I'm using cheapy continental 23s (sport contacts?) on my commute bike and slipping all over the shop. This is on damp / greasy / muddy roads, not ice. Not only when out of the saddle climbing but, more alarmingly, cornering downhill.
Would I notice a benefit if I bought some new rubber or is this as good as it gets?
(I'll struggle to go bigger than 25mm as my mudguards are fitted pretty tight)
open pave are very very good indeed Ive had mine on all this winter and have been really impressed. However not that cheap and you have to like green but well worth it imo.
Not a bad price at Ribble - will look minty fresh on the bike too. Thanks!
Something like continental gatorskins grip well but the truth is that skinny rubber on greasy roads will always require careful riding...
Continental GP4 season or Vredestein Fortezza
Open Pave are a soft tyre that cuts up quick and is pretty expensive - its more of a specialist tyre really, personally I wouldn't commute on a set.
I use Continental Gatorskins and haven't had a problem so far.
leftfield one - Maxxis Re-Fuse - puncture resistant and a nice 60a compound file tread. I'd been using the Bontrager Hardcase tyres which were indestructible, but they were a little slippy on crappy surfaces due to slick centre strip - the Maxxis have been super predictable so far...
gatorskins are not as grippy as 4-seasons. the 4-seasons also have a higher TPI and a better ride.
gp4000s with the black chili compound are good too.
Would I be better off whipping the mudguards off and going for something like a 28mm at 80psi?
that would work too - the 28s on my fixie are far less scary than the 25s on the geared bike - more comfy too....
would definitely recommend 25mm GP 4 seasons. use these on the winter bike and find them excellent for grip
I swapped my rear Conti Ultra Gatorskin for a Vittoria Randonneur or something like that (went up from 23 to 28). Only upside I can find is that I didn't puncture yet as I got a bit annoyed with my Contis puncturing ans as it's a 28 so it's a bit comfier. The 28 Vittoria is not as grippy as Gatorskins and if You go quicker into a corner You can feel the rear wheel slipping, sometimes a bit scary. Never happened with Gatorskins. Still have a 23 Gatorskin on the front and the grip is really good in wet road conditions.
If 4 seasons are even better that's really good, but they are more expensive than Ultras as well. I would be temted to try Vredestein products as I had some good experience with them on my MTB.
dunno, never made my 23 GP4's slip, even in some horrendous condition. what pressure are you running them at, i found anythign under 90 (use a pressure sensor, not the one on the pump) and the sidewalls would collapse when you relay banked them over.
25mm 4 seasons - fast and far grippier than I am brave! use them all year round as I ride predominantly on shitty country roads.
I'm talking about either the rear sliding under power or the front washing out on cornering (the country roads are v.bad on my commute!)
drifting towards a consensus here! GP4 all the way?
I decided not to commute on my road bike for these reasons. I ended up with Conti Double Fighter 2s on an MTB instead. I have been wondering how a cross tyre might work out though? Its awful tarmac, mud and cow shite on parts of my commute.
I've found cross tyres are ok but bad at high speed cornering on tarmac in the wet. The knobbles squirm.
looks like maybe I missed something by not using GP4s...... maybe I'll try some too!
Once again, skinny tyres on slimy roads will always need careful riding. There's no holy grail road tyre out there that will provide superglue like grip in those conditions.
I've not found there's much difference in grip. best bet is to try something slightly wider and drop the pressure slightly which will allow the tyre to deform more.
tread patterns will make dick all difference on the road.
GP4 25mm sidewalls won't fold over at 90psi (I'm quite heavy and er.. sometimes a little wreckless) 😳
I normally run about 100front/110 rear and they are still very comfortable at those pressures on poor surfaces (I only know they are fine @ 90 as I have often ridden them at lower pressures due to lazyness)
So when do the roads become friendly again then?
PK - IMO the difference in grip/rolling/comfort between a cheap road tyre and something a bit more advanced is night and day.
Clubber - yeah, obviously 🙄 but you can still choose something that will grip better than what the OPs using.
Obviously but I do think that there might some unrealistic expectation going on here - road tyres on crap roads will move about when cornering or when powering up hills..
GW - there are some shite ones out there for sure, but in crap road conditions the benefit of a good tyre is minimal against a crap one of the same width as much of it is the amount of crap on the road effectively forming a layer of grease.
As with PK and Clubber, assuming you've bought something half decent you're into a grip vs longevity/puncture-proof trade-off. A bit more width and a reduction in pressure will help (offset against more rolling resistance), but ultimately the contact patch is tiny so it doesn't take much crap on the road to break traction.
Gatorskins here BTW, in 23mm during the summer and 25mm through the winter.
Got some surplus 25mm GP4 Seasons if you want them
Regarding my current tyres, £5 each from planet x probably means they are at the lower end of the market 🙂
I'll try the GP4s and if it's still rubbish I may go for a 30mm+ tyre (it's a cx bike) and just suck up the slowness...
MrBlond - yes please, could you email me? jimjamesjamesh (at) googlemail.com
cheers
Another fan of Conti GP 4 Season 25mm here. Roads round my way are carppy, potholed, leaf-strewn back-lanes - 25mm gives you a lot more puncture protection and confidence without being any more draggy.
Took the plunge with some more pricey road tyres after running cheapies for years - Ribble were doing a great deal (not sure if they still are).
Got [b]Conti GP Attack and Force[/b] - front rear specific, rear is 24c and they are Black Chilli rubber.
Not sure if its my imagination, but they do seem very grippy, as well as faster than the Bontys I took off.
Given me loads of confidence to lean it right over into corners anyway 🙂
Recommended!
the road surface is far lumpier than a tyre surface so a higher tpi in the carcass means it can deform easier and grip the tarmac. obviously rubber compound plays it's part too. siping or tread is just a marketing gimmick to get you to think they will grip better in the wet. aquaplaning is non existent with road bike tyres. sheldon explains the reasons why. i think the theoretical speed needed to aquaplane a road bike tyre is about 70mph
acjim, YGM
28mm GP4 Seasons here
Gatorskins and particularly the Sport Contacts are not in the same league.
i've always used spesh fatboys all year round, and am just careful when conditions are greasy. they have no tread to speak of, but i've had no problems. they last bloody ages as well, and i've only had 2 or 3 punctures in 4 years.
I can't beleive all the recomendations for Conti tyres in the winter, I find them truely awful for grip especially the gatorskins.
My recommendation for a long lasting grippy tyre is the Schwalbe Stelvio Rain in 25mm, great grip, puncture protection strip and cheap. et voila!
I've found Schwalbe Stelvio Raceguard pretty grippy. I had Continental Gatorskins on my commuting bike for a while - rather 'interesting' on wet roads.
maybe i just corner faster 🙂
once attempted to take the corner at the bottom of snakes pass off the brakes, that was a bit too scary!
I also use 25mm Continental GP 4 seasons and I'me very happy with them. I ride on some really crappy (surface wise) ayrshire roads and I've had no slippage. Very comfy and puncture resistant too.