I don't trust my tyres

gerroffandmilkit

Out for a ride last night and got caught out in a heavy downpour.
My Giant Defy Advanced 2 is a brand spanker and last night was the first time it had seen wet weather.
Now obviously I was keen to avoid manholes etc to prevent slippage, however, the rear end did feel incredibly light and at times slippery in the rain.

I'm running the standard rims and tyres which are very slick like.
Not a racer or weight concerned cyclist but wondered if the stock Giant tyres required changing for something a lot more grippier especially during our British summer of sunshine and rain.

If so, which would be a good tyre to buy for virtually all round use please?

sungod

new tyres can be slippy anyway

fwiw i use conti gp4000s on my commute bike, the compound is good in the wet, reasonable puncture protection, decent rolling resistance

whatever you choose, consider fitting 25mm, you can run slightly lower pressure and have the benefit of a comfier ride with better traction, but on wet ironwork or a bit of oil any tyre can slip

gerroffandmilkit

sungod wrote:

whatever you choose, consider fitting 25mm, you can run slightly lower pressure and have the benefit of a comfier ride with better traction, but on wet ironwork or a bit of oil any tyre can slip

They're standard 25's.
I was considering Contis. Seems they may be one of the best all round tyres.

sebbyp

what tyres are they?
I had some utterly shocking Vittoria Zaffiro's on a new bike few years ago, after they nearly killed me a few times they went in the bin.
Slick is not a problem, its the compound.

gerroffandmilkit

They're Giant P-SL 1 tyres.

northpole

The usual suspects for good all rounders are GP4000s as stated above plus for considerably less money, Michelin Pro4 Endurance are great all rounders. For wet weather use, the GP 4 Seasons are very good all year round tyres but they don't half chuck up a load of water in the wet - probably just doing their job better than the slick alternatives.

With 25mm tyres be careful that there is sufficient clearance to the frame - particularly top of front tyre potentially rubbing against underside of forks (that was a problem I encountered with a Colnago).

Peter

gethinceri

Michelin Lithion 2
Cheap.
As chips.

mfin

Not sure it's been said much, but don't worry about whether a tyre is slick, a tyre like a GP4000s is a good tyre in the wet and the 'tread' on it will most likely never really see much tarmac at all, it might as well be cosmetic as it's quite a way down the walls.

By the way, they are a great all round tyre and last well. You can trust them in the wet, and yes you have found experience of the fact that some tyres are pretty crap in it.

stueys

I ride conti's, 4ks on the nice bike and 4s on the winter/wet bike. Great tyres but as others have said, all of the tyres will be a bit slippery when brand new, especially in the wet. If they've got less than 50 miles on maybe give them a bit longer.

cycleclinic

You could also see if your rims are tubeless compatible if they are a good set of tubeless tyres could work well.

Otherwise the best clinchers clinchers are conti GP4000s or for a more durable tyre the Schwable durano.

tincaman

I have the same bike, you can easily fit 30mm tyres, 28mm Gp4000 would be a good choice, nice grippy compound

buckmulligan

Can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet, but new tyres will come covered in a 'release-compound', a semi-solid waxy layer that is sprayed inside the tyre mould before the rubber is injected to help the finished tyre release from the mould after it has cured.

Some batches of tyres are worse than others but I've had some Conti's where it's been so thick that you could scrape it off in big chunks with your fingernails. It's not really noticeable in the dry, but using tyres that are still covered with this stuff in the wet is absolutely lethal because, as you can imagine, waxy substance + water doesn't exactly provide a grippy interface.

If your tyres still look black and glossy then chances are they're still covered in this crap; once they look more of a dark-grey matt colour then you're good to go. It'll strip off after a hundred miles or so of riding in dry conditions, but until then I'd be disinclined to use them in the wet and if you do, take care when braking or cornering at speed. Some people mention scrubbing or even sanding the tyres down but IMO it's far easier to just get a couple of decent dry rides in on them, rotating the back and front tyres if necessary.

Bobbinogs

Yepp, I just wash new tyres with some lightly soaped water and one of those foam-based scourers. Then, quick rinse and all is good to go, albeit taking it easy on the first few corners. If that doesn't work, plenty of options for replacements (tyres comes up a lot but the OP will need to be clear on the priorities: Speed, weight, durability, grip, cost, fitability, etc., as there is always a balance).