[Closed] Road tyres - Schwalbe Lugano or replace?

Not great, if you’re swapping the wheels I’d get shot of the tyres too.

I used a lugano on the front of my commuter and it was ok, because it was £15.

Maybe keep them for emergency spares or crap winter rides.

The bad reviews I’ve seen on the Luganos suggest they have a high rolling resistance

I'd Google their measured rolling resistance. The standard of bike journalism is such that the author probably went out riding with 35psi in them.

Not sure if give any weight to any "they are crap mate" comments that don't say why.

They are unlikely to be worth much for you to sell (check eBay) so why not just try them?

Lugano is a bottom-of-the-range OE tyre. IME Lithion are much nicer - gripper, more supple and have lower rolling resistance. They are available in 25mm too. I'd try them at 80 psi front / 90 rear.

Neither tyre has substantial puncture protection. For a step up in that regard I'd look at Schwalbe Durano, Michelin Pro4 Endurance V2 or Durano Plus. The Plus is a rather 'heavy' feeling tyre that doesn't absorb as much road buzz due to the extra thick puncture belt and stiff sidewalls; though despite that it rolls well enough.

Thanks for the suggestions - I’ll look those last 3 tyres up and see what they cost / what kind of riding they’re aimed at etc. I literally know nothing about road tyres.

Thinking maybe I’ll stick to running tubes for nownsnd seenhowninget on with that. Running tubeless on the road bike is pehaps a faff too far at the moment and the tyres are pretty expensive and have mixed reviews. Maxxis Padrones seem to have the best reviews but I don’t want to throw over £80 on tyres at the moment!

Out of Simon's list, I'm running 25c Durano's on Hunt 4 Season wheels. They come up slightly fat at around 27mm measured and, IIRC weigh ~250g. I'm a massive fan of Durano's. I have 28's on another bike with over 5k miles on them, they've been ace.

I use the Raceguard folding jobbies which area loverly (and cheap).

The Duranos in a 25c sounds like a good way forward - I’ll see what deals I can find.

I will ask the bike shop nicely (that I’m getting the bike from) if they fancy swapping them for the standard tyres with a bit of extra cash 😃

Also had michelin Pro 4 Endurance suggested and they seem to be a comparable tyre to the Duranos. Might see which I can get a better deal on / which Mud Dock stock.

Durano folding are £20 at Spa Cycles (23 & 25mm). Very good middling tyres with decent puncture protection, they last ages. Spa also have the 23, 25 & 32mm with wire bead for £16 each. 25mm wired is 90g heavier than folding.

Michelin Pro4 Endurance are broadly comparable and I'd say a slightly plusher ride but wear a little faster and usually cost a bit more. They are on V2 now, I've not tried that version. Tredz currently have 23 & 25mm pairs for £45, 28mm for an extra £1 here.

CAAD12 is a really nice bike, I'd get Conti GP4000sII for that. Normally can be had for £50 a pair, but really nice to ride and super grippy.

I used to ride on them with latex tubes and they were lovely. Made a fantastic noise too.

Can’t say I know anything about Continental gp4000’s other than they had some in Evans and they were ludicrously expensive in there. I’m probably more interested in reliability and durability rather than outright grip, whilst also being fairly light / rolling well. Moon on a stick perhaps for anbudget tyre!

Duranos are in pole position at the moment I think.

Really looking forward to getting the bike now - got another 2-3 weeks until my C2W voucher turns up - it’s killing me with the wait!

Evans is not the place to be buying tyres.

https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/continental-gp4000s-ii-twinpack/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=PPCB%20UK%20-%20Product%20Brand%20-%20Continental

£60 for the pair, not cheap, but really good. I don't think I ever had a puncture on them either.

I think the duranos with be similar to the Michelins, unless you go for the Plus version, but they're quite a lot heavier.

Quick Edit - Not sure what the new ones are like, but the old Vittoria Rubino Pro's were really good for the money, they're only £12.50 each on Merlin in 23c and £15 in 25c. I had one of these on the back of my commuter for months and it was very good.

Cheeky plug: I have an excellent pair of skinwall Veloflex Master 25s that I would sell. That way, you could get a beautiful set of tyres for your new bike at much lower cost.

In my experience, the Veloflex are a delight to ride, they look the business, and proved to be very resilient - with no punctures of cuts incurred. They have only done a few hundred kilometres, and I would sell them simply because I was thinking about returning to all black, and happened to catch a good deal on Clement LCVs.

Thanks for the offer, but I’m just not a fan of skinwall tyres - I had some on my mtb back in the mid 90’s - but for me that’s where they should stay! Just my opinion though and I know plenty of people would disagree.

Reviving this thread rather than starting a new one.

So I’ve had the bike for coming up towards 12 months and I left the Luganos on. I’ve only had one puncture in all that time (pinch puncture) so good on that front but the bike does feel a bit slow accelerating compared to the previous one which had 23c Lithium’s on it. Equally it’s a balance between speed and puncture protection.

I’ve ruled out road tubeless - the tyres can be quite expensive and if you get so much as a slash / big bit of glass in them it sounds like they generally don’t seal and you end up with tubes in anyway.

So standard tubes tyres for better rolling and if possible a bit lighter without being ridiculous for punctures. Doesn’t have to be budget - something mid range would be fine.

Continental GP4000II’s still one of the best options? Looking for ankevlar bead and in a 700x25 I think. A 28 may fit through the caad12 but not sure if the 25 is a better compromise on size / cushioning vs rolling resistance and weight.

The wheels are 19mm inner width Hunt 4 seasons. The back wheel has been quite unlucky - I wrote off a rim
Hitting a pothole I hadn’t seen three when rebuilt it was fine until this week when a spoke snapped at the thread as I was cranking hard up a hill.

I have gp 4000 and am very impressed. No punctures despite loads of glass nicks in the surface and grippy for a skinny tyre. I ain't enough of a roadie to tell you if they are fast or slow as my only comparision is very differnt tyres but they seem quick to me . Seem to be wearing fairly quickly but I'll swap that for grip without any worry

I've got duranos and gp4000s. The gp4000s are a far nicer tyre all round, and I don't get noticablly more punctures with them.

For the 20 quid total extra cost for the contis, I thinking a no brainer.

Some good deals on gp4000 tyres at CRC, including Reflex variant for ~£29, or a pair of standard ones for £55.

Just remember they size large, +2mm for 25c and +3mm for 28c, if clearance is an issue.