Schwalbe Ultremo ZX

slowandsteady
slowandsteady Posts: 339
edited March 2013 in Road buying advice
So, I'm looking to buy some tyres for when the summer comes around and i can throw the stock Michelins the Wilier came with in the garage and wait for next winter to come around.

I think I'm going to go for Schwalbe ultremo zx after reading sone good reviews however, I see they come in 23 and 28mm.

Any advice on which to go for?
Wilier Cento Uno SR 2013 in Fluro Yellow
Cannondale Caad10 2014 in BLACK!!
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Comments

  • 1_reaper
    1_reaper Posts: 322
    I've always had 23's so can't vouch for the other widths. Good tyre had them on last year got some decent mileage out of them considering there a race tyre
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    Fantastic tyres, they also come in 25mm but I use 23. A lot depends on how chubby you are and what clearance your bike has (oh, and rim size so might be worth checking on Sheldon to see what options you actually have).
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    So, I'm looking to buy some tyres for when the summer comes around and i can throw the stock Michelins the Wilier came with in the garage and wait for next winter to come around.

    I think I'm going to go for Schwalbe ultremo zx after reading sone good reviews however, I see they come in 23 and 28mm.

    Do you own a Cento Uno but are then asking the question on tyre widths on what to go for between 23 and 28mm?!

    (the answer is 23)
  • MattC59
    MattC59 Posts: 5,408
    Fantastic tyre, I love mine ! I use the 23mm size which actually measure up to be 24mm. They give a really supply and grippy ride.
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  • mfin wrote:
    So, I'm looking to buy some tyres for when the summer comes around and i can throw the stock Michelins the Wilier came with in the garage and wait for next winter to come around.

    I think I'm going to go for Schwalbe ultremo zx after reading sone good reviews however, I see they come in 23 and 28mm.

    Do you own a Cento Uno but are then asking the question on tyre widths on what to go for between 23 and 28mm?!

    (the answer is 23)

    Ye that's right. Do you think Lewis hamilton knows how his new car is wired?

    Thanks for the advice though

    ;-)
    Wilier Cento Uno SR 2013 in Fluro Yellow
    Cannondale Caad10 2014 in BLACK!!
  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    ZXs come, as someone said, in 23, 25, 28. 23 and 25 should both fit you Wilier. If you're 85kgs or more I'd run a 23 front and 25 rear. I'm 82 kgs and race on the 23/25 set up on Hed Ardennes at only 95 psi.

    I bought and rode a 28mm ZX on my front wheel for the 200km Paris-Roubaix spotive last year. It performed amazingly. However within 50 kms back in the UK it punctured.

    So they're great tyres and quite tough but not impervious. IF you want something a little tougher I'd say 4000s is quite robust.
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  • Markjaspi
    Markjaspi Posts: 729
    I run 23mm versions, great tyres, best price BTW was bike discount DE with a great delivery time.
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  • ajb72
    ajb72 Posts: 1,178
    I have the 25mm version on my Cento Uno. Love them, loads of grip and the size makes them a comfy option.
  • ic.
    ic. Posts: 769
    I use 23mm at 110psi and I'm heavier than you. I've only had 1 puncture in 18 months of using them. Can't really compare them to anything else though
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  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    If you don't care about the fancy colours, get the DD version they hold up so much better to nicks and punctures with very little difference in weight and rolling Resistance
  • Thanks for the replies guys.

    It will be the plain black tyre so no fancy colours required.

    I'm also 90kg's on the nose so I'm guessing the 25mm will be a good compromise all round?

    And possibly DD for a bit of puncture resistance.

    Planet X have them at a good price just now but they are the 28mm ones.
    Wilier Cento Uno SR 2013 in Fluro Yellow
    Cannondale Caad10 2014 in BLACK!!
  • nferrar
    nferrar Posts: 2,511
    25's are the best choice unless you have clearance for 28's and are planning on riding a lot of rough roads. 25's are only slightly heavier than 23's but roll better - only reason I still buy 23's is on the winter bike 25's are too big for use with mudguards (summer bike I use 25's). DD's are good option if you're using them for training and don't mind a bit extra weight for the additional puncture protection (particularly in the sidewalls), although IME neither the ZX or DD puncture much
  • Ive got a set of both. The carbon bike i got came with 23mms and they are by far the best tyres ive used on a bike, they grip, roll and corner really well, but most importantly they give good feedback and confidence.

    I then read countless reports about 25mm being better and all the new age thinking about rolling resistance, so bought a set.

    Personally, i love the 25mms. Not only do they do all what the 23mm do but they have that extra bit of cushion to them that the 23's dont. Its a fairly (cheapish) way of not only improving the ride of your bike but also improving comfort a bit, as opposed to spending hundreds of pounds on various seats and seatposts.

    Any tyre i buy from now on will be a 25mm, no question.

    hope this helps
  • ajb72
    ajb72 Posts: 1,178
    edited January 2013
    If it helps, my 25mm's still allow me to use Crud Roadracer mudguards on my Willier, so the added bulk over 23mm should not be a problem.
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    Definitely go for 25mm if your bike can take them. They roll better and give more grip and comfort. I like how they still give plenty of grip even when well worn. I had a whole season on them without any pun$%ures but that might have been just luck.
  • nolight
    nolight Posts: 261
    I use these tires. Road bikes normally use 23 or 25mm.
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    markos1963 wrote:
    Definitely go for 25mm if your bike can take them. They roll better and give more grip and comfort. I like how they still give plenty of grip even when well worn. I had a whole season on them without any pun$%ures but that might have been just luck.

