My R2.5 came stock with Vittoria Rubino Pro clincher tires. Now, after maybe 1,000 - 1,500 miles on them, there is already a very distinct flat section about 3/4" wide on the rear tire. I’ve never seen this before this fast on a tire except for those that I use on my indoor trainer. Thinking about replacing them…does that flat spot hurt performance?
Spot
Those are soft tires… The flat spot will hurt performance slightly and will also increase your risk of flats. Better to ride a high-carbon tire for training (like Michelin Axial Carbon) or a more heavy duty tire (Continental GP 4-Season).
I only get about 1500 miles before the insides start wearing out…I had some of the steel belting come through and puncture my tire. I have the same flat section on mine, and only use the trainer once a week for 30 minutes. That said, I just replaced both the front and rear. I put the Pro Slick on the front, and the Pro (non-slick) on the rear…too try to get some more life out of the rear
-bcreager
I’ve get about 3k miles on mine. I haven’t noticed to many issues with them.