The Michelin ProRace2 (soon to be ProRace3) seem to be the consesus clincher value for performance winner for tris and time trialing around here.
Is that also what everyone is running on their road bikes? Or should more thinks like traction, puncture resistance, etc. be taken into account when picking tires for training wheels for a road bike?
I’m using Michelin Pro2Race and will give the thumbs up. Also thought the Veloflex Black/Pave was another excellent clincher tire.
road racing, I still like the ProRace2s. The Vittorias are fast, but don’t grip as well. I really like tubulars (I use Veloflex Carbons) for lots of cornering since they really grip (i.e. crits) and the constant standing, slowing, accelerating is usually better with a tubular rim as well. Also, you don’t have to worry about changing a flat in a road race or crit since if you flat you are done.
I’ve been happy with the Continental Grand Prix 4000’s that I’ve been riding.
I use the P2Rs on race day but train exclusively on wire-beaded Specialized Armadillos. They’re very slow and heavy but are nearly flatproof. I feel so much faster on race day when using the P2Rs…and the actual difference in speed between the tires is amazing.
The Michelin ProRace2 (soon to be ProRace3) seem to be the consesus clincher value for performance winner for tris and time trialing around here.
Is that also what everyone is running on their road bikes? Or should more thinks like traction, puncture resistance, etc. be taken into account when picking tires for training wheels for a road bike?
The P2Rs are my favorite “all-rounders”. That’s what I use as my everyday training tire on the road bike.
The recent testing from Tour magazine indicates that the new Conti 4000s (black chili) model rolls just as well and has supposedly better puncture resistance than the P2R. I haven’t tried it yet though.
However, if this is for a strictly training wheel selection, rolling resistance isn’t as much of a concern and you can pick almost any tire you’d desire for whatever qualities you desire, even if it’s just “what’s cheap?”. It’s training…if it makes things harder, that’s a good thing 
Another vote for Continental Grand Prix 4000’s. I’ve been riding Continentals for 2.5 years (3000s then 4000s) and I just got my first flat. I ran over a piece of jagged metal that cut the sidewall (it would have cut any tire so no beef with the GP4000s). What was interesting is I could see where the cut started at the edge of the “vectron” or whatever they call their flat stopping fabric. Basically, this stuff resisted the sharp metal. Had the piece not been big enough to get up into the sidewall I would not have flatted. I have run over glass and debris and hit lots of potholes without any flats. I am officially declaring these tires as flat proof as you can get. And, they are light and ride really nice too.
I hit a particularly nasty pothole with my 4000’s within the first week of having them on the bike and got a flat. The interesting thing was that the tire was 100% fine, not even a scuff or mark, but the tube (a brand new Continental as well) had blown out in two spots.
I run Maxxis Hors Categorie for my training tires and have yet to experience a flat (I mostly run them at 110 psi). That is until the tires gets worn after a few thousand miles and I get them all the time. I seem to ride over glass every time out and have yet to have to stop and change a tube. Of course, I’m jinxing myself with this post and will spend more time next week changing flats…
Seriously, I think the Maxxis tires are great all around, all weather performers that often get overlooked.
P.S. They also run when on crushed limestone if you run out of pavement and have run them for a few miles on grass when needed with no trouble.
That could have been caused by the tube sticking to the inside of the tire. I always use babypower in my tires when installing tubes to prevent the tube from sticking.
I am also for the Conti GP4000 for training tires and I just picked up a pair of the Conti GP4000S with Chili compound and will put them on my race wheels. Reviews are mixed for the new 4000S (tour mag says they are great) but I like Conti so I will stick with them.
I’ve used Contis consistently for the last 12 years. From Grand Prixs through Grand Prix 3000s for racing and have been very satisfied. This year I figured I would try something new and switched to Vittoria Corsa Evo CXs. They’re good too. For training I used to use Conti Ultra 2000s but switched to Ultra gator skins for flat protection. Since I switched I have had one flat in about 8,000 miles. I ran over a bunch of construction debris dropped in the road. I pulled out a 2 inch finish nail and have been riding on the same tire for the last six months.
“I hit a particularly nasty pothole with my 4000’s within the first week of having them on the bike and got a flat. The interesting thing was that the tire was 100% fine, not even a scuff or mark, but the tube (a brand new Continental as well) had blown out in two spots.”
Yup, exact same experience.
From a mag (tour???) review, the 4000 S tyres are better than the pro race 2 tyres. I’m going to stick with conti as I’ve always had good experiences with them.
If you are racing alot of Crits, I may lean towards the Michelin Pro Grips. They’re not much slower than the ProRaces but they’re grippier in corners…
I’ve never had any issues in crits with the Pro race 2s not gripping well and I’ve done a lot of technical crits. They roll really nice in road races as well.
You said reviews are mixed rfor the GP4000S…are these the ones with the silver logos? And the new black chili compound?
You said tour mag said they were great, so who said they were something other than great for the mixed reviews?
Thanks.
What are most people riding on for IM’s? Still using the Pro2s or Conti 4000s?
Thanks
I hit a particularly nasty pothole with my 4000’s within the first week of having them on the bike and got a flat. The interesting thing was that the tire was 100% fine, not even a scuff or mark, but the tube (a brand new Continental as well) had blown out in two spots.
Umm…if the holes in your tube were right next to each other, that’s called a “snakebite”, or “pinch flat”. That’s not the fault of the tire…it’s more a fault of the tube (butyl) not having enough elasticity so that when it was “pinched” between the rim and the tire when you hit that “nasty pothole” it tore in those 2 spots.
Three things you can do to prevent that in the future:
train on Conti Gatorskins. only one flat in seven months
race on PR2
I agree with Tom - pinch flat has almost nothing to do with the puncture resistance of the tire. I don’t know about the other burly training/touring tires like the Gatorskins and Armadillos, but the Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase has a stiff anti-pinch shoulder above the bead that keeps the tire from collapsing far enough to pinch the tube. I have not seen a pinch flat with these tires, but will not go as far as to say that it would be impossible.
I also agree with Tom - your best bet is to avoid the potholes. Pinch flats are not common enough to have that be your sole reason to switch to latex tubes, and raising your pressure can have its own side-effects (such as rattling your teeth out on chip seal.)
Curious if you’ve tried Vittoria Rubinos before against the Conti 4000s? I found one solid review, https://thetriathletehub.com/best-road-bike-tires/ and I’m just wondering how they match up to Conti 4000s. Thanks.