I've heard Vicctoria (sp) & Hutchinsons are good. Any feedback on a specific 700X23 road racing tire?
I use Reflex Hutchinsons for training.
Thx!
I use Reflex Hutchinsons for training.
Thx!
What is a quality racing (road-bike) tire?
- Thread starter oceanaction
- Start date
oceanaction said:
Its all good baby
Just ride... and the scetchy tires will give you great cycling stories to tell your grand-children one day, as well as provide invaluable feedback to NEVER buy them again
.
The choice of tires is very personal, some people swear by one brand, and others detest the same tire.oceanaction said:
Search this forum for any tire you want to research and you'll find many reviews and opinions from riders who have experience with them.
You could also check out the tech section of http://www.cyclingnews.com and take a look at the pro peloton bikes that they review. There are worse things to do than experiment with the tires from the companies who supply the top professionals, and eventually you will have your favorite.
I ride tires from Vittoria and Continental, but you'll find avid supporters of mahy other brands on the forum (such as Hutchinson, VeloFlex and Michelin).
Happy Hunting!
No one tire can do everything well. Just like with car tires, every design is a compromise of competing qualities. Your choice would depend on what you plan do with the tire, and what mix of characteristics you consider to be "good".oceanaction said:
The Michelin website has little polar plots which shows the balance of key characteristics designed into each tire. Interesting way to describe their line.
A thin, light and sticky race tire may be great for a 140 lb guy racing crits, but I've found something with more puncture resistance and longer wear is what I need. Conti GP 3000s are my favorite so far, but have only tried the Michelin Pro Race and other slicks prior to these.
All the top brands have their fans, but I believe top-quality tires are a smart investment for any rider. Like strummerfan said, happy hunting.
How much do you want to spend?
A lot of pros use silk tubulars from Andre Dugast, rebadged to keep the sponsor happy. A bit pricey at $120+ per tire... and good luck finding them...
I splurged last spring and bought a pair of cotton Dugies from eurocyclingimports, rode the daylights out of them last season, no flats. Delightful ride quality, seem to be a bit smoother than the kevlar Vittoria tubies that I was riding.
Also have a pair of Vittoria Open Corsa CX's on my clincher rims, they've held up well and are fairly light.
A lot of pros use silk tubulars from Andre Dugast, rebadged to keep the sponsor happy. A bit pricey at $120+ per tire... and good luck finding them...
I splurged last spring and bought a pair of cotton Dugies from eurocyclingimports, rode the daylights out of them last season, no flats. Delightful ride quality, seem to be a bit smoother than the kevlar Vittoria tubies that I was riding.
Also have a pair of Vittoria Open Corsa CX's on my clincher rims, they've held up well and are fairly light.
Kleng, I can not agree. I purchased a 4000 and cut through the tread and part of a sidewall - so much for Vectran. Replaced the tyre with a Conti Force and that did not puncture for about 2000 kilometres, when it was pretty much riding on threads. Having worn the Force out, and having to race this morning, I thought I would put an insert into the cut 4000. Riding to the race I received another puncture - this time it was a very small piece of glass, the sort I remove from my tyres regularily. So I am, based on my experience, not a 4000 fan.kleng said:
However, the Conti Force/Attack are awesome, and if you buy them in Australia they are covered by the PTG - Performance Tyre Guarantee. The 4000 is not covered by the PTG.
Thanks to everyone for their take on racing tires. I specified "racing" tires as a colleague at work who used to pro race in Europe advised to use a "racing" tire in competition vs a training tire that I presumed would be less expensive but more durable.
From threads I have read on tires the following seems relevant:
* There is a personal preference factor (influenced by your spending limit)
* Maintaining proper air pressure is extremely important
* Terrain & weight of rider are factors
* I learned that the brands Conti & GP are popular (among others) for racing
Relative to longevity I read a posting where the writer stated he got 1000's of miles on tires c out flats; wow! Guess me being a fat boy (110 kilo) does not help. Otherwise I agree that switching the front tire to the back will increase mileage.
Thanks again to everyone for posting.
oceanaction
From threads I have read on tires the following seems relevant:
* There is a personal preference factor (influenced by your spending limit)
* Maintaining proper air pressure is extremely important
* Terrain & weight of rider are factors
* I learned that the brands Conti & GP are popular (among others) for racing
Relative to longevity I read a posting where the writer stated he got 1000's of miles on tires c out flats; wow! Guess me being a fat boy (110 kilo) does not help. Otherwise I agree that switching the front tire to the back will increase mileage.
Thanks again to everyone for posting.
oceanaction
The high-end offerings from just about all the tyre companies should be decent tyres. Links to all the companies are on the Weight Weeny listings:
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/listings/components.php?type=roadtyres
From my recent 'trials' of race tyres, I've found all these to be comparable: Continental Supersonic, Stelvio Light, Michelin Pro Race, Vredestein Superlite, and the Vittoria Open Corsa EVO KS, although the Vittoria was probably just ahead of the others. They're all similarly tacky and slick.
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/listings/components.php?type=roadtyres
From my recent 'trials' of race tyres, I've found all these to be comparable: Continental Supersonic, Stelvio Light, Michelin Pro Race, Vredestein Superlite, and the Vittoria Open Corsa EVO KS, although the Vittoria was probably just ahead of the others. They're all similarly tacky and slick.
Just a thought. 23mm tires seem to be pretty standard with the racers I know, but many of the better tires are available in other widths. A larger rider might want a larger tire such as a 25mm. All else being equal, you'll get worse aerodynamics but better rolling resistance. Also more resistance to pinch flats, if we are talking about clinchers.
Hi Baldrick,
Thanks for the response on the conti GP4000's, I'll have to watch out for the cuts, the tires seem very thin when you put them on. I guess the vectran strip must be very narrow, so that anything off center would cut deeply and cause a puncture.
Regards
Ken
Thanks for the response on the conti GP4000's, I'll have to watch out for the cuts, the tires seem very thin when you put them on. I guess the vectran strip must be very narrow, so that anything off center would cut deeply and cause a puncture.
Regards
Ken
Balderick said:
Any takes on what is the faster for race day?
I've heard the pros all use tubular. I've never changed on as I heard they're a pain in the ssa.
oceanaction
I've heard the pros all use tubular. I've never changed on as I heard they're a pain in the ssa.
oceanaction
absolute pain in the **** to change. Some people swear by them, but others say there's little noticeable difference between them and the top clinchers.oceanaction said:
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Veloflex last night -- some claim they are THE best clinchers
http://www.veloflex.it/products_tyres_catalog.htm
http://www.veloflextires.com/
Good, I was very happy on the smooth bitumen, but part of the bike leg was on the breakdown lane with that realy rough red "P" gravel surface (sealed). Next time I will drop the front pressure a little, maybe 90psi and not 100.
The blue (flat bar) bike with the blue tyres attracted quite a bit of attention.
The blue (flat bar) bike with the blue tyres attracted quite a bit of attention.
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