Road tyres

paul_stelling

I am thinking of fitting a set of new tyres for my first century ride London. I have a giant tcr 2 with the standard giant tyres it comes with giant sl 2 these can not be bought separately as they only come on complete bikes i know this having had a split tyre in the past from a pot hole and not being able to get a like for like tyre. I would like to upgrade and really like vitro ria corsa g + isotech these are priced at 55 pounds . I have also seen vittoria open corsa cx reduced to 22.49 from 49 pounds. Which would be the best buy is it worth paying the extra for the G+ do these tyres offer better puncture protection over the giant ones I have fitted . I don't want to upgrade and then run higher risk of getting a puncture. Many thanks.

gimpl

I remember the Giant tyres being pretty rubbish and not particularly puncture proof. That said, where I live the Vittoria Open Corsa was even worse. There's no doubting that they were a nice ride but didn't last a full summer before getting puncture after puncture and I had to swap them. Compared to the GP 4000's I'm also running that have been on for two winters and one summer and still seem to be going strong. I also think the GP 4000's roll a bit better, just not quite as smooth.

No doubt someone else will come along and tell you that the Vittoria's are all they ride and have no problems at all - I really think it is in part at least what the roads are like around you. What do most other people ride locally?

keef66

£55 for a tyre sounds like a lot of money! Most common recommendations on here for a good all round tyre are Conti GP 4000 s and Michelin Pro4 SC, usually £30 and £25 ish respectively.

I have the latter on my summer bike and really like them.

paul_stelling

Thanks Gimpl and keef66 gp 4000s seem to be the way to go . I currently run 23 and was considering going up to 25s although the gp4000 apparently come up big should I stick with 23c if buying the gp 4000s. I think the can take up to 28c so should have enough clearance.Has anyone else fitted gp 4000s 25c to tcr 2 2016. Cheers.

CiB

Tyres seem to be the emperor's new clothes these days tbh, with anything round & black being north of thirty quid now and £50+ being accepted as normal. Pro 4s are ok, so are Pro 3s but the price of them has crept up. I stuck a Continental Something Round & Black on the other week, which cost £29.95 and still hasn't suffered a flat and hasn't thrown me off on a bend.

keef66

No experience with the GP4000s myself but I have 25mm GP4 seasons on the winter bike and they are pretty much true to size.
The 25mm Pro4SC measure about 27mm, and on my CR1 I just switched back to a 23mm tyre on the rear for a bit of extra clearance between chainstay and tyre. There was clearance with the 25, but when I had the wheel out I noticed the chainstays were suffering some scraping, presumably from road chippings carried round by the tyre and forced through the gap.

debeli

I haven't fitted a disappointing tyre for decades.

My impression is that most of the 'known' manufacturers make a good product these days and there's little to choose between them.

I like 23s, but if you want to go fatter, go fatter. If it fits, you can fit it.

Most of out family road bikes are on Conti Gatorskins and various types of Vittoria road tyre. All work excellently. Don't get too bogged down in the myths of excellence pitting one brand against another.

keef66

I think as long as you're paying £20 a tyre or higher, you're probably right. The suspiciously cheap ones I've toyed with in the past seem to offer no puncture resistance at all though, and grip in the wet can be interesting...

paul_stelling

Thanks for the help guys I think I will go for some conti gp 4000 2 in 25c .

kayakerchris

You may find that the wheels from Giant are tubeless ready. In that case you could try the new Sewable Pro 1 which has been shown to have the lowest rolling resistance of almost any tyre and has the distinct advantage of not having to worry about punctures.

Alex99

Both of the tyres you mention are pure 'race' tyres. Puncture ressistance is way down the list of priorities. The differences in rolling ressistance between the two will be minimal. £25 is a good price for the Corsa CX, but as others have said, it's not exactly a general purpose tyre that you'll chuck on and forget for 2000 miles on mixed roads.

Be honest with what's important. If you want something tougher but still fairly nimble, there are good choices. Michelin Pro4 Endurance, Continental GP 4 seasons, for example. If you can go tubeless, people claim a great deal of success avoiding punctures with sealant. Pro ones have a reputation for not lasting very long though. They are a race tyre.

drlodge

Michelin Pro4 Service Course is a good fast tyre that should last. For something more robust try the Conti GP 4 Seasons.

If going tubeless, then IRC Roadlite from The Cycle Clinic is the ticket. I have all 3 of these tyres on various bikes.

paul_stelling

Thanks for all the good advise I have ordered a set of conti gp 4000 2 . Cheers.

Bo Duke

+1 for Conti GP4000's - all I've used for the last 5 years... excellent tyre.

Wirral_paul

The Corsa G+ tryres are available for a lot less than £55. I bought some for my new bike but not tried them yet.

Mantel have them for £36