I did a quick search of the forums and didn’t see this discussed so I apologize if i missed it!
I have been doing a little research on tire choices for bike racing and thought I would poll the ST community on your thoughts! Just curious what tires people have liked and had success with, some to avoid, etc. Heard some good things about hutchinson fusions, michelin pro3s (mainly because they are discounted), and some others. Please chime in with your thoughts! I am rather novice when it comes to my tire choices. I have always rode continental gp 4000s and liked them. Would it be better to go with something that is more of an all around tire or built for crits (the tired would be on my everyday training wheels). Thanks for the help!
those would be the conisderations for crits. the GP4000s is decent but there are faster tires. see biketechreview.com and look for their rolling resistance charts.
If you have to go with 1 tire for training and for racing the gp4000s is probably your best bet.
i always recommend using a race only tire for racing though. less grief racing, less grief training when you do that.
Stick with the gp4000. Best tire ever made. The .0000001 watts you’ll save in a crit by using a ‘race’ tire will be for not when you flat.
Well something like the Vittoria EVO CX 320 TPI or Zipp Tangente will save you 3.7 watts over the gp4000s, and those still have flat protection features.
If you only put them on for racing, risk would be pretty low. I’ve never flatted on them.
Not my experience. They’re a joy to ride, but the claimed flat protection has been as effective as a chocolate teapot for me. I’ve had three flats in about 500 miles on my current (and only) set of these, and the tyres look like they (just) won in a nasty and fairly evenly-matched knife fight. As great as they feel when inflated, the ride quality suffers when they have holes in them.
The GP4000s was going to be next on my list, I’ve heard plenty good and have had great experience with conti training tyres (including the Gatorskin Sprint tubs on my '78 vintage commuter).
I’m a fan of the Michelin Pro Race series (2, 3 or 4), but not for training. Their longevity (or lack there of) just isn’t worth the cost to me, however for racing I have no complaints using them in crits, road races, or triathlons. One pair has always lasted me an entire season. The Vittoria Corsa EVO CX ride phenomenally however they’re durability is even worse and the cost is more than the PR3’s.
What you really need to consider is how much you ride and how often do you want to replace tires? If you don’t ride a lot, then maybe the PR3’s or Vittoria’s are a good choice and they’d last long enough that you won’t be upset when you shell out $80-$100 for a new pair.
GP4000s is my pick for all-around. If you are willing to inflate your tires every ride, put some latex tubes in. They are fine for training and racing.
I started racing on the corsa evo CX last year. They feel great, but I would never train on them. They are expensive and wear very quickly. As others mentioned, the flat protection is questionable too.
Stick with the gp4000. Best tire ever made. The .0000001 watts you’ll save in a crit by using a ‘race’ tire will be for not when you flat.
Thats what I was going to say, if you flat its pretty much over, so why not sacrifice a bit of RR for the extra insurance, I feel the same way about 40k TTs too.
Stick with your GP4000**s **- a fine “all arounder” (durability, handling, Crr, etc.) About the only thing “bad” about the tire is ride quality (compared to, say, the Evo corso 320). I like the PR3s for predictable handling, but many find them not very durable (I do). I don’t find the newer crop of “aero” tires with their lightbulb shape (i.e. the Zipp Tangents) to be very good for extreme handling in a crit when leaning hard. Great for going straight, possibly some road racing though.
Road races are a bit different. Sure, plenty of people catch back on after getting a wheel from the truck, but you burn a ton of matches doing that. It is a toss up whether the risk is worth it.
For me, a time trial is all or nothing. I’ll take my chances and run a faster tire to get every second I can out of my bike, because usually every second counts when trying to get on the podium.
I appreciate all the help!
jackmott that site was really helpful in data whether I use it to choose a tire or not! It has a lot of cool info on it. Thanks!
Like I said I was riding the GP 4000s for a few years and have never had an issue with them. For those who have used them before, how are they with grip for hard turns? I have not really had too much of an issue with them…just not really aware of how another tire may improve my turns at “high speed” or if it makes that much of a difference at all.
I was considering the michelin pro 3s mainly because just from googling a little bit I found somewhere to pick them up for about $30/tire which is pretty solid from what I found. It might be worth it to just switch them in and out for races. I have vittoria evo’s on my 808 FCs and they absolutely rock but didn’t want to take them into crits early in the season (i live in CT) because conditions are not always perfect and don’t want to damage them before tri season gets underway. Obviously there is increased risk for puncture/flat but it is racing after all!
For those who have used them before, how are they with grip for hard turns?
They’re the best gripping tires out there. CHeck out the tour tests available as PDF on conti-online.de/com.
What however is A LOT more important is to run the right pressure in your tires. If you slip out with pretty much any tire you’re running too high pressure. For instance let’s say 170lbs I’d run 105/100 psi.
I’ve had three flats in about 500 miles on my current (and only) set of these
well part of the problem is you didn’t follow the new rule I invented last saturday:
Never race on a tire that has had a flat before. Throw it away.
=)
After flat #2 I thought about it, but there’s so little wear on the tread (and I’m cheap). How many tubes can I get for the price of a Vittoria Evo CX?
It’s staying on the bike as a training tyre until my next race - then I’ll throw on a pair of GP4000S!
The GP4000s is a fine tire for RR’s and crits. Great grip, good rolling resistance and ok flat protection. I race on those or Vittoria EVO CX depending on which wheels I’m using and how ambitious I feel about changing tires. For TT and Tri, I use the Vittoria’s exclusively.
If you’re only using one tire, the GP4000s is a good way to go.
the problem with using 1 tire as an all-rounder is that it accumulates a lot of miles during training and becomes succeptable for punctures during races
Spend the extra $ on a good training tire like the contis and a decent race tire like the michelin or vittoria
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Vittoria EVO CX, i train and race on it, it has a pretty good life in my opinion even for training. Lots of crit racing with it and no problems. I don’t like the feel of the conti tires, but their gatorskin is bomb prof…and it’s not too bad for racing as well.
ba!!! at seventy dollars a tyre for the open corsas, be damned if i don’t ride them to Mars. Just don’t race in them. Changing an open corsa is better than so/so sex!