Think Battenkill. Last year I ran GP4K 25’s, and was quite happy. However, the clearance on my bike is so minimal that after a month or so both the front and rear had expanded to the point where there was frame rub.
I think that the GP4K 25’s are pretty chunky even for 25’s. So what recommendations do people have for a solid 25mm race tire that would ideally be just a little more narrow (and less tall) than the GP4K?
In particular I’m curious about the new spesh s works cotton 24, but aside from Tom A I’m not sure if anyone has any experience with these yet?
Think Battenkill. Last year I ran GP4K 25’s, and was quite happy. However, the clearance on my bike is so minimal that after a month or so both the front and rear had expanded to the point where there was frame rub.
Tires expand over time?
How dirt roady is this (I have no idea what Battenkill is like). A whole race on dirt roads or just a small section? If it is a whole race on dirt roads you don’t need to worry so much about RR do you?
Think Battenkill. Last year I ran GP4K 25’s, and was quite happy. However, the clearance on my bike is so minimal that after a month or so both the front and rear had expanded to the point where there was frame rub.
I think that the GP4K 25’s are pretty chunky even for 25’s. So what recommendations do people have for a solid 25mm race tire that would ideally be just a little more narrow (and less tall) than the GP4K?
In particular I’m curious about the new spesh s works cotton 24, but aside from Tom A I’m not sure if anyone has any experience with these yet?
I ran the same set up on my bike and I was “fine”… I will bring another rear tire next year in case conditions are like what we had this year.
Think Battenkill. Last year I ran GP4K 25’s, and was quite happy. However, the clearance on my bike is so minimal that after a month or so both the front and rear had expanded to the point where there was frame rub. Tires expand over time?
Are you talking about the Conti 4000s II’s? This is relativity speaking a “tall” tire. From the aero-gurus on here, I’m told this is one of the key reasons for this tire testing so well for aerodynamics with certain rims.
I run 700 x 25’s on my bike ( Cervelo R3) and width wise, there is lot’s of room, but under the fork crown on my 3T Funda fork, there is not a heck of a lot of clearance. I have been told that this 3T fork was really only meant to accommodate 23mm tires.
Think Battenkill. Last year I ran GP4K 25’s, and was quite happy. However, the clearance on my bike is so minimal that after a month or so both the front and rear had expanded to the point where there was frame rub. Tires expand over time?
I did both the cat 2 Battenkill and Pro/1/2 Cone Azalia in 2012. Cone Azalia is in Michigan, has slightly rougher roads, and is dead flat and windy.
I used Hutchinson Fusions (2 and 3) 700x23 tires for both races. I had them mounted on a Dura Ace aluminum wheelset, set up tubeless, with about 2oz of Stan’s sealant each. If I remember correctly, I ran around 95psi.
At Battenkill I finished the race with bad sidewall damage on the front tire. It was still holding air and did not affect race performance, so it gave me faith in the tire. If I were doing those races again, I wouldn’t consider riding anything else.
After pinching 2 tubes in the first lap of Cone Azalia 2010 (95psi) , I was not riding tubes during a dirt road race again. I race around 160 lbs, so weight wasn’t the issue.
Are you talking about the Conti 4000s II’s? This is relativity speaking a “tall” tire. From the aero-gurus on here, I’m told this is one of the key reasons for this tire testing so well for aerodynamics with certain rims.
I run 700 x 25’s on my bike ( Cervelo R3) and width wise, there is lot’s of room, but under the fork crown on my 3T Funda fork, there is not a heck of a lot of clearance. I have been told that this eTa fork was really only meant to accommodate 23mm tires.
Yup, I think I might have the same fork as you. It’s a 3T on a cervelo slc-sl. It was fine for 1000 miles or so before I noticed a slight rub, once per revolution. Definitely more of a height issue than one of width.
The Specialized Turbo Cotton in 700X24 is a super nice, comfortable 320 TPI tire which from what your describing might be your best bet. I hope to do that race one day.
tubular tires with sealant would be a nice setup if you have an old set of training wheels. Something like a conti gatorskin 25 would be good. the clincher version of that tire is too slow to race on though.
my understanding is the latex tubes help reduce the pinch flat tendency in clinchers but I have no first hand experience with them
Shame you can’t mooch a cross bike off someone and just run a 28 size clincher at 85 psi
Think Battenkill. Last year I ran GP4K 25’s, and was quite happy. However, the clearance on my bike is so minimal that after a month or so both the front and rear had expanded to the point where there was frame rub.
I think that the GP4K 25’s are pretty chunky even for 25’s. So what recommendations do people have for a solid 25mm race tire that would ideally be just a little more narrow (and less tall) than the GP4K?
In particular I’m curious about the new spesh s works cotton 24, but aside from Tom A I’m not sure if anyone has any experience with these yet?
You may want to also consider the IRC RoadLite tubeless in either 23C or 25C. On wider rims they measure quite a bit larger (I measured the 25C at 26.8mm wide when mounted to a Zipp 101). Orange Seal sealant seems to work fairly well too.
I think I’ll be running that 25C front and back on my old aluminum Soloist for the 2015 Spy Belgian Waffle Ride.
I was thinking of using the 28mm conti gp 4 season clincher tire on some Hed ardennes for the Belgian waffle ride. Do you think they are a good rolling tire? I’m not sure how much pavement is on this years course but I hope they still roll good & nice on the pavement sections.
I also have a brand new set of panaracer gravelking 28mm that I’m pondering possible using.
Is the 2015 course the same as 2013? I did it in 2013 and it was pretty awesome
Very good for a ‘racier’ tire. Not as good as a heavy duty training tire. That said, I’ve ridden a lot of miles on dirt/gravel with them and flats have been minimal. IMO, line choice and not hitting things hard helps the most in preventing flats on dirt/gravel. The Pave is a favorite of mine for being relatively tough and relatively fast.
My frame could fit the 27mm vittoria so maybe I’ll need to look into those. I wonder what the puncture protection is like on them?
I was thinking of using the 28mm conti gp 4 season clincher tire on some Hed ardennes for the Belgian waffle ride. Do you think they are a good rolling tire? I’m not sure how much pavement is on this years course but I hope they still roll good & nice on the pavement sections.
I also have a brand new set of panaracer gravelking 28mm that I’m pondering possible using.
Is the 2015 course the same as 2013? I did it in 2013 and it was pretty awesome
Don’t know about those tires and I’m pretty sure the course changes every year.
That said, I did the 2013 route with a 23C Conti GP4000S on the back and a 23C Challenge Criterium on the front of my aluminum Soloist and did just fine in the dirt and gravel sections. There’s a LOT of road on the route typically.
