Just picked up a set of these… and going to ride them as my every day wheel.
Which tires and tubes are you running with these?
Just picked up a set of these… and going to ride them as my every day wheel.
Which tires and tubes are you running with these?
For every day riding, I have Specialized Turbo Pro 25s with regular Specialized butyl tubes in there & topeak valve extenders. I’d go with 25s of some sort. The feel for training is very nice. Absorbs a ton of road vibration.
I’m running Michelin Pro3’s on mine…super smooth ride and not a bear to get on the rim.
everyday, zipp tangente 23s, race … 21s. Im racing with bonty r4 aero so far but Im swappin back to the zipps for more durability. oh and vittoria latex tubes…always! they have to be checked b4 every ride but we do that anywayz. Dont put 25s on FCs! Sacreligous!!!
Schwalbe Marathon Plus and the thickest butyl tubes you can find. The good news is you’ll get 10,000 pain, trouble, and flat free miles. The bad news is you will have wasted every bit of performance those Zipps bought you. 
More seriously…get a pair of fast-rolling 23s for racing. Consult AFM’s rr test chart to see the latest results. Pick one of the top 23s…and call it a day. Don’t overthink it.
PS…I love Jordan’s 25s suggestion for training. Makes spending all day in the saddle a bit more bearable, especially when you’re going to repeat it tomorrow.
I don’t know, I think I am in the boat these days that I would rather stay vertical in an instance that with 23s I would have been down on the ground nursing a wrecked body. Even it if is Sacrilegious.
i wuz only kidn! I just know the OP wants to be fast on his training rides
For everyday use I’m a Continental fan since they are so darn durable. Zipps (made for Zipp by Vittoria) have a little more forgiving ride and a claimed lower rolling resistance but they are more fragile.
The guy who really knows his stuff on this forum about tires is Tom A. Perhaps he’ll chime in.
I’m sure Jordan can confirm, but from what I’ve read about the Firecrests the new cross section with about a 25mm brake track there is no aerodynamic penalty for running 23 and 25 tires. Either should offer a better ride over the 21s. The The 25s are a great training option. And other than the rolling resistance factors mentioned above for 23s over 25s, there shouldn’t be an aerodynamic penalty for running the 25s. I just unboxed a new set of the 404 FC clinchers. The extra thickness of the cross section is substantial at the brake track and compared to the old toroidal shape.
heck, if J.Rapp trains on 25’s, thats what Im doin! However I must admit, my Bonty R 4 aeros mate upreal well with my 404/808 FC. Now they state 22s butmine measure 22 5/8
Would you recommend the same for slightly older 404s? I’m looking at picking up a set of the 2008 model, and will need to round them out with a good set of training tires…
stephan