Good tyres vs budget

Brown sauce
Brown sauce Posts: 111
edited September 2013 in Road buying advice
Ok I'm massively new to road bikes. Just bought a triban5 and love it. But as its such good value for money my only thing that I am thinking maybe worth upgrading at the mo is the tyres. They're b'twin own make. What benefits do the more expensive brands give. I can see people talking about puncture resistance a lot. Also some recommendations would be much appreciated.

Thanks
2015 Stanton Switchback
1993 Kona Lavadome

Comments

  • carrock
    carrock Posts: 1,103
    light weight, good rolling resistance. schwalbe ultremo zx tyres and specialized turbo lightweight tubes may save up to 400g compared to your OE tyres and tubes. and you will feel the difference even more when combined with lighter wheels. I saved a whole KG from my bike changing the OE wheels/tyres/tubes
  • dowtcha
    dowtcha Posts: 442
    I would just use the stock tyres and only change if you are getting a lot of punctures or they dont grip very well in the upcoming wet weather. I got 2000 miles out of the stock giant tyres and only changed when i got three puntures in a row. Better tyres roll better, give better grip/ride and offer better puncture protection. Check tyre preasure often to prevent pinch flats. I bought vredestein and so far being impressed with them and at £20 each i think they offer good value. Wish I got 25mm instead of 23mm for extra grip for winter.

    http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/vredestein-vredestein-tyres-road-tri-track-folding-vredestein-fortezza-tricomp-folding-tyre/vredtyrf250
  • Brown sauce
    Brown sauce Posts: 111
    Cheers, yeah I think I will use mine a bit more then get some of the ultremos. They look good. I know wheels would be a good upgrade but I'm trying (really hard) not to go crazy spending money on this bike. I'm actually really enjoying it as is.
    2015 Stanton Switchback
    1993 Kona Lavadome
  • denniskwok
    denniskwok Posts: 339
    Better tyre will make a significant improvement to your bike and for the cost of around £50, it's really worth it IMO. Poor tyres can really compromise the performance of any road bike. If I could chop off nearly a whole pound of rotating weight off my wheels, have more grip, a lower rolling resistance and a more compliant ride just by swapping out the tyres and tubes, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
  • hoojammyflip
    hoojammyflip Posts: 40
    Rolling resistance I reckon in my humble opinion is the biggest difference you can notice. I tried some Gatorskins last winter instead of Pro 3's and it was like riding in sand when I made the switch over, costing maybe as much as 0.5-1mph on the flat. Cheap tyres are about 100g heavier (50% heavier) than expensive ones. Going uphill, an extra 200g is going to gain you 0.25% on time, if you and your bike weigh 80kg. For a 200m (vertical) hill climb that's going to be a couple of seconds through the weight saving...not as significant as the gains from rolling resistance, particularly as you are only climbing for a fraction of a ride's total distance.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Brown sauce wrote:
    Cheers, yeah I think I will use mine a bit more then get some of the ultremos. They look good. I know wheels would be a good upgrade but I'm trying (really hard) not to go crazy spending money on this bike. I'm actually really enjoying it as is.

    So you're going to buy some tires because "They look good." Yet you claim not to want to "... go crazy spending...". I'm not following your logic. :?
  • Brown sauce
    Brown sauce Posts: 111
    dennisn wrote:
    Brown sauce wrote:
    Cheers, yeah I think I will use mine a bit more then get some of the ultremos. They look good. I know wheels would be a good upgrade but I'm trying (really hard) not to go crazy spending money on this bike. I'm actually really enjoying it as is.

    So you're going to buy some tires because "They look good." Yet you claim not to want to "... go crazy spending...". I'm not following your logic. :?

    Haha. When I say "look good" I don't mean pretty colours. Just they look like good tyres to buy from reviews, recommendations and light weight. Plus....they come in some amazing colours and look so pretty haha :wink:
    2015 Stanton Switchback
    1993 Kona Lavadome
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    cheap tyres are both rubbish and a false economy IMO. They wear faster, grip less, puncture more and don't roll as well. But if you like cheap stuff, fill your boots.

    If not Conti GP4Seasons on the commuter and GP4000S/Pro4/EvoCX/tubeless on the good bike
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Tyres, much like brakes, are a safety critical item, and in as bike components go are not that expensive. The Continental GP4000S tyre is widely regarded as being the 'best', I would and while pricey isn't like suddenly upgrading your bike to Dura Ace.
  • matt@theforce
    matt@theforce Posts: 647
    I've got around 3000miles out of my Decathlon tyres (without any punctures), the rear tyre is starting to square off a little and the sidewalls are starting to crack but I rekon there is another 1000miles left in them.

    I did change my Decathlon wheels for some Mavic Aksiums to see what difference there was and they was a massive difference.

