UKC

Recommend me a road tyre

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 coinneach 03 Jul 2016
Original Vitoria zaffiros are wearing out and after nearly 3,000 miles owe me nothing.

I cycle mainly on poor condition country roads usually single track or B roads ( lots of climbing )

Do your best , UKC experts.
 Y Gribin 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

These do it for me:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-gatorskin-road-wire-bead-tyre/

Anecdotely the puncture resistence stuff seems to be true......I have fewer with these tyres than anything else, which would suit your poor condition roads.
 The Potato 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

Michelin pro 4 endurance 25c
 Greasy Prusiks 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

Not the really cheap Schwalbe Road ones. Their default state is punctured.
 andy 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:
I run tubeless on all my bikes now and i have never had a puncture (well not one the goo couldn't sort). Rode over from Stainforth to Halton Gill today and hit a cattle grid hard, the sort of impact that has "pinch puncture" written all over it - neither me nor my mate (both running Schwalbe tubeless on Fulcrum wheels) had a problem.

But before I went tubeless I swore by Conti GP4000S. They do a slightly heavier winter one too I think with better puncture resistance, bit they never struck me as particularly puncture prone anyway.
moffatross 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

A second vote for the Contis. Four of us cycled toured from St Malo to Nice a couple of weeks ago for a combined 3,360 miles. All of us happened to be running Continental GP4000S II's and we only had a single puncture between us (me as it happens from a piece of wire on the leg from Le Pouzin on the Rhone on the way to Sault via Mont Ventoux).
1
 Baron Weasel 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

Another vote for Conti GP4000s, on my second set and no punctures so far. Will probably never buy a different road tyre, worth every penny!
OP coinneach 03 Jul 2016
In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

Aye, saw those. Thought they looked too good to be true.
OP coinneach 03 Jul 2016
In reply to andy:

How does the tubeless thing work then?
 IMA 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

A budget?

I'm a fan of Vittoria tyres.
Budget option (personally CX bike when winter riding on the road) the Rubino

Mid range, wet and bad roads goes to the old Open Pave
Dry - I go with the old Corsa or the conti gp4000 iis (wheel set dependent)

Racing/training either the conti's or the new Corsa G+
Tubs - we can ignore for this lol

All of them I ride between Wirral main roads, country lanes in Cheshire and back road jobs and hills in N.Wales.
Regarding punctures I don't suffer from them (maybe 2 a year max if I am unlucky wit 7000 miles on the road bikes)
 Greasy Prusiks 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

Yeah they're unbelievabley light but obviously really thin. Shame because proper Schwalbe ones are the business.
OP coinneach 03 Jul 2016
In reply to IMA:

Contis look ok at £30 quidish, that said, I have had ZERO punctures with the Vittorias.
 andy 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach: i have "tubeless ready" wheels, but I think you can convert other wheels (have a look for Stan's No-tubes).

You have a special valve that seals the valve hole then the tyres have a really stiff bead that seals against the rim so you don't need a tube. You put gunk in that seals (in my case) any small punctures from thorns etc, and of course pinch punctures can't happen. You can put a tube in if needed, but to be honest if a hole's big enough to not seal then a tube's not going to last long.

A lot of MTB riders run tubeless, but they're relatively rare on road bikes.

 IMA 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

Personally I'd run with a pair of the conti 4000gp iis for summer then when the rubbish starts hitting the road some of the older (not the G+) Rubinos.

If you don't pick up punctures normally I imagine you'll be fine on any of them
 TobyA 03 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:
I think I had zaffiros at one point and wore through them surprisingly quickly - disappointing. After doing 10,000+ kms without a puncture on with Schwalbe Marathon Pluses on my commuting bikes (the tyres out lasted they bike they came on!) I decided to spring for the folding version of the schwalbe durano plus on my road bike. Been very happy with them although I've probably only done a 1000 kms on them - over the last couple of years - but no punctures so far.
OP coinneach 03 Jul 2016
In reply to TobyA:

Thanks all . . . . Have ordered a pair of continental 4000's
In reply to coinneach:
I run 23mm Vittoria Rubino Pro's and replace them every year - 3-4000 miles on the good bike - and they'll still give me a further 1-2000 miles or so on the winter bike before they're completely shot. P*nct*res are a rarity even though the Lancashire lanes are in pretty awful condition. I weight 70kg and run them at 100 - 110 psi.
Post edited at 11:35
 LastBoyScout 04 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

I've got Panaracer Extreme Dura on the commuting bike. Don't think I've ever had a puncture with them.
Rigid Raider 04 Jul 2016
In reply to Lord of Starkness:

Wow! That must give you a harsh ride even with a quality tyre like that. Why not try dropping to 90 psi? I'm 76 kilos and I stick to 95 usually, which is fine on Lancashire lanes.
In reply to Rigid Raider:

