[Closed] Anything better than Continetal GP 4 Season for winter commuting?

Just registering an interest here. I'm thinking of going the full hog and getting Marathon Plus tyres, after getting a puncture the other day and ending up with hands that hurt like hell from the cold 🙁

IMO no, without going the whole hog to inpenetrable tyres that weigh a ton and feel horrible, like Marathon Pluses.

Apparently there's some new Panaracers which ha redefined the standard, Race D or similar name...

I've gone from 4Seasons to Durano Plus. Yes they are t such a nice ride and are a little heavier but the extra puncture resistance is worth it IMO. I had a couple flats on freezing, wet 5am commute last winter with the 4S and I really don't want to go through that again if I can help it. I draw the line at Marathon Plus though. Only downside is that the 28c come with a reflective strip on the side wall which will put some tarts off

I have a michelin pro4 endurance on the front of my singlespeed and it's been good - no incidents, good grip and feel and seems to be lasting ok, but my instinct says it's not quite heavy duty enough for the rear on a commuter so I use a gatorskin (which I would NOT have on the front) and run that at 6.5bar which is the bottom number on the tyre and use the widest I can fit in the frame

use Gatorskins myself, not as fast but will last longer and a good bit cheaper (if that's your bag)

Marathon Supremes are a great compromise.

Lightish, folding, grippy, last well.
Had a pair of 700's and a pair of 26's. Both much nicer than the Panaracers I'd previously used for ages.

Not overpriced if you look around, much nicer than standard Marathons.

The marathon pluses mean you will never get a puncture, but they have knocked 2mph off my average speed, hoping they are making me stronger

Vredestein Senso Xtreme are worth a look, they're my current winter tyre. Not too heavy, reasonable puncture resistance and very, very grippy in the cold and wet. I tend to avoid Conti's so can't give you a back to back comparison but I know they're very good indeed.

Re the Durano's: I was looking at a few tyres the other day. They've upped the ante with those - change to a bi compound and also added some winter tread to the shoulders. The reviews I've read say they are very good.

I've got the Panaracer Ribmo in 28mm and have ridden them for the last year. They are a bit of a unique shape due to having a raised central section but I have had no issues with them at all. They started off as my winter tyres but turned into my tyres as I felt no reason to change them. I'm 6,000km in and they've not worn out yet and also not punctured at all. They are a great tyre.

Schwalbe S-One tubeless here (now called G-One Speed). 30mm.

no to the original question

Depends on how far your commute is, if you go some distance and want bike to ride well, then yes 4 Seasons are still the best winter tyre i've used, although proper bike currently has Michelin Power Endurance which have been good too.

But if your commute isn't too far and you really want puncture proofing, then have you thought about Tannus solid tyres? They are not as bad as you'd think, had some on singlespeed commuter for last 2000 miles, they weigh no more than normal 28c tyres and tubes (plus no spare tube, pump, patches etc), they have a breaking in period of about 200 miles before they grip really well, but they roll surprisingly well, better than Marathon Plus, they grip pretty well after the initial break in period, the only downside is that if roads near you are rough, you are riding a solid-ish tyre, so you do get some reverberation through the bars, but again, not as bad as you'd think, and they do give you real piece of mind in the winter and you can roll right over glass and grit

If your commute is of any length then I would not recommend Marathon Plus.

My 24 mile each way is now about 2.5mph slower than on my previous Gatorskins and they also feel heavy and 'dead' (Have also moved from 23c to 35c so some of the pace reduction will be due to this).

Have not had a puncture on the Marathons yet, but only had 3 punctures in 3 years on the Gatorskins.

A bit of me thinks that a 10 minute delay to change a tube once a year or so might be better than a 10 minute delay each way on each ride.

Although I do have enough trust in the marathons that I have recklessly started riding without a pump, levers or tubes, which helps to cancel out the additional weight of 290g per tyre vs 890g per tyre.

^ it is amazing how heavy they are, my plan is to change back over to when the clocks change. I have also ditched tubes etc.. as I will not be able to get the bloody tyre off anyway.

Vittoria Hypers for me. My rear tyre has just suffered its first puncture after 2 years of daily use, and it's worn through to the carcass. So I'm replacing it with the same.

Durano Plus rear for me, whatever on the front (currently a lugano I think, came with the bike)

I find the durano pretty good (25mm flavour) no 'issues' in circa 10,000 miles over 2 tyres, the first one was relplaced when I wore through to the blue strip after 6000 odd miles. And they're as comfortable as I remember my old 23mm gartorskins being, but with better grip.

Cheap enough too.

^^Vittoria Hypers are what I have at the moment, not done too many miles, but it was these that punctured. I think I might try some Landcruiser Plus, I've had these on a MTB before and didnt mind them, so I think I'll pop some on the Croix and see how it goes, they sound pretty much ideal for my commute on country lanes/sustrans tracks with plenty of field runoff and muck.

You can also choose standard Marathons rather than the Plus version. They are almost as strong but do not exhibit the same degree of rolling resistance. Pretty much my standard road touring tyre as they'll put up with forest tracks and the like too - even in 28mm width.

