Originally posted by ItalianStallion
Hi everybody,
I am about to purchase new tyres for my bike. I currently have 700x23 installed, do you think I should change to 700x20? What are the advanatges of each? I use my bike on medium-long rides about 3-4 a week, what do you suggest?
Also, my LBS offer Michelin and Continental tyres, is there a model in particular that I should aim to purchase? I was looking at the Michelin Pro Race tyres or the Continental Grand Prix supersonic, any comments on these?
Thanks!!
I have had very good results with IRC, Avocet, and Continental tires.
20 width tires are lighter, but not necessarily faster, and certainly not more durable or comfortable.
Conti Supersonic tires have very low rolling resistance, but they expensive, wear out quickly and are not very puncture resistant.
Following is a quote from the Continental Bicycle Tire web site:
"My Grand Prix Supersonics lasted much less than the former Grand Prix 3000, is something wrong with the product?
Actually this product is intended for race application, for time trials, generally for people who care very much for weight and the lowest possible rolling resistance.
This should not be the preferred tire for training, for allround application, i.e. for the majority.
We try to tell customers with a tire comparison on the tire box. The Grand Prix Supersonic gets 5 out of 5 for rolling resistance and grip/handling, but only two out of five for mileage and puncture resistance . This very much agrees with your experience. So your remarks are totally right.
We know that quite a few customers bought the Grand Prix Supersonic and should have bought the Grand Prix 3000 or Grand Prix.
Did your dealer promote the Supersonic and did he tell you about the pros and cons of the Supersonic?
Did you pay attention to the tire comparison chart on the box? We are interested in your opinion on this matter because we hate to have people use our products against our recommendation.
People how know about the Supersonic's features do like this tire very much, because it is extremely fast. And they know that the price for ultra light weight must always be paid in terms of mileage and sometimes puncture resistance."
I suggest you visit Continental's site and download their bicycle tire application information from:
http://tinyurl.com/3fmxq
Information on Avocet tires for road:
http://www.avocet.com/tirepages/carbon12.html
If you buy the Conti Supersonics stop back and let us know what you think.