyres inflate like any other.
So we are agreed that 120psi is neither silly or unnecessary. Progress made "You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0 -
As a guideline, 120psi (or more) is likely to be unnecessarily high for a <70kg rider using 23-25mm tyres (which I suspect the OP is).0
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[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19715652#p19715652]Simon Masterson[/url] wrote:What does the inner tube have to do with it? 120psi is simply unnecessarily high for the OP's tyres.
Have you tried them with the tyres? If not, why comment/ask?
My post said 'maybe try them first'.
I have tried them and they feel different to me.
I don't need to prove any of this to you by the way, so don't ask me to.
I was not commenting on the OP's tyre pressures. It was other people who felt people were fools who had them that high, about riders no one knows anything about.0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19715934#p19715934]Simon Masterson[/url] wrote:As a guideline, 120psi (or more) is likely to be unnecessarily high for a <70kg rider using 23-25mm tyres (which I suspect the OP is).
But I'm a <70kg rider using 23-25mm tyres.
Progress nearly made
"You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0 -
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[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19716014#p19716014]Simon Masterson[/url] wrote:You do know what a 'guideline' is, I hope?
Indeed I do Simon, thanks for enquiring "You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0 -
Good, in that case the guideline here is that a lightweight rider can reasonably assume, at least as a starting point, to not need to inflate their 23-25mm tyres to as much as 120psi. We got there in the end.0
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[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19716110#p19716110]Simon Masterson[/url] wrote:Good, in that case the guideline here is that a lightweight rider can reasonably assume, at least as a starting point, to not need to inflate their 23-25mm tyres to as much as 120psi. We got there in the end.
We were already there Simon. I'm just indulging your pedantry. "You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0
