The Attack I tested was a few years old and very light. I remember when I got it the tread seemed as thin as the SS. It also is very well broken in, but still looks fine. The new one is heavier (185g when new), and the tread seems a little thicker. I expect its Crr to be about half way between the SS and GP4k on average.

The Comps use a completely different casing based on their tubulars. Honestly they are a completely different tire with just a similar name. But, that's Michelin's fault.

Cool chart. Thanks for doing the testing. Nice to finally see proof that the Conti Attack is a fast tire.

Awesome. Great to see the Vittoria EVO CX's hanging in there - my tires, for, well, for a very long time!

I hear some rumblings that 25 is the new 23!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

After riding a Vittoria EVO CX tubular in 25, it really makes me sad riding a 22mm Conti on race day!

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

Sorry... you are correct, the Comps have a 150tpi casing. Should be worth a look.

Wow, great stuff.

FWIW this seems to substantiate my seat of the pants roller work running the Pro 4 SC against a set of Corsa EVO CX II tubulars (both with latex tubes) the Corsa always seems to be at least one cog 'faster'. -they are mounted on a much faster set of wheels, but looks like it is not all aerodymanics.

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This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time. - Fight Club
Industry Brat.

I agree. I can't seem to get away from the Corsa Evo tire when it comes to racing. I just love the way they feel and handle.

I can't seem to get away from the Corsa Evo tire when it comes to racing

Racing?

I ride them all the time!

Every ride, a thing of beauty.

Why ruin a great ride with cheap rubber?

The knock on the Vittoria EVO CX historically has been that it's not that durable and does not last that long. We ride on shitty roads, and I don't seem to get an unusual number of flats ( on average 1 - 3/year) and for the riding I do - a moderate amount - they last a full season of outdoor riding. That's fine for me.

The Conti GP 4000s is the one that intrigues me. It's close to the Vittoria's in rolling resistance, but reports seem to say it's more durable and lasts longer. Maybe I'll change things up this year and go with a set of bad-ass Conti GP 4000s 25's! :)

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

The Evo's seem to flat on me when I use them for training and they get beyond 500-750 miles.

I train on the GP4000s and I hate them. Hate the way they feel. Hate the way their corner. Dead, IMO. However, they last a long time (more than the Evo's).

When I put new Evo's back on my wheels last weekend for Panama 70.3 it felt like my bike came to life again. Now that I am in training mode again until Wildflower, I put the GP4000s back on and the dead feeling is back for a few months.

Take a look at the Vittoria EVO Corsa SL instead of the CX if you're considering the GP4000s. The tread compound is different than the CX (feels more like what was used on the Bontrager and Specialized "open tubular" models which were smokin' fast tires and had great durability and grip IME) and there's no "herringbone" tread pattern (it's slick, thus the "SL" moniker). I've found them to be fairly durable AND they handle better than the CXs IMHO. I've always found the CXs to handle a bit "wobbly" and the tread compound seems too soft and easily cut.

I haven't thrown one on the rollers yet (possibly this weekend), but I don't expect it to test "slow" either... ;-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

To minimize that "dead" feel with the Contis, run latex tubes inside them. It might sound silly, but there is a noticeable "feel" difference when you do so. Even with latex tubes however, they never feel as good as a REALLY fast tire with latex tubes in them :-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

I am very enamored of the attack!

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Take a look at the Vittoria EVO Corsa SL instead of the CX if you're considering the GP4000s. The tread compound is different than the CX (feels more like what was used on the Bontrager and Specialized "open tubular" models which were smokin' fast tires and had great durability and grip IME) and there's no "herringbone" tread pattern (it's slick, thus the "SL" moniker). I've found them to be fairly durable AND they handle better than the CXs IMHO. I've always found the CXs to handle a bit "wobbly" and the tread compound seems too soft and easily cut.

Tom,

Good and trustworthy advice as always.

So why are the CX the ones you see in the stores. In our parts, the only high performance clinchers that you see with decent availability, are the Vottoria EVO CX's, The Michelin ProRace's and the high-end Continentals. It's extremely rare to see any other tires at retail.

