AAAAH!! AGREE-EE-EE!! They are ****!! I can't believe people like them. One of the reviewers in Pro Cycling UK (Chris Boardman or Marcel Wust) said they were nothing more than an average training tyre.flipper said:
I reckon almost all Continental clinchers are **** (I've never used their singles), but I've got a foldable Ultra Gator on the rear of one of my bikes which I don't mind, and I've had pretty good wear out of it
ok, you're the marathon man; what's the best way to get down the Dromana kinda area? I ran out of bike lane on Nepean Hwy just before Mornington, so I went to the Esplande on the beach, but just out of Mornington it's shitty and unsealed! At that stage I'd done 55km, so I just turned around.Jono L said:
I suppose you pros train in such big groups, and/or with support vehicles, so safety is less on an issue, since you take up half the road
yeah, get the Michelins; me and a mate get them off some dude on Aus Ebay for about $90 a pair. I get them through my mate, so I don't know who the seller is.flipper said:
Vittoria EVOs are great, but I haven't used them enough to say how they hold up against puncturing.
Then there are Clements: never had one
Vredesteins ain't as good as Michelins, I reckon, even the Super Lights. TriComps are ok, but I had big problems with them going out of shape.
Esplanade, shitty and unsealed??531Aussie said:ok, you're the marathon man; what's the best way to get down the Dromana kinda area? I ran out of bike lane on Nepean Hwy just before Mornington, so I went to the Esplande on the beach, but just out of Mornington it's shitty and unsealed! At that stage I'd done 55km, so I just turned around.
1)follow the motorpacing route
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Motor-Pacing
2)or just stay on the nepean
3)or go down the back of two bays and follow the roads on tha motorpacing loop
flipper said:
Gatorskins are heavy hard. They feel REAL sluggish.
I've got Conti Competitions for my Tubulars which i'll be interested to test this summer, but for Clinchers, once i'm through this set of GP4000S i'll be going Vittoria I think. Not sure what product though.
531Aussie said:
Yeah a friend rides the Corsa CX and likes 'em. However he seems to puncture every ride we go on. My last GP4000's got 6000km out of the rear and 2 punctures in the same training ride (once prior to effect session and once just before getting home). That meant time to toss 'em.
Been training on Specialized All Conditions and they're not too bad. Wouldn't dream of racing on them though.
My money's on Schwalbe Stelvios (not the ones with the added puncture protection) at the moment. They're a solid training tyre that's right at home in a race environment. They might be a little bit heavier than an ultralite, but that extra rubber means less time spent on the side of the road. You can set them up for comfort at 90-100psi, road racing at 110-130psi depending on the surface, or rock hard at 140-150psi for smooth crit circuits. At half the price and twice the value they get my vote.
As for PR2s I hate 'em. Their beading is slightly smaller than most which means you'll have a tough time rolling one off the rim in a race, but it also means tough times when fixing punctures (even with tyre levers). As for the ride, well it's just pain wierd: it's surefooted but you feel like your riding on two giant, bouncy balloons.
My money's on Schwalbe Stelvios (not the ones with the added puncture protection) at the moment. They're a solid training tyre that's right at home in a race environment. They might be a little bit heavier than an ultralite, but that extra rubber means less time spent on the side of the road. You can set them up for comfort at 90-100psi, road racing at 110-130psi depending on the surface, or rock hard at 140-150psi for smooth crit circuits. At half the price and twice the value they get my vote.
As for PR2s I hate 'em. Their beading is slightly smaller than most which means you'll have a tough time rolling one off the rim in a race, but it also means tough times when fixing punctures (even with tyre levers). As for the ride, well it's just pain wierd: it's surefooted but you feel like your riding on two giant, bouncy balloons.
And while we're on the subject of punctures... they're a fact of life. Whether you get a puncture or not depends almost entirely on whether you take action to avoid puncture hazards and CHANCE. The choice of tyre generally doesn't matter, with one glaringly obvious exception.
You can't possibly expect race tyres or superlites or whatever you want to call them to stand up and be counted when it comes time to repel that nasty little shard of glass that you can't even see. So save them for race day.
The rule of thumb is simple: don't be the farkin dork that goes out riding with their mates on tissue thin tyres. Train on tyres that are suitable for the conditions, race on whatever you want to.
Geez. I haven't had a little rant like that for quite a while now. It's liberating... you know... in a vertically stiff, yet laterally compliant kinda way.
You can't possibly expect race tyres or superlites or whatever you want to call them to stand up and be counted when it comes time to repel that nasty little shard of glass that you can't even see. So save them for race day.
The rule of thumb is simple: don't be the farkin dork that goes out riding with their mates on tissue thin tyres. Train on tyres that are suitable for the conditions, race on whatever you want to.
Geez. I haven't had a little rant like that for quite a while now. It's liberating... you know... in a vertically stiff, yet laterally compliant kinda way.
Gators are great. Ridden on plenty of dirt/gravel on mine (they are on my old roadie) at least 5000 and no punctures and plenty more k's to go.parawolf said:
I'd say,
1) Vittoria evo's, they feel great, haven't noticed that they wear too quickly either, or
2) gatorskins, feel fine, really solid but not great for racing
At the risk of being laughed off the the forum ...... can i suggest Maxxis Detonators as a good training tyre? Fairly low-tech as far as tyres go, but the things are virtually bullet proof.
Obviously not suggesting you finely tuned racing machines should actually use them in competition of course.
Obviously not suggesting you finely tuned racing machines should actually use them in competition of course.
+ 7 Gazillion.531Aussie said:
Classic and ozman, founding members of the 'Continental tyres suck' club.
+1 . Good training tyrejock said:
+1. Another overrated tyre IMO. I brought a pair and they just feel friggin weird. I can't understand why everyone raves about them.jock said:
CX's rule. Closest ride you will get to singles, comfortable, grippy, quick, reasonable wear. Veloflex are nice but a bit harsh a ride. They'd be better if they had a 1-2mm bigger carcass IMO.Jono said:
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