    Its worth noting that I've just replaced my OEM rear wheel with a new one due to 2 spokes snapping and the bearings requiring a service, with that cost it made it cheaper to replace the whole wheel.

    IMO keep your current tyres and save for some new wheels/tyres and then change & your bike will feel like a new bike :)
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    maddog 2 wrote:
    cheap tyres are both rubbish and a false economy IMO. They wear faster, grip less, puncture more and don't roll as well. But if you like cheap stuff, fill your boots.

    Not sure I buy into all your ideas. Inexpensive tires generally have MORE rubber on them than high end, lightweight ones. More thickness of rubber, at least to me, means more puncture resistance. I would agree that maybe they don't roll quite as well. Still, this forum is full of complaints and rants from people buying high end tires only to suffer a rash of flats. Don't know how you would explain that a tire with thin tread(lightweight, racing) will last longer AND be more puncture resistant than a nice heavy old wire beaded tire with thick tread. Doesn't make sense, to me.
  • t4tomo
    t4tomo Posts: 2,643
    dennisn wrote:
    maddog 2 wrote:
    cheap tyres are both rubbish and a false economy IMO. They wear faster, grip less, puncture more and don't roll as well. But if you like cheap stuff, fill your boots.

    Not sure I buy into all your ideas. Inexpensive tires generally have MORE rubber on them than high end, lightweight ones. More thickness of rubber, at least to me, means more puncture resistance. I would agree that maybe they don't roll quite as well. Still, this forum is full of complaints and rants from people buying high end tires only to suffer a rash of flats. Don't know how you would explain that a tire with thin tread(lightweight, racing) will last longer AND be more puncture resistant than a nice heavy old wire beaded tire with thick tread. Doesn't make sense, to me.

    Puncture resistance comes from a strip or two moulded into the rubber made of Kevlar or similar - think continental use something called Vectran on the GP4000 and 4 seasons, not from just adding more rubber.
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  • Brown sauce
    Brown sauce Posts: 111
    Thanks for the recommendations. Ok I will have a look at the continentals. Haven't looked at them yet.

    I did press on with the b'twin tyres. On my last ride I got a puncture. A slice about quarter of an inch through the tyre and inner tube. Must have been a flint/sharp stone I think. Then just now I was tinkering with set up rolling around outside and got another puncture. They have done about 100 miles and had two punctures haha.
    2015 Stanton Switchback
    1993 Kona Lavadome
  • Brown sauce
    Brown sauce Posts: 111
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    Tyres, much like brakes, are a safety critical item, and in as bike components go are not that expensive. The Continental GP4000S tyre is widely regarded as being the 'best', I would and while pricey isn't like suddenly upgrading your bike to Dura Ace.

    This was totally my thinking. Which was why although I don't want to spend loads on upgrades on the bike. I thought the tyres would be the one thing worth doing
    2015 Stanton Switchback
    1993 Kona Lavadome
  • Brown sauce
    Brown sauce Posts: 111
    matt@theforce wrote:
    I've got around 3000miles out of my Decathlon tyres (without any punctures), the rear tyre is starting to square off a little and the sidewalls are starting to crack but I rekon there is another 1000miles left in them.

    Its worth noting that I've just replaced my OEM rear wheel with a new one due to 2 spokes snapping and the bearings requiring a service, with that cost it made it cheaper to replace the whole wheel.

    Haha well done on getting the mileage out of the tyres. I managed 100 miles with two punctures.

    Thanks for the heads up on the bearings and spokes. Will keep an eye on them.
    2015 Stanton Switchback
    1993 Kona Lavadome
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    t4tomo wrote:
    dennisn wrote:
    maddog 2 wrote:
    cheap tyres are both rubbish and a false economy IMO. They wear faster, grip less, puncture more and don't roll as well. But if you like cheap stuff, fill your boots.

    Not sure I buy into all your ideas. Inexpensive tires generally have MORE rubber on them than high end, lightweight ones. More thickness of rubber, at least to me, means more puncture resistance. I would agree that maybe they don't roll quite as well. Still, this forum is full of complaints and rants from people buying high end tires only to suffer a rash of flats. Don't know how you would explain that a tire with thin tread(lightweight, racing) will last longer AND be more puncture resistant than a nice heavy old wire beaded tire with thick tread. Doesn't make sense, to me.

    Puncture resistance comes from a strip or two moulded into the rubber made of Kevlar or similar - think continental use something called Vectran on the GP4000 and 4 seasons, not from just adding more rubber.

    I'm not putting these tires down. As tire tech progresses puncture resistant belts will get better and thinner. Still, to expect extremely thin lightweight tires to last mega miles and withstand sharp objects is not going to happen. Of course no one wants to ride on thicker and heavier tires because, well, it's just not done. After all, what would your riding buddies say? :wink:

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