Again, I find myself compelled to ask why everyone makes the leap to marathon plus and completely rules out the normal marathon which is still crazy puncture resistant, but a little lighter (and probably a little faster)?

Edit: Damn scotroutes ninja'd me!

I've often been confused by that too fifeandy! That rolling resistance website claims the standard Marathons have surprisingly low rolling resistance.

FWIW, i've not found anything as good as the 4 Season in terms of
- punture protection
- grip (amazing imo)
- ride quality (at the expensive of thin sidewalls)
- rolling resistance

The only downside is the price.

I tried the Vittoria Hypers, but they don't grip anywhere near as well as the 4 Seasons. There's a few hills on my commute and i found myself spinning out.

I've tried a lot of tyres in my 11 years of commuting 20 miles each way. So far nothing beats the conti gp 4season and I've stuck with these for the last few years.

I just wish they would do a 30mm or 32mm version.

I just wish they would do a 30mm or 32mm version.

32mm available now, just not listed at many uk shops

^^Vittoria Hypers are what I have at the moment, not done too many miles, but it was these that punctured.

I think there's a bit of luck involved - I had several punctures with newish GP4 season tyres, then nothing for the following year. They were really tight on the rims, too.

That said, a pair of the Hypers used until they are completely worn out, often over rough tracks and glass, with just one puncture each is impressive stuff.

Does anybody have a link to a UK stockist (or EU with cheap postage) of the Conti 4s GP in 32c for around £30 per tyre?

Marathon supremes are apparently faster rolling than the GP 4 seasons, if you have clearance for something a bit bigger (they're quite small for a "35").

Speaking as someone that slagged off marathons for ages, these are a bit heavier than the 4 seasons, and marginally slower than the GP4000SIIs (28c) I had on, but seem pretty decent for winter conditions.

If you tubelessed them, they'd probably be on a par with GP4000SII's with tubes, at lower pressures too so more comfortable (and grippy all other things being equal).

If so then there will be a pair of 35c Marathon Plus with about 250 miles on appearing in the Classified section soon.

peekay - Member
Does anybody have a link to a UK stockist (or EU with cheap postage) of the Conti 4s GP in 32c for around £30 per tyre?

I bought mine from Ze Germans...

https://www.bike24.com/p2428.html

peekay - Member

Does anybody have a link to a UK stockist (or EU with cheap postage) of the Conti 4s GP in 32c for around £30 per tyre?

[url= https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=continental+grand+prix+4+season+32mm ]LMGTFY[/url] 😆
(Bike24, 3rd result)

I only got 1500 miles out of GP 4 seasons, makes them very expensive.

peekay - Member
If your commute is of any length then I would not recommend Marathon Plus.

My 24 mile each way is now about 2.5mph slower than on my previous Gatorskins and they also feel heavy and 'dead' (Have also moved from 23c to 35c so some of the pace reduction will be due to this).

Have not had a puncture on the Marathons yet, but only had 3 punctures in 3 years on the Gatorskins.

A bit of me thinks that a 10 minute delay to change a tube once a year or so might be better than a 10 minute delay each way on each ride.

Although I do have enough trust in the marathons that I have recklessly started riding without a pump, levers or tubes, which helps to cancel out the additional weight of 290g per tyre vs 890g per tyre.

My commute is about half of what yours is, and I wouldn't take that speed penalty. I reckon the Supremes are about 0.5mph slower than the GP4000SIIs, although it's difficult to know for sure as the weather's crap and I have to wear thicker flappier clothes in winter.

Alternative viewpoint - find the heaviest draggiest most puncture resistant tyre, then enjoy the fitness when you swap them out for summer!

1500 miles is pretty poor, is this normal for this tyre or were you pulling skids in an emery board factory?

I was lazy with the Google and only followed the Shopping links and not the web links. Sorry STATO.

1500 miles is pretty poor, is this normal for this tyre or were you pulling skids in an emery board factory?

Its fairly normal for any performance orientated tyre on the rear.

I only got 1500 miles out of GP 4 seasons, makes them very expensive.

I fitted a set to my new commuter in February this year and I've done just over 5500 miles on them. Still look to have lots of life in them.

I fitted a set to my new commuter in February this year and I've done just over 5500 miles on them. Still look to have lots of life in them.

Personally I run Continental Touring Plus on my winter bike and I'm very happy with them; not the lightest but very puncture resistant, great pattern for winter and have a low wear rate.

Great, thank you for all the replies, has confirmed I'll stick with GP 4seasons as with 26miles a day commute (plus longer weekend rides when time permits) I want the performance/grip as well as puncture resistance. I've had good mileage out of this set.

That is fairly epic life for a rear - are you on the 28's? And does anyone know if the 28's have a greater rubber depth than 23's?

Yeh running 28's and that is good going. I usually change tyres at about 3000 miles, or just before winter but this set has lasted well. I did fill the tubes with Stans latex which has worked well.

My commute has two off road sections. The GP 4's got cut up fast.

Is that really surprising for a light performance road tyre?

My commute has two off road sections. The GP 4's got cut up fast.

they're not designed for off road use so no surprise there.

I've got the Panaracer Ribmo in 28mm

Me too.They punctured once when I forst put them on, but been bomber since with probably about 1500 miles in em.