Last year I bought an extra pair of Conti GP’s to take advantage of a good deal with the pricing. When I mounted them this spring, both had deteriorated to the point where they can’t be ridden safely. I’m not sure I want to buy the same tire again, but not just for that reason. Do you have any suggestions as to which clinchers would serve me best in terms of performance? In other words, which do you think/know are the “fastest” tires?
Where did you store them for them to deteriorate without having ridden them? I buy tires on sale and will sometimes go a year before using them and never have problems. I never train on anything but Continentals and usually buy the ultra 2000s or 3000s. The gran prix is a lighter tire, but I don’t know if the reduced weight is worth the reduced resistence to flat tires.
Frankly I think that too many people get to wrapped up in absolute rolling resistence and weight. Continental tires wear long, very rarely flat and seem to go pretty fast. I have a friend who rode on their silly-light Supersonic tire and it cut and flatted the first time he hit a rock.
I would not worry about the kevlar bead either. Wire bead tires are a little heavier, but much easier to change in case of a flat. Choose reliable over the fancy superlight tires.
Chad
haven’t heard that kind of issue with those before. the real question might be what the heck did you do to them prior to or during storage?
Conti GP’s are normally quite durable and take some amount of abuse before showing signs of what you indicate.
Sorry to hear about your misfortune with the Conti’s, they are high quality tires.
My personal preference with clincher tires is the Michelin Pro race.
jaretj
They were kept in my basement which is finished and heated. They were never near a source of extreme heat not were they exposed to extreme cold. I would say the lowest they say was 55 F in the winter and 75 F in the summer. They were in the original boxes. I’ve not had a flat on this type of tire in two years, and I realize that by saying that now I’ll be flatting tires when my bike is hanging between rides. I have never seen a tire, much less two tires, fall apart like this.
it would be worth the effort to contact Conti and review what happened.
might not renew your faith but what you describe and the end result just don’t seem to match up. maybe you got a pair from a batch that had issues.
That’s weird. They are usually a good tire. i’d like to introduce you to Vittoria - Open corsa CX, my friend. Basically a tubular cut down the middle with a bead thrown in. Round, comfy. light, and I’ve ridden in salt/sand/snow condisitons with no problems the next spring.
Btag,
Were your tires stored near a source of ozone (an electric motor). I don’t know for sure if ozone will affect bike tires but it sure eats up some other kinds of “rubber” and plastic.
I’m a big fan of Conti GP 3000s; use them for training and racing. I have a couple of different sizes for different uses. To store mine, even brand new ones, I lay them out flat on the floor, install a cheap tube and inflate it so the tire holds its shape. I then either lay them flat (under a large sofa works good) or put them on a wall hanger. I just check the pressure every so often to make sure they’re holding their shape, especially if you hang them.
I’d second the vote for some Vittoria’s, but would suggest the following:
Training - Diamante Pro (durable, light, good overall performance)
Racing - Open Corsa KS or CX depending on whether you prefer a slick or file tread. The closest to a tubular, but in clincher form. Definitely a very plush ride that might surprise you. Should have exceptional performance and low rolling resistance. (A bit less durable than the Diamante Pro’s though, primarily due to the high TPI casing.)
That’s weird. They are usually a good tire. i’d like to introduce you to Vittoria - Open corsa CX, my friend. Basically a tubular cut down the middle with a bead thrown in. Round, comfy. light, and I’ve ridden in salt/sand/snow condisitons with no problems the next spring.
Ditto…I ride the Corsa CX on all my bikes, in both Tubie and Clincher…great tires, good feel.
Michelon pro races are light dependable (and more importantly) reliable. I’ve had one puncture in 3 years and with my style of riding thats saying something…