Kevlar Tires???

I am planning ahead for the spring and am considering adding Kevlar (or any other type of puncture resistant tire/tube) to my existing road bike. What I am concerned with is to what extent this may result in a loss of speed? I am not a pro-athlete, I just want to bike to work which is fairly long on country roads adn the last thing I want to deal with si a flat tire at 6am on my way to work. I generally keep around 30km/h on the flats.

Does any one have any knowledge or experience with these types of tires and tubes?

Thanks for the help.

 

You should consider tires like Continental GP 4 Seasons and the GP4000s; Schwalbe Durano and Ultremo DD; Maxxis Re-Fuse; Michelin Pro Race 4 Endurance and Krylion (technically these are no longer being manufactured but they're still being sold in many places on the internet and in brick and mortar shops). Also, wider tires (like a 25mm or 28mm) tend to be more flat resistant than narrow tires (like 23mm tires). As a bonus, wider tires can be used at a lower pressure and will provide a ride that might be a bit more comfy. I'm sure others will chime in with suggestions. Note that no tire is truly puncture proof (well, I guess solid polyurethane tires are). Also note that you can prevent a lot of punctures just by paying attention to the road and what's on it.

 

FYI. While some bicycle tires may have a Kevlar layer beneath the tread, you should note that when you see references to "Kevlar" with bicycle tires that the reference is generally for the tire's BEAD which the rim clinches vs. a "wire" bead rather than to a protective layer or "ply" unless explicitly stated.

 

I have 700c tires: a Maxxis Refuse on the rear, and a Schwalbe Marathon Plus on the front. I have been riding on both for one year.
My Maxxis has had two flats*. My Schwalbe hasn't flatted, and still looks like new.
In contrast, the Maxxis is easy to get over the rim, whereas the Schwalbe is a real @#$%"^* pain in the #[email protected] For the latter, you will definitely want a tire bead jack.

* two flats total: one normal leak, and one leak near the valve stem that may have had nothing to do with the tire.

 

I think the Maxxis Refuse is one of the best bang for the buck tires out there. it's got good grip, rolls alright, and has great durability and puncture protection. With that said, one of my last set of tires was actually a set of Michelin ProRace 3s (I had a gift card and said what the hell). In 2100 miles, I had two flats on them.

 

In the one year span, I probably rode less than 1K miles (1609 km).

 

Just out of curiosity, when I look up the Maxxis Refuse it erfers to it as a training tire.Does this mean that there is anoticable difference between it and standard tire. (I want to avoid a flat but at the same time do not want to feel like I am dragging a cinder block behind me)

 

Training tires are plenty fast enough to train on and they can be used for racing. They will generally be a bit less grippy than a full on racing tire, probably a bit stiffer riding and will yield more miles (and often more maintenance-free miles than the equivalent racing model in the same brand.

Training tires may have a harder, longer wearing rubber compound, thicker tread area and maybe a heavier sidewall. Sometimes the manufacture will add some space age named anti-puncture belt to the mix. It all adds up just a little less race characteristics and a bit more weight.

A cement block? Not unless you buy a real clunker tire model.

Go to the various websites. Compare a Michelin Pro 4 Race to a Pro 4 Endurance to the Pro 4 Service Course. The difference in grams from flyweight pro-issue to a near touring durable tire...all in the same line up...isn't much.

There will be differences and yeah, experienced riders can 'feel' them and do select their tires accordingly. But, you're not going to go from 'I rule the group rides!' to Spit out the back!' due to switching from a light race day tire to a decent training tire.

My recommendation is to try a pair of Vredestein Fortezza Tricomps. They are plenty light, take ridiculous pressure, have a great carcass for ride quality, offer decent grip in the dry and puncture less than any tire I've ridden. Some of the fast cats up here are on Kendas and they seem to like their training rubber.

 

I don't know what "training tire" means. Here are pictures.
That wearing along the surface, above and parallel to that black sensor mark, is from excessive rubbing against the brake (i.e. riding with a wobbly wheel (broken axle), and just not bothering to adjust the brake cables).

 

If you were to ride the Refuse back to back with a Michelin PR4, a Schwalbe Ultremo ZX, a Conti 4000s, or some other top end racing tire, you would likely notice that the racings tires roll a bit better (although that's mostly just noticeable when you're not pedaling, like on a downhill or summit). It's not like a training tire will feel like you're pedaling trough molasses. To get a bit better puncture protection and longer life, you typically have to accept a bit higher rolling resistance and maybe a bit less grip. With that said, with the Refuse, I never felt lacked any grip when cornering on mountain descents. The refuse is a bit of a dark horse just because it isn't made by Conti, Schwalbe, Michelin, or Vittoria, i.e. the popular go-fast tire makers (clinchers).

 

Alright, so just one last question. What about the puncture resistant tubes? Are they any good?

 

They're heavy, they diminish grip and ride comfort, and they don't work perfectly. Also, if the fit isn't quite right they don't force the tire to seat properly on the rim. If I had to use a product like this, I'd rather use belts like Mr. Tuffy.

 

I've found Kenda breaker 25 mm tyres to be really good. Ridden them on roads and bike paths with lot's of sharp gravel and no punctures. Rolling resistance is higher but not too bad.