    I have only picked up 1 puncture in 6 months with them and I rode through a patch of broken glass I couldn't avoid in time so that goes to show how good they are. Saying that, they do nick up a bit easy at times. Manage to fill in the nicks easy enough but always give them a good check for debris after ever ride to prevent migrating dirt causing delayed punctures.
  • I had 25s - they are lovely to ride, great grip and comfort, however while I found they were reasonably puncture resistant, they cut far too easily on UK roads and I ended up replacing them with Conti GP4000s.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    I love the zx's but as above they really are race day only rubber. You will kill them quickly on the roads with decent mileage. That said I commute on them.
  • luv2ride
    luv2ride Posts: 2,367
    +1 for the 25's. I've also had the 23 flavour which were great, but prefer the 25s due to the additional comfort. However on both pairs I've notice a thin thread coming away from the outer side casing. never seen thaton the various Conti's I've used :?
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  • Luv2ride wrote:
    +1 for the 25's. I've also had the 23 flavour which were great, but prefer the 25s due to the additional comfort. However on both pairs I've notice a thin thread coming away from the outer side casing. never seen thaton the various Conti's I've used :?

    I had exactly that on the schwalbe R1's I had on my old caad.

    The roads around me are quite rough so the fact they can pick up cuts as easy is a concern. It was a cut that ended the life of one of the tyres.

    I've never looked too much into the GP4000's but I will do now.
    Wilier Cento Uno SR 2013 in Fluro Yellow
    Cannondale Caad10 2014 in BLACK!!
  • andi1363
    andi1363 Posts: 350
    Nice tyre the zx but quite delicate for general use. GP 4 Season for winter/training or GP4000s for summer. Saying that, I have used the 4000s all winter.
  • white91
    white91 Posts: 431
    Mine failed within 300 miles, sidewalls split I am not a fan.
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    mfin wrote:
    So, I'm looking to buy some tyres for when the summer comes around and i can throw the stock Michelins the Wilier came with in the garage and wait for next winter to come around.

    I think I'm going to go for Schwalbe ultremo zx after reading sone good reviews however, I see they come in 23 and 28mm.

    Do you own a Cento Uno but are then asking the question on tyre widths on what to go for between 23 and 28mm?!

    (the answer is 23)

    Ye that's right. Do you think Lewis hamilton knows how his new car is wired?

    Thanks for the advice though

    ;-)


    Not meaning to pry but Yes he does :lol: He really does work on a "Need to know" basis, and he needs to know everything.
    As for the tyres, I will also be getting some of these for my bike as ive never read a bad report.
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  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,052
    Let me add my own personal experiences to this thread.

    I bought a set of these in red to match the bike two years ago and loved them from the first ride, they've remained on that bike since, now this is my old 531 steel racer which doesn't really do very wet or winter rides, I guess they covered 2-2500 miles so far and they do have a few shallow splits along the seams and the odd cut here and there, nothing i'm worried about.

    Given the success of these I bought a black and red set for the carbon Ribble for my Pyrenees trip last year, did a week in the mountains again very happy with their performance, but today as I was packing my bike for another trip I deflated the tyres and noticed significant splits over both tyres along the seams, so much so it looks like its down to the casing, there's tyres have done maybe 300-450 miles in the bone dry on good European roads.

    needless to say i'm not taking these this time.
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  • Flexisurfer
    Flexisurfer Posts: 249
    Seriously, can you actually tell the difference between a 23 and a 25mm tyre? I have 25 on my commuter and 23 on my best and can honestly say I can feel no difference what so ever :?
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    Can anyone who has had sidewall failure on Ultremo's tell me what the tyre they used looked like? Plain black , coloured etc, also were they the new ones with the white outline around the lettering or not? I ask this as I am convinced the problems were with older versions. I have never had a problem with them but its evident some do. It would be a shame if people were turned off from them because of older lesser quality models.
  • buckmulligan
    buckmulligan Posts: 1,031
    I've had a sidewall failure on one of mine. I've been riding them through the winter (rather foolishly in hindight) and whilst the tread has resisted cutting up fairly well, I presume one of the pebbles or potholes I've hit over the miles has caused this failure:

    Side view - note damage just above 'U' of wheel decals.
    20130323_234620_zps7e45ee15.jpg

    Top view - note the ~1mm bulge just behind hub on non-drive side.
    20130323_234807_zps1574a583.jpg

    Not sure how old they are (got them 'as new' on a second hand pair of wheels last summer), but they're the black-with-white-tram-lines model and have solid white 'SCHWALBE' and 'ULTREMO' lettering if that helps?

    I think I know the answer to this, but what do you guys think about continuing to ride on this tyre? And if it's a known problem, can I get Schwalbe to replace it even though it's second-hand?
  • I really wanted to like these tyres.
    I've got through several pairs of M pro race2s and 3s over the years, and thought they were great, and lasted very well considering. Nothing wrong with 4000s either, they seem the more robust performance clincher.

    Perhaps it was a dodgy batch, but the pair of ZXs I used lasted a couple of weeks and were very fragile, I lobbed them away. They cut up very badly (I know it could have been coincidence/bad luck), and I suffered a much higher incidence of puntures.

    I also had problems with the sidewalls, and the shape distorted / bulges. Heard similar things from others, so it's put me off them. Decided I wouldn't buy them again, interesting to see people singing their praises though.
  • cal_stewart
    cal_stewart Posts: 1,840
    I've got them in 25's and live on a cobbled street. No problems at all. I only ride 25's now and when I get on 23's I think my teeth are going to fallout. I'd ride 28's if I could
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