Now, I'll admit this is a bit of a red-herring, because tires are not an every-day purchase. As noted I tend to change them up ounce a season.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I don't know but I'm not too happy with the grip on the CX either, and that tread pattern does not make sense to me. I would be willing to try the SL and *expect* it to be better.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Thanks for doing this.

Would love to see this done again, but on a "wide" rim that more directly reflects the shape of current aero wheels, and see to what impact a wide rim with the corresponding change in the tire shape has on the Crr.

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Matthew
Twitter: @AlphaDogCycling
Instagram: @AlphaDogCycling

That's a good question. About all I can speculate is that tire has just been around for SO long, it's what most everyone thinks of when they hear "Vittoria"...so that's what gets stocked.

Anyway, like I said, the Corsa SL reminds me (in look and feel) a LOT of the Bontrager "open tubular" tire that was made by Vittoria for them. Those were my FAVORITE road race tire. My suspicion is that after making those tire for Bontrager, Vittoria might have learned a thing or 2. The "SL" model come out suspiciously not long after the Bonty tire was discontinued, IIRC...

I also have one of the EVO Triathlon models Ron tested above. It's very similar to the SL, but slightly narrower at 22C (mine actually measures at 21.5mm, just like Ron's did) and I think would be an excellent front tire choice to mate with wide-rimmed aero wheels. Also, the cool thing about the clincher version of the EVO Triathlon is that you can run latex tubes inside. The tubular version comes with a butyl tube...ostensibly to minimize air pressure reduction when leaving your bike racked overnight or something :-\

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

AFM already did that years ago, and there is no measurable difference.

I repeated that to my own satisfaction last year.

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Tom, agree on the Mondo "open tubular"...wish they still made them. Can't seem to find the Corsa SL in a clincher though...

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Coach at KonaCoach Multisport

I got a couple during a sale on "The Clymb" not long ago.

You might need to special order them through your LBS. I did a search last weekend for the tubular version of the SL, and IIRC Wiggle had them online...don't know about the clincher though. Check Amazon?

Just looked...yeah, Wiggle lists them, but they're out of stock until April apparently... http://www.wiggle.co.uk/...-clincher-road-tyre/

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Wow, great thanks for doing this!

With regards to the Conti Attack, I thought those came in a set with the Force for a rear tire. Does the force run similar or slower? And if so how much? Enough to make running the set not worth it over some other choices? Or is this potentially advocating running the attack on front and rear wheel?

I've trained on them for years as well and based on feel am always surprised on how low the Crr is cuz it doesn't seem that way. They square off in the rear worse than any tire I've ever used and they don't inspire confidence in cornering.

My latest training tires are Schwalbe Durano's and I definitely prefer those over the G4K's. My favorite tire overall is still the Veloflex Corsa 22.

Yeah, well me too. I've been thinking about making the switch to an attack on the front since my beloved Record is getting pretty thin (even new at 350 tpi, they are REALLY thin). So, just pulled the trigger on some.

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

Ron,
You noted that you normalized the results to a temp of 75F, but I don't see where you noted the ambient temp in the chart. You didn't normalize using the tire temp, did you?

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

This is awesome, thanks for your efforts!

I was very surprised with the Attack. Would be curious to see how a new tire does.

I would like to extend a very generous offer to those guys in my AG that always beat me: In recognition of your superior talent, I would like to buy you a set of Maxxis Radiales for your race wheels. Consider it a token of my respect!

In other things...

Personally, I had a bad experience with the Conti SS. I know it may just be bad luck, but I flatted in a race in which I would have likely podiumed, and subsequently had to toss them after 200 miles. I know some people complain about the reliability of Vittoria Evos, but they seem way more robust than the SS.

Re some of the other comments in this thread, maybe I have a tone-deaf butt, but I have never been able to discern any different feel between latex tubes and butyl. Nonetheless, I use latex for racing because I trust the data more than I trust my butt.