Further to my other thread, I’m now the owner of a pair of hunt carbon 50mm road wheels. On my bike currently I have GP5000s but they seem to be a bit fragile – getting slashed by tiny bits of flint we get around here (Berkshire downs). I was going to get a new pair of 28mm Continental Four Seasons, on the basis they’re only a 30g a pair heavier or so, and they’ve held up on my commuter pretty well.

However, I’ve been informed by my friends that putting four seasons on carbon wheels is sacrilege, and I can kinda see their point. So my question is – are there any decent summer tyres that have a inbuilt puncture protection strip?
(I know the hunts are tubeless, but I’ve never seen the point on road wheels – just sounds like a huge pain.)

Since you’re not going tubeless, I can heartily recommend these…

https://conti-tyres.co.uk/road-and-track/clinchers/grand-prix

They feel like a race tyre, lovely and grippy, extra weight barely noticeable.

Here’s a review I did ages ago: http://unduro.co.uk/road/review-continental-grand-prix-gt-tyres/

I second those Grand Prix GT’s. Feel just like the GP4000’s with extra protection, I have them on winter wheels.

They seem to be a bit of a sleeper tyre hence available comparatively cheaply if you look around.

I know the hunts are tubeless, but I’ve never seen the point on road wheels – just sounds like a huge pain.

Single biggest change to my puncture reduction on the road was switching to tubeless. That there is your point.

After that – why did you buy the Hunts? Was it seeking out every last second from your performance against the clock or in a road race or was it to make your bike aesthetically pleasing on the cafe run? If the former I suspect you need to live with the punctures, if the latter shove the GP 4 seasons on and debadge with a marker pen if you feel you must.

I know the hunts are tubeless, but I’ve never seen the point on road wheels – just sounds like a huge pain.

I’m fairly underwhelmed by tubeless on road.

It won’t fix a sidewall slash (I’ve had two which required a boot) and most of the smaller ones which self seal I reckon weren’t deep enough to have nicked an inner tube.

I’d got mine (posted on your thread) fitted with p zeros. Only one ride so far so can’t comment on how robust they are.

The wheels certainly ticked the boxes I was looking for.

Schwalbe One

Best bits of a Pro One and a Durano combined (speed and grip of Pro One, durability and puncture resistance of a Durano). Plus they’re £15 cheaper like for like than Pro One too…

Available tube type or tubeless to suit your preferences, and 25, 28, 30 and now 32 widths.

After that – why did you buy the Hunts? Was it seeking out every last second from your performance against the clock or in a road race or was it to make your bike aesthetically pleasing on the cafe run? If the former I suspect you need to live with the punctures, if the latter shove the GP 4 seasons on and debadge with a marker pen if you feel you must.

I’m not going to lie – 100% the latter. I was going to buy a new bike, but a baby + a new house + unexpected need to renew some land drains has killed that idea.

I was assuming that tubeless would struggle to deal with the slashes i seem to get in the gp5000s. Will check out the Schwalbe ones and the Grand Prix GT.

Thanks all!

The new vittoria corsa

These:

https://conti-tyres.co.uk/road-and-track/clinchers/grand-prix-4-season

Regularly commute into and around London and not had a puncture (touch wood!) in two years.

They look good too.

I’m not going to lie – 100% the latter.

Then you should 100% not let someone be snobby about GP 4 seasons. Let’s get this straight – the GP 4S is a proper race tyre ridden by proper racers in proper races. Very popular in E/1/2 early season races like the Perfs Pedal. It’s just a proper race tyre with a bit of puncture protection for races that’s likely be tougher on your tyres. The fact that it is also now used by the well healed as a winter training and commute tyre does not detract from that. In my book it makes it the perfect fastish tyre for all year round use for someone with fancy wheels for show rather than go, not wanting the faff of extra punctures. I’m guessing your friends are newish to the sport mostly informed by google rather than being around real world racing? Show them the way!

Then you should 100% not let someone be snobby about GP 4 seasons on them.

They look gopping!

Plus, anecdotally, they don’t seem any more puncture proof than GP5000s.

We make people using them ride at the back along with the sans mudguard brigade 😉

They look gopping!

Ah…this might be where I’m blind. Having raced bikes for a couple of decades and ‘used’ bikes for most of my life – a bike is mostly a tool.

But to my eyes this looks like a……….tyre. What am I missing?

Edit – caution to my advice……..I mostly think people who ride around on fancy dan wheels when they are not in races make themselves look like knobs, so I’m clearly not wired right! 😉

What am I missing?

I (genuinely) never liked the look of the 4 season side walls – just looked wrong for some reason.

That photo looks like a newer variant.

Anecdotally, those riders who swapped from 4000s to 4S over winter seemed to get just as many punctures as those who didn’t, so it never seemed worth the faff of changing over.

Marathon Supremes might have less rolling resistance than 4 Seasons, the latter of which are well above GP5000s and GP4000 SIIs. I have a 40mm and 35 Supreme on the commuter and they roll really well, got a 32mm in the spares box. They size small, but yet to try the smaller ones on my road bike, which will fit the 32mm at least given it’s closer to ~31mