[Closed] Talk to me about road tyres

Been very impressed with my cont gp4000s. They've coped with fireroads whilst out exploring though probably not recommended....

Have been told a lot of punctures are due to small sharp stones / glass getting embedded in the tyre and working its way through so just be sure to check after every ride and glue any slits.

Another vote for Continental GP4000s here. I use the 25mm ones on the 'rural' roads here in France - very gritty. I also race on them.

I usually get through one set per year.

SB

I also have GP4000s 23mm width. Not a puncture in about 2500 miles so far. I think you would want 25mm width or something slightly bigger maybe if you are riding rough roads/trail.

GP4000S's are excellent.

I don't know that I'd be wanting to take them "off-road" much though. If that makes up a large part of your riding then I'd be looking at something in the 28mm bracket, but check your frame will cope with that. Most pure road bikes will only handle up to a 25mm tyre.

For a pure road tyre, tread pattern is irrelevant/unnecessary. You ideally want as much of that thin slice of runner on the tarmac as possible.

In general, puncture protection adds weight and can make a tyre harder to pedal. You need to find your own balance between resistance and protection. For touring, I use a 28mm Schwalbe Marathon.

Conti Gator skins for me in 25mm . I use a hard wall one out back for extra toughness. theycan cope with short bits of rough (eg granite chipped paths).

Very much a casual roadie - anti rules - enjoy the scenery type riding. Well other than the crack dens of Hampshire and i am in.the clydesdale category of rider.....

gp4000s from bike discount.de nothing else for me.

Halo Twin Rails. Not amazing for rocks and mud but decent for roads, bridleways etc. Also available in pink if you really want to stand out.

GP 4000s. Did the Tour of Flanders no problem in 23 width.

I am something of an angel on a roadbike though...

Schwalbe Durano S race Guard, if they'll survive the lanes of Cheshire & North Wales they'll survive anything

Continental for me as well please. Default choice and so rather unoriginal but that is German engineering for you. Hand made by big hairy women.

GP4000s - fabulous; light, insanely grippy and seem to be very puncture proof. Not tried anything else since I got a pair of these.

Schwable Blizzards (folding) here, got them off on-one ages ago for about £6 each so reckon there was an error in pricing. Not had a puncture in 1200miles and still loads of life left. Went for 23mm. Not really knowing much about road tyres either I just went for whatever fitted my tight arse criteria on the s/h road bike I wasn't meant to enjoy riding...

recently fitted a 5 yr old pair of conti ultra gatorskins (25c)to my charge filter, i was surprised how much better the ride was compared to the 28c kendas fitted originally.
the contis have several deep cuts, but never had a puncture on them, although they havent done many miles.
my m8 is now using them in preference to the 23c schwalbe luganos that came fitted to his 'dale, while i have got some new 32c gators for my bike.

Another vote for Conti ultra gator skins here. 25mm for me is a nice balance of thin tyre, but just enough volume to soften out the bumps a little and take the slightly rougher stuff.

I cant see past them personally. Yeah, weight weenies sometimes slag me off for them, but I've only punctured once and that was unavoidably hitting a large sharp rock after being pushed to the side of the road.

Personally I see it as:
23mm - speedy light but harsh and cant take rough punishment
25mm - good speed and a bit of comfort will take the odd knock
28mm - comfort starts to take over and will handle rougher stuff ok
30 to 40mm - comfort but you notice the weight increasing and much better over rough stuff.

Based on your initial post, I would say 28mm.

Tread wise:

I'd say go for a tyre that has a smooth centre tread area like a slick tyre or a solid bar down the middle.

I have a set of schwalbe marathon supremes which one the face of look smooth, but the tread crosses over the centre line. You notice it. You hear it. After fitting conti city ride with a solid bar of tread down the middle, I was surprised at how much smoother the ride was.

Seems simple, but its a noticable difference.

Am I the only person to be utterly dissapointed with GP4000S falling apart on their first ride and Conti refusing to even acknowledge my complaint. Bloody expensive chainstay protector now!

I now have some lovely Schwalbe Ultremo 25s now, coping with the grit and thorns of the gospel pass etc.

So last week, ten mins after placing an order to two new GP4000S's from discount-bikes.de, this thread appears on STW and I felt pretty smug.

10 mins into their first ride yesterday evening, my bike was upside down in a lay by, I'm faffing with the CO2 with everyone tutting and waiting. I was feeling noticably less smug!

I fear my smugness may have angered the puncture fairies.

[i]*It was a pinch flat gov, honest.[/i] 😳

Do 25mm tyres actually make that much different to comfort?

Schwalbe Luganos. £9.99 each, great tyre, loads of grip and not had a puncture yet. Was on Gatorskins before until I realised how rubbish they are in the wet.

yes, from 23mm up to 25mm is about 8% more volume (i think, someone who can do maths properly may be along in a minute to correct me)
i am a big guy, close to 23 stone, i run 32mm tyres on my bike, my mate who has the 25mm ones rolls better than me (veeeeery slightly, 1-2% max) but my bike rides like a magic carpet.
obviously, riders of a normal weight wont need such wide tyres.
my mate, btw, is the same weight as me.

Can't say I notice when I switch between 25 and 23mm tyres but tend to go for 25's as they're supposed to roll a bit better to, at worst all I'm doing is adding a few grams weight but hopefully getting a small amount of comfort & improved rolling resistance.
For the OP - you need to figure out the biggest tyres your bike will take. If you're doing a lot of riding on poorly surfaced roads then you should be looking at 28mm or even fatter, however a lot of road bikes won't take those do to close clearances and you've got bob hope of getting them working with cruds.

Genuine question, but why would a 25mm tyre roll better than a 23mm?

I've just come back from a week in the Alps where I used some 23mm GP4000s, which were recommended by fold on here. They rolled very well and handled the decents off the mountains so much better than my previous Hutchinsons. The road surfaces on some of the climbs weren't that good but I didn't pick up any puntures. They even coped with the 40 degree heat, which was a challenge to me!!

@ ormondroyd
ive heard this many times, namely that the same tyre in a wider, er, width, will roll better than the narrower version of the same tyre.
i havent been able to put it to the test personally though.
possibly due to the fact that the wider tyre will have to deform less than the narrow one. (assuming all the other variables like rider weight, pressure etc are equal)
only really applies whilst rolling, accelerating the tyre up to speed will take more energy due to the increased weight.
iirc one of the mags spouted this info on several occasions.

Using a schwalbe marathon plus on the back wheel. One puncture in about 8 months (a big screw). It has an unnerving sensation when riding over road markings. Think it's the very thick protective layer moving. Will try the normal marathon next, less protection but hopefully no more squirming around. The tread has worn down, but not full of holes and slashes like the maxxis re-fuse on the front.

Regarding RR - a few tests have been done on it, think Merida and Schwalbe have both published results showing that, to a point, a wider tyre is faster (due to less deformity required on normal road surfaces).

@ fuzzywuzzy,
ah, im glad it wasnt just my memory playing tricks then.
i have been known to be wrong before like . . .

23>25 = 18% more volume

(25*25)/(23*23) - not the precise formula but close enough.

wow, thats surprised me.
i didnt do maths at school, so can only manage the basic.

Genuine question, but why would a 25mm tyre roll better than a 23mm?

Its all to do with the shape of the contact patch.

Given all other variables such as presure and weight etc the contact patches for the two tyres will be exactly the same area. But the 23mm tyre will be long and thin while the 25mm will be a bit shorter and fatter = less rolling resistance.

However a 23mm tyre will be slightly lighter and have less aero drag than a wider tyre.

AFAIK some pros run 25mm on the back for flat stages. The theory being the benefit from the comfort to stay fresh while the drag isn't an issue on the back where the frame has already got in the way and weight is no problem as there are no hill to go up.

Very marginal gains!

Hmmm. I was looking at a pair of Ultremo's - might plump for the 25's after all!

I've been impressed with the Schwalbe blizzard on the front of my road bike, it's outlasted 2 Rears from other manufacturers. just de-laminated a Cheapo halfords jobbie and ordered a cheap stop-gap michelin but I'm toying with the idea of a set of either Schwalbe lugano, Durano or I've heard good things about Bonty's of late... Not sure what to go for I'm keened on durability, puncture resistance and comfort than weight saving

I've been running 23 on the front and 25 on the rear, is doing this this considered odd? must admit I found it more comfy to ride a 25 on the rear, so now I'm considering buying 25s for both ends next time...

smiffy - Member

Am I the only person to be utterly dissapointed with [s]GP4000S[/s] Contis falling apart on their first ride and Conti refusing to even acknowledge my complaint. Bloody expensive chainstay protector now!

I now have some lovely Schwalbe Ultremo 25s now, coping with the grit and thorns of the gospel pass etc.

As I've said before, I've had sidewalls go on Conti road tyres.

If I could be bothered to look, I think I have a pretty bald Conti slowly dying on one set of wheels otherwise Schwalbe Ultremos on 'best' bike and a mix of Michelins on t'other road bikes.

Even after 25+ years of road riding I'm hard pressed to detect much difference between 21, 23 and 25mm tyre widths. However if you're wanting to do some light 'rough stuff' then 28mm + would probably make the most sense (assuming the frame can take them).

Michelin Krylion Pro 3s were the answer to all my woes, then they stopped making them and selling them cheap 🙁

Can't seem to find the Pro 4 equivalents in 25mm anywhere.

I like 25mm on British roads, they certainly feel no slower than 23s and arguably a little easier to keep up to speed on what Wiltshire / Hampshire call a road surface.

What pressure are you guys running with 23/25mm tyres? I was told by an ex pro to run 100psi on training rides and 110psi for racing. Im not in the ex pro category and will probably never race. Just wondering if 90psi would give a little extra comfort?

foolishmiracles - Member

What pressure are you guys running with 23/25mm tyres? I was told by an ex pro to run 100psi on training rides and 110psi for racing. Im not in the ex pro category and will probably never race. Just wondering if 90psi would give a little extra comfort?

Dunno if you'd actually notice a more comfortable ride at 90psi but don't go too soft as a squirmy road wheel doesn't go sideways that well. Chuck in tarmac and 17mph+ speeds and you can quickly acquire some nice road rash.

Been running Schwalbe Ultremo ZX for last year, good rolling, no punctures. All good!

My Planet-X came with cheapy Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Slick in 25mm, they fit in the frame OK but won't get past the brake calipers without letting them down 😕
They perform very well though considering they're only £15 a pop

foolishmiracles - Member
What pressure are you guys running with 23/25mm tyres? I was told by an ex pro to run 100psi on training rides and 110psi for racing. Im not in the ex pro category and will probably never race. Just wondering if 90psi would give a little extra comfort?

On my other road bike I've just put on a Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX , the recommended pressure is 115-145psi, a bit too hard for my cheek bones

shame most road frames can't fit something larger than 25s,as the ride is so much better.
& the descents.

Using Ultremo DD in 25mm width, which have a slight puncture resistance. 100psi for me seems to work ok, I'm a couple of pounds under 14 stone.

Michelin Krylion Pro 3s were the answer to all my woes, then they stopped making them and selling them cheap

Can't seem to find the Pro 4 equivalents in 25mm anywhere.

The new name for Krylions is apparently Pro4 Endurance.

I've done thousands of miles of audaxing since 2006 and got in a cold sweat when they stopped making Krylions - the absolutely very best tyre for puncture-resistance whilst still having plenty of grip. At the other end of the scale are Conti hamsterskins - paper-thin and lethal on a wet roundabout.

I'm usually on 25s for the very long distance stuff; definitely adds a bit of comfort.