Have sold off my last tubular wheelset, and going all-clincher from now on, so looking for suggestions on the fastest tires these days.
I’m hearing good things about Schwalbe Pro Ones being run tubeless. Also the Conti GP5000s, but I never liked the old GP4000s (they felt crappy to ride on) so am a bit ambivalent about these ones. Am generally a big fan of Vittorias but am concerned about puncture resistance on the Evo Corsas. Also used to like the Michelin Pro 3/4s - are their Power Competition tires any good?
Looking for a good balance of low rolling resistance with a moderately decent amount of puncture resistance.
Slowman will say go tubeless. If you’re good with that the Pro one TL or gp5000 TL is almost certainly your best bet. I would just say go with the gp5000 + latex and forget about it. Fast and reasonably durable. Really just an awesome tire. Also fits pretty true to size which is nice.
Slowman will say go tubeless. If you’re good with that the Pro one TL or gp5000 TL is almost certainly your best bet. I would just say go with the gp5000 + latex and forget about it. Fast and reasonably durable. Really just an awesome tire. Also fits pretty true to size which is nice.
Well, i have a pair of 5 year old HED clinchers - Jet 9 and Jet Disc. Doubt if they do tubeless, and i dont really fancy changing them yet.
The GP5000s are coming pretty highly regarded and i may have to overcome my general disinclination towards Conti (who, I swear, make tubulars that are about 1cm smaller than the stated size, just to f’k with people).
Any love for Michelins or Vittorias?
The other thing is - i think i may need to get 23mms. I just checked the Veloflexes on my Jets and they seem to be just a hair wider than the rim. Probably doesn’t matter too much, but what would triathletes be without excessive OCD?
Unless you live in an area where tubeless sealant prevents a lot of flats from thorns, etc… or you plan to do some gnarly off road I’d just go regular tires and latex.
Unless you live in an area where tubeless sealant prevents a lot of flats from thorns, etc… or you plan to do some gnarly off road I’d just go regular tires and latex.
What would be some of the fastest tires out there, at present?
Corsa Speed. Kind of no contest on the RR front. Either TL or with latex. But they’re fragile. I’ve personally seen more races ruined by those tires than any other.
Corsa Speed. Kind of no contest on the RR front. Either TL or with latex. But they’re fragile. I’ve personally seen more races ruined by those tires than any other.
That seems to be a Vittoria specialty - lovely tires that flat if you look at them funny.
I just went ahead and ordered a pair of Conti 5000s. Seems like they would be the best compromise between speed and flat resistance. My thumbs hate me already.
May also order either the Hutch Fusion 5s or the Michelin Power Comps for my training wheels, and swap them around if they feel better (and my thumbs will hate me even more).
Corsa Speed. Kind of no contest on the RR front. Either TL or with latex. But they’re fragile. I’ve personally seen more races ruined by those tires than any other.
That seems to be a Vittoria specialty - lovely tires that flat if you look at them funny.
I just went ahead and ordered a pair of Conti 5000s. Seems like they would be the best compromise between speed and flat resistance. My thumbs hate me already.
May also order either the Hutch Fusion 5s or the Michelin Power Comps for my training wheels, and swap them around if they feel better (and my thumbs will hate me even more).
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions!
Specialized Turbo Cottons are just as low of CRR as the Conti 5000, and they’ve been VERY durable for me (search for “BWR tested tough”
I will
Second the Turbo Cotton as a very durable tire and Crr is great. Not particularly aero, it the low Crr will make up the difference on most durable tires. The Corsa Speeds TL on a non-tubeless rim like the older HEDs can be a bear to install.
Fastest tires including a model of aero and rolling resistance losses are in this large database of 340 tires (updated June 2019 with free text search): https://fft.tips/tyre2. Around 1000 people have logged in and tried it to date.
“According to the rolling resistance tests, a 700 x 25c Michelin Power Cup clincher consumes an average of 12.75 watts, compared to 12.85 watts for a Continental GP5000, 16.825 watts for a Schwalbe Pro One and 18.05 watts for a Vittoria Corsa G2.0.”
to me, the GP5000 is like the unicorn combo of rolling resistance and puncture protection. I have them on my road bike, never flatted on them in about 2500 miles.
i have corsa g 2.0 on my tri bike currently, and literally just ordered GP5000 to replace them. I don’t hate the corsas (never flatted on those either, in about 2000 miles of riding), but they are supposed to be demonstrably slower than the GP5000 so making the switch there ahead of some races I have coming up.
I have always wanted to try the spesh turbo cottons but they’re so damn expensive, never on sale. GP5000s roll almost just as fast, have better puncture protection, and can be had for 60 bucks cheaper per pair.
I haven’t had any michelins in the last 5 years but they test well but i can’t personally comment. I had some schwalbe pro ones when I tried tubeless, didn’t love them to death. I’d say try and overcome your mental hurdle on the GP5000. it’s an awesome, awesome tire.
Ive unfortunately shredded the sidewalls of 3 gp5000s in the last 2 years. Probably hit a rock or big pothole, but I didn’t have these problems with heavier tires in the past. Also shredded one in a half after hitting a rock. They are still on the fragile side
They’re replaced by the Power Cup Competition. Michelin claims they beat/equal the GP5000 in rolling resistance/grip/puncture protection, but let’s see what independent testing says.
I raced them this weekend and I’ve got to say that they have one massive advantage over the GP5000: they’re WAY easier to mount. Probably enough to not consider GP5000 again. I can’t imagine having to replace a GP5000 during a race.
