So my road tires are pretty much to the point where it probably isn’t safe to ride them.
I’m looking in at buying a new set of tires to put on my training bike which I use for training and a little bit of crit style racing.
Anyone have any suggestions on a tire that is durable, fast and not too expensive?
I am a huge fan of the Tufo tubular clinchers, but if you want a traditional clincher, you would have a hard time doing better than the Conti GP3000. Nice tire, no flats for me in many, many miles. Biketiresdirect.com has them pretty cheap.
… if you want a traditional clincher, you would have a hard time doing better than the Conti GP3000. Nice tire, no flats for me in many, many miles.
I couldn’t agree more. Three years of riding on Conti GP3000 has yielded zero flats. And this includes alot of urban riding (through glass and other debris). My experience with other tires (Michelin, Vittoria, others) has been just the opposite.
I will never buy another training tire. I recently bought a pair for $57 (including shipping) on Ebay.
I like Tufo TC’s as well. But the GP3000 is great too. Best place for tires on the internet in WorldClassCycles.com.
Only bad part is you have to fax or phone in order, but the prices make it worth it.
I’ve ridden Specialized Armadillos, which I thought were great for resisting punctures, but they are heavy around 800g per pair! They also don’t feel very responsive on descents, but I highly recommend them. I must have gotten all the bad luck on the Conti GP3000. I had one blow out the sidewall on my second ride with them, and proceeded to take the other one off and use it as a spare when I ride in deserted areas. I’ve also used some of Vittorias which I thought were OK, but didn’t feel good or last very long. Currently I’m riding the best set of tires I’ve ever been on, undoubtedly. Vredestein Tri-Comps. They are freaking incredible! I ride them at 145psi, though the sidewall says the max is 175psi! They are very confidence inspiring on descents and compared to the Armadillos I feel like I’m floating on the ascents, but that should be expected as they weigh half as much. I’ve gotten one flat so far in the past 1,000+ miles, and I ride on roads that have shards all over the place in certain stretches from rock slides. Westernbikeworks.com has them for $34.95 per tire, and that is a great deal I think.
Awesome! Anyeone else have any suggestions before I drop the cash?
Ditto the prior post re: Conti GP 3000’s…nothing but very good luck on them, no flats, very durable (of course, now I’ve jinxed myself for my next ride). Excellent tire, though pricey, but based on how they have performed for me I’m happy to pay that price.
Ditto the prior post re: Conti GP 3000’s…nothing but very good luck on them, no flats, very durable (of course, now I’ve jinxed myself for my next ride). Excellent tire, though pricey, but based on how they have performed for me I’m happy to pay that price.
supergo.com has good pricing on the conti’s.
i LIKE mICHELIN pRO rACE.
I use Vredestein and have not been disappointed. Other brands have disappointed.
For racing: Vredestein Tri Comp
For winter training/base miles: Continental GP 4 Season
The cheapest places for tires that I’ve found are:
http://www.biketiresdirect.com/default.asp
With Total Cycling buying in bulk offsets the higher shipping cost from Ireland.
Anything that will slow you down enough that I can catch up to your swim…
Michelin Pro Race are my farorite training tires
Conti’s are good too but I don’t like the sidewalls, mine allways get frayed up.
jaretj
I usually ride Michelin Carbons for training, and get about 2500-3000 miles on a rear wheel. I haven’t worn out a front tire yet in over 4000 miles, and had 1 puncture from running through a huge patch of glass. I’ve been riding the GP3000 for a while and it seems durable, but rides harsh and noisy compared to the Carbons.
My brother swears by the Armadillos for durability, but I can’t bring myself to ride something so massive when I haven’t had major problems with the tires I use now.
I purchased a second hand Ridley bike recently that had brand new, never ridden Conti tyres on it (not sure of the model # but the front and rear tyres have slightly different pattern.)
The tyres are beautiful to ride on but after about 200km of fair weather riding and with the bike stored inside at all times the tread is starting to perish - I cant belive it because they have had so little use. The front tire even has a tiny bit of very thin rubber left in the middle of the tread from the maunfacturing process - thats how little wear they have had.
I vaugely remember someone at a LBS in either NZ or Australia a couple of years ago, warning me away from conti tyres - his reason being that these European tyres don’t handle the Australasian UV light levels very well. At the time I thought that sounded like a crock of #@$*! but seems now he may have had a point.