Use any faster tires you want and put this Mr. Tuffy inside. They really work and you will have peace of mind.

https://www.amazon.com/...066:pla-570079683265

Specialized Roubaix Pro.

You will need to order them. Even a Specialized house won't have them in stock.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

I recently bought a pair of Continental Grand Prixs, not 4000s. They are really nice German made tires that weighed within 5 grams of the 4000s and according to the CRR testing are only a watt slower per tire.

The best part is the price at $45 for a pair from Excel Sports Boulder. They are a great all around value.

Tire liners slow the tire down just like an integrated puncture-protection layer does.

I can't seem to sort out what is different between the standard GP and the GP GT. Both have BlackChili compound, PolyX breaker, and 3/180tpi construction. The GT is a bit heavier and best I can tell might have additional sidewall protection but otherwise is the same tire as the GP. I'd like to assume it rolls nearly as well too.

What kind of "flats"? The answer might guide the choices...

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

The kind where the air comes out of the tube :)

Okay, seriously - punctures from road debris. I won't be riding off road or banging through pot holes but I've been told there is a fair amount of debris on the road shoulders where we'll be riding. I'm not particularly interested in messing with adding sealant and such - just looking for increased puncture protection. I'm leaning towards the Conti GP 4 Season even though the RR is higher than the GP and GP GT. I'd rather a bit extra piece of mind than holding on to those few watts for training rides. We could likely have some rain to contend with too. After this week of training camp I'll be switching back to GP5k since I've always found the GP4KSII to be reliable at home.

I'd just ride the GP4Ks and concentrate on not riding through crap on the roads ;-)

(edit: And I'm only saying that because my definition of "durable training tires that don't roll like shit" is basically the GP4KIIS)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Okay, so how about training tires with better puncture protection that roll better than Gatorskins. I'm willing to give up some ride quality for this week but don't want to go full retard. I'm going to put about 300 miles on these and then hang them up.

Well, that sets the bar fairly low...you could probably pick just about ANY tire and have a high percentage chance of meeting that criteria ;-)

Seriously...I feel you may be overthinking it. Just roll the GP4Ks and throw a couple of spare tubes in your back pocket...it shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes to change out a tube anyway. You'll spend way more time worrying about this than that :-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

I agree with Tom. Just stick with the GP4K. A number of roads around here are crap from getting pounded by winter each year and I’ve never felt the need to have more protection than the GP4K. Heck, I even ride my GP4K (in 25’s) on dirt and light gravel. The only time I’ve flatted it’d be something like a huge piece of glass or nail that would flat pretty much any tire out there

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Matt

See if you can find any New-Old-Stock Michelin Pro4 Endurance V2's. They give you ~80% of the increased flat protection a Gatorskin gives you over a GP4kSII, with only ~20% of the .crr penalty.

Pro4 Service Course are similar; same tread puncture resistance with a little less sidewall puncture resistance the Endurance V2, and ~1watt more resistance. I rode those for a couple years with only one slow puncture that didn't present itself until the next time I went to ride and found the tire flat. I occasionally still see these for sale online.

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

I hear ya. I have no problem changing a flat quickly but we've been asked to show up with durable training tires so I'm trying to be respectful of that request and the group. I'm also helping one of the athletes that I coach who will be coming and she definitely isn't efficient and changing a tube. So I will be running different tires.

Same for me. I keep GP4K on the bike and rarely have a flat.

Sounds like a good option. Why do you say "new-old-stock"? Are they not longer being made? PBK and Chain Reaction both have them available.

I though the "Pro4" line had ben superseded by the "Power" line, but, apparently, Michelin is still making the Pro4 Endurance and Pro4 Service Course. Sadly, the Power Endurance that's suppose to be the replacement for both of those is a step backwards. Maybe that's why those two are still in the lineup?

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Tannus solid rubber tires.. the 25c slicks. (23 is too thin and hard). Never a flat again, no need to carry tools

GP4kSII vs Gatorskin vs Pro4 Endurance v2

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Yup - thanks. I've been poking around there all morning. I just didn't know what other tires to compare to the Contis. Thanks for the recommendation. I just ordered 2 sets of Pro4 Endurance V2.

I use 4 seasons on my winter/training wheels. They're nice, bit more resilient than the GP4000s (which are pretty good anyway as stated above) and definitely roll a lot better than the Gatorskins.

I think you're going to be pretty happy with those. While it doesn't roll as nice as a GP4K, I really doubt you'll actually notice a difference. Plus the sidewall protection is def a nice step up from the GP's, especially if the road debri is more man made.

The one HI flat generator that is hard to protect against are the kiawe thorns. They can work their way through anything. Often they get run over and then the exposed part gets scrubbed off the thorn works in deep enough to cause a puncture. You can have several of these from riding near one of the plants. Often this results in flatting a new tube after replacing a flat one because it can be tough to find all the penetrations. Once you have an idea of what the plant looks like you want to stay clear of the nearby vegetative debris that falls onto road shoulders.

Otherwise pretty standard roadside garbage - rocks, bolts/screws, glass and truck tire steel belt cable splinters. I'm used to rock and aggregate debris in our area so I do pretty good avoiding this in HI. Paying attention can make a big difference.

One other consideration that I've seen on the Big Island is cracked shoulder pavement with grass/weeds growing through. Rain runoff seems to wash all kinds of nasty debris into the grass and it is surprising how often riding over the grass yields a flat:( Stay clear when you can.

Maxxis Refuse, they have lasted me 1500 miles without a flat and don't even have cut marks in them. They roll way better than gatorskins

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Team Zoot 2023

Is there any love here for Vittoria Rubino pro G+? My tri bike came with Vittoria slicks... and they lasted, never flatted, and (at my level at least) felt like they rolled great. They are still going strong, replacing the Gatorskins on my rode bike, and have still never flatted. I tried a set of GP4KII (I live in goathead land Kansas) and flatted twice in the first ride, and several more times, before I gave up on them a couple weeks later. I looked for the Vittoria Slicks, so I could buy a new set for my tri bike, only to find they don't offer them anymore. So I tried the G+, and so far this spring, haven't flatted, and they feel pretty good. I'm a fairly serious local age grouper, and at this point, plan to race them this summer, and at IMAZ... unless someone tells me I'm an idiot or something.

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Athlinks / Strava