i’m looking for a new set of tires, something that can stand up to some nasty roads but still be fast.
have heard good things about the michelin pro race 2s, thoughts?
have had decent experince with a vittoria rubino pro slick.
thanks in advance.
pro race 2s are fast but not that durable
conti grand prix 4000S with the black chili compound is your best option.
they will be my race tires, just need to be able to hold up to the rough roads around here.
My Pro Race 2’s have held up well given that I primarily just race on them. If you want a fast tire for racing that will last for multiple years, I’d go with these.
have you had any issues with flats/gashes on rough roads with them?
I just went through the same process, and did a lot of research along the way. The only difference being that I was looking for tires for all-around use (training and racing).
I ended up going with Michelin Pro2Race 700 X 23 front & rear with Michelin Air Comp latex tubes in 700 X 18/20 front & rear. In the end, I just thought this would offer the best combination of low rr and durability.
A few of the other options I was considering are…
- Use Pro2Race Lights. (Slightly lighter. Slightly less rr. Less durable. Only come in one color - light blue.)
- Use a 700 X 20 on front. (Slightly better aerodyanamics. Slightly higher rr. Possibly harsher ride.)
- Use butyl tubes. (Heavier. More durable. Hold air longer.)
Broken-in tires generally have slightly lower rr, too (for what it’s worth).
Steve
Not sure how nasty your roads are but I don’t find the P2Rs to be very durable. Fast for sure.
- Use a 700 X 20 on front. (Slightly better aerodyanamics. Slightly lower rr. Possibly harsher ride.)
Steve
Are you sure a narrower tire gives lower rolling resistance? I thought the data shows otherwise?
I would get the Pro Race 2’s as well. I’ve used my for racing and training and they’ve held up well and feel fast. The only cuts are from when I ran over 2 smashed bottles a few months ago (they’re cut in several places, but ok)
You are correct. I was thinking aerodynamics. I edited my post.
Steve
Edit: Here’s a great link for those wanting more info on the subject… http://www.biketechreview.com/tires/images/AFM_tire_testing_rev6.pdf
it seems like you’re not going to find a tire that is faster and more durable than the prorace2s, but it could be that you need one that’s more durable, period.
depends on how harsh your roads are.
i’ve got prorace2s on, ride in the philadelphia area. tires have around 1200 miles on them and have held up ok, but they’ve got a lot of little knicks in them now, enough to change them.
i’m leaning towards running a prorace2 in the front and a michelin carbon in the back.
-charles
in my experience: the two things you are looking for are mutually exclusive. tire durability is pretty much going to relate to weight of the tire and durability of the casing (high rr).
you can get a 180-210g tire that will roll great and be fast but not very durable (life span or puncture resistance), you can get the 210 - 240g range like pro race 2 that have good rr and descent durability or you can get the heavy ones (>300g) like gator skins and armadillos that have great durability and lousy rr. in the mid range you can get the something like the pro race 2 that has fairly uniform thickness on sides and tread or GP x000s that tend to have thicker tread and thinner side walls.
i’ve found that if something is sharp enough to go through a tire then it’s gonna go through any of the light or medium ones and only maybe through the heavy ones.
what you may get to prevent is the small sharp bits that imbed in the tire and work thier way through. a GP x000 might help there. tubes don’t matter, if it’s going thru the tire it’s going thru the tube, almost always.
if you want to practice fast and like the feel, get the pro race 2 or GPs or similar, can’t go wrong.
if you want to be more economical, train on the heavy gator skins / armadillos type and then put the race tires on when you get close to race time. kinda like having race wheels - it feels sooooo fast when you put them on after having regular old training wheels on.
another option is a mr tuffy tire liner. basicly another tire tread inside the tire. very puncture resistant but reduces rr a lot.
the choice is yours
pro race 2, no question
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I’m probably going to regret typing this…but I’ve never had a flat and ride on a variety of roads.
MY pro2 are very durable. They have >2000 miles on them (mostly in the mountains) and the rear probably needs to be replaced–it has a little flatness on the center of the tread. the front is just fine.
The new Continental GP4000S! Awesome tires that feels great, fantastic grip and rolls forever (or at least so it feels). Doesn’t cut very easily either (we have some nasty roads around here…).
The Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX used to be my favorites, but wore out really quick… Great feel and roll though. The Conti’s feel even nicer!!!
I now pretty much exclusively use Pro 2 Race as both training and racing tires (I also have some Pro2Lights that I’m trying for TT use). I’ve ridden several clincher brands/models and a couple different tubulars and I see no reason to use anything else.
If you watch Probikekit you can frequently get Pro2Race for under $30 so I just buy a couple every now and then for my stockpile.
I ride on a lot of rural country roads, some better than others and some sections with a lot of gravel and debris on the shoulder and have had good luck with their durability. Once in a great while I do get a cut in a tire but probably not any more often than any other tire. I also want to comment on the feel, I believe the Michellin tires ride much nicer than a lot of others.
I use Latex tubes while racing and butyl tubes for training.
I’m using Veloflex on front (not the ultra-thin Record, but the more durable Corsa or Master), Prorace2 on rear wheel. Less wear and punctures on front wheel gives about equal lifetime of the tires using this combination. I prefer the soft ride, light weight and good grip of the Veloflex, but the Prorace2 is also a very good choice. Have not tried Conti4000, were not satisfied with Conti3000 (harsh feeling, punctures and low milage compared to Prorace).