New tyres for my Sirrus Pro

vjanda

I just bought a second hand 2012 Sirrus Pro hybrid, delighted with the bike
However the factory tyres were replaced with some nasty no brand Chinese ones (32 front, 28 back :? )
The rims are still original. I think the factory tyres were Espoir Sport, not sure of the width.

I road cycle to improve my fitness and cover from 30-40 miles per trip and not more than 1500 miles per year.
Average speed I did on my old mbt with Continental Sport Contacts 26 x 1.3 was about 16mph.

First question I have is what width tyre should I get 25, 28 or wider?
I presume all these will fit on original Sirrus rims?
As the roads I train on are not in best shape.

I am on a budget of £40 and considering the following tyres :
Michelin Lithion 2 700x25 (light, durable, good protection, popular, cheap and great reviews, not made wider than 25 I think)
Continental Gator Skin 700x25 (also light and durable but twice the price of the Lithion2, is it worth it?)

Any other suggestions, advice or comment are most welcome!

kingrollo

vjanda wrote:

I just bought a second hand 2012 Sirrus Pro hybrid, delighted with the bike
However the factory tyres were replaced with some nasty no brand Chinese ones (32 front, 28 back :? )
The rims are still original. I think the factory tyres were Espoir Sport, not sure of the width.

I road cycle to improve my fitness and cover from 30-40 miles per trip and not more than 1500 miles per year.
Average speed I did on my old mbt with Continental Sport Contacts 26 x 1.3 was about 16mph.

First question I have is what width tyre should I get 25, 28 or wider?
I presume all these will fit on original Sirrus rims?
As the roads I train on are not in best shape.

I am on a budget of £40 and considering the following tyres :
Michelin Lithion 2 700x25 (light, durable, good protection, popular, cheap and great reviews, not made wider than 25 I think)
Continental Gator Skin 700x25 (also light and durable but twice the price of the Lithion2, is it worth it?)

Any other suggestions, advice or comment are most welcome!

Michelin Pro 4 endurance ?

Giraffoto

Just about any 700c tyre should fit on there. You may want to go wider than 25, since you're used to 28 and 32 sections. Maybe a pair of 700 x 28 Is your budget £40 per tyre or for the pair? One of my LBS have the original Espoir Sport at £15 each, in 23/25/28 or 30 section:

vjanda

Thanks fellas!
The Michelins are too dear for me.
I think I'll get the Espoir Sport in 28c.
What's the deal with folding vs non folding versions?

Giraffoto

vjanda wrote:

What's the deal with folding vs non folding versions?

Folding tyres have a bead made of kevlar fibres rather than steel wire. They're a bit lighter, and if you're of a mind to you can fold them up. There's also a slightly different technique to mounting the two types time because a folding tyre's a lot floppier than a tyre with a wire bead, but it's not a big deal.

keef66

+1 - the folding tyres are just a bit lighter than their wire bead equivalents.

You can get a pair of 28mm Conti Ultra Sport folding tyres for £27 from Wiggle

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-ult ... road-tyre/

vjanda

Ok so it's between the Espoir and the Ultra Sport 2.
No idea which to choose and I've not ridden either.

lakesluddite

vjanda wrote:

Thanks fellas!
The Michelins are too dear for me.
I think I'll get the Espoir Sport in 28c.
What's the deal with folding vs non folding versions?

Michelin Pro4 Endurance at only just over budget - £44 for the pair: http://www.probikekit.co.uk/bicycle-tyr ... 90762.html

vjanda

And now for the alt scenario
Budget of 60 quid and a slimmer 25 tyre for best speed, lowest rolling resistance but still durable with high puncture resistance. Ridden on dry roads only.
Thanks !

Giraffoto

vjanda wrote:

And now for the alt scenario
Budget of 60 quid and a slimmer 25 tyre for best speed, lowest rolling resistance but still durable with high puncture resistance. Ridden on dry roads only.
Thanks !

Specialized Turbo - the S-Works version are fantastic, huge grip and low rolling resistance. And I've read great things about the new Michelin Power range. Can you stretch your budget by £2? Michelin Power Offer

vjanda

Many thanks.
The 25s should be ok ok my rims right?
I think I just need longer valves due to wider profile.

Giraffoto

vjanda wrote:

Many thanks.
The 25s should be ok ok my rims right?

Should be. If you've had a 32 and a 28 on them, I'd expect there to be no problem with a 25 section.

and then vjanda also wrote:

I think I just need longer valves due to wider profile.

You need longer valves to fit through deep section rims, it's not related to how wide the rim is. You may want to get new tubes though, ones that have been inside a 32 section tyre may be too fat to fit in a 25.