I finally got my new Volae Team. I love the bike -- haven't had a chance to ride it a whole lot;
but I was immediately impressed by how easy it is to get started and stopped. I find it more
comfortable in start and stop riding than my V-Rex, I suspect because the high center of gravity
makes it easier to balance, and also that they just did a great job with the design to get the low
speed handing right.
So I love riding it but I'm now looking for some different tires before I take it out of town on a
cycling vacation.
For some reason Hostel Shoppe specs Conti GP Supersonics on the Team, which aren't intended for
the rigors of day to day riding. My impression is that I'll be lucking to get 1000 miles of life
out of them.
The Team is also speced with a True Temper Alpha Q Pro front fork, which looks like a great fork,
but it doesn't allow for a lot of tire clearance. According to the Hostel Shoppe not all 650C x 23
(23-571) tires will fit the fork. In particular the Schwalbe Stelvio, and a Michelin tire they tried
would not clear.
The tires they say will work include:
Conti GP Supersonic 23-571 Folding 145psi 145g Conti Ultra Gatorskin 23-571 Wire 145psi 250g
Terry tellus ST 28-571 Wire 100psi 340g
As I said I'm looking for something more durable than the Supersonic, and I'd like something lighter
weight and lower rolling resistance than the other two. Both the Conti GP 3000, and the Vredestein
Fortezza look interesting:
Conti GP 3000 23-571 Folding 120psi 195g Vredestein Fortezza 23-571
I'd be curious to hear from others whether they have tried fitting either of these, or any other
light weight 23-571 tires to their Volae Teams.
Thanks,
Rick Moll RANS V-Rex Volae Team