I found that running them at 100psi tends to avoid snakebites when you hit the inevitable pothole. The curvy rear stays on my Ribble Gran Fondo seems to help soften the ride.
 arandall 04 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

Not a fan of the Conti GP4000s so far, did Lands End to Glastonbury (200mi) this weekend with a month old pair of them, got two punctures with them. The Michelin Pro 4s seemed pretty good, didn't have any punctures with them.
 manumartin 04 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

I have used Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elite for the past three years with no puncture problems. The new model 2015 onwards is great. I live in Haute Savoie and have also just done the Maratona and the tyres are excellent in the mountains. I appreciate that these tyres are a little on the heavy side but for puncture resistance I think they are worth it.
Cheers
 nniff 05 Jul 2016
In reply to Lord of Starkness:

I use Michelin Pro-4 service course 23. I weigh 73 kg and inflate them to 105 psi. Unyielding -yes, but the bike's as rigid as they come - none of this flexy stay business and it's sort of what the bike's about. Did an 80 mile ride in a group of 8 at the weekend through the lanes which were awash with grit after a downpour the day before. We had a 25% puncture rate - but fortunately not me.

pro-4 are going cheap at the moment because Michelin have a new tyre out, whose name I forget
Rigid Raider 06 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

I'm moving away from this idea of high tyre pressures; for me road cycling should be about quality not quantity and that means making it as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. I've done the long epic rides and I've owned steel bikes with rigid 90s geometry and narrow tyres and now I'm enjoying my smooth-riding carbon frames, good quality 230 tpi tyres 23mm or 25mm wide, pumped to 90 or 95 psi, latex inners and padded handlebars. My tyre of choice is the superb Veloflex Open Corsa (£54 a pair from Ribble) which grips like a grippy thing especially in the wet, makes the bike feel superbly secure and has an acceptable rate of punctures bearing in mind the beautiful ride quality. I seldom ride further than 60 miles as I find that beyond that the enjoyment begins to fade and I always seek out the most remote and interesting places to ride; Bowland Fells or Yorkshire Dales being my favourites. A Veloflex tyre with a latex inner makes a lovely ringing sound and rides superbly.
 Oujmik 06 Jul 2016
In reply to nniff:

I also like the Pro4 - I wouldn't say they're unyielding, especially not at 105psi. I find them to be pretty smooth. I suspect in a 25mm rather than the 23mm I'm currently running they'd feel positively luxurious!
 IMA 06 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

tyre pressure is something very personal and has multiple variables which give motive for adjustment.

Your own comfort can be one, some people can take a harsher ride for the gains/removal of risks
Weather
tyre width
road condition
are you racing? demanding the most from your own output?

Your own weight, in a sense, doesn't matter if you are heavy on the bars but light in weight you'll still probably want a higher pressure than someone may suggest.

I weigh in at 72-78kg depending on the days biscuit consumption but can ride anything from 80-140 psi on a clincher. What I am trying to say is put the pressure in which suits your ride that day.

I'd also agree with the latex tubes for clinchers, a tad heavier (if you care) but offer a better ride imo
Rigid Raider 07 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

Latex tubes heavier? Shurely shome mishtake?

My Michelin latex tubes weigh 22 gms less than my Taiwan butyl tubes. I know because I'm in love with latex.
 Einriba 07 Jul 2016
In reply to coinneach:

I've gone through tyres over the years!

The latest ones I'm riding are specialized sworks turbo (700x24).

Very fast tyre, with low rolling resistance, grippy as hell and good puncture resistance.

I think you can get a pair for around £50?
 IMA 07 Jul 2016
In reply to Rigid Raider:

Vittoria ultralights were around 5g (digging around the pointless memory bank here) lighter than the vittoria latex.

Can't comment on the mind green Michelins, and nor is this a representative sample size, but from observation I would say there is less material on the ultralite tubes.

can we just quote you on the last 5 words of that statement for every future post please?

S worksturbo have some of the lowest rolling resistance around, I have just yet to use them. Good on the data charts.
OP coinneach 07 Jul 2016
In reply to Lord of Starkness:

Delivered and fitted.

I've stuck 100psi in for now ( 85kg) and we'll see how they roll.
 malk 10 Aug 2016
In reply to TobyA:

> I think I had zaffiros at one point and wore through them surprisingly quickly - disappointing. After doing 10,000+ kms without a puncture on with Schwalbe Marathon Pluses on my commuting bikes (the tyres out lasted they bike they came on!) I decided to spring for the folding version of the schwalbe durano plus on my road bike. Been very happy with them although I've probably only done a 1000 kms on them - over the last couple of years - but no punctures so far.

do you notice much difference with the much lighter durano?
was just about to replace my budget vittoria randonneurs on my tourer but noticed their appalling rolling resistance..
http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/tour-reviews
so am gonna try out the vittoria voyager hyper esp as selling for 1/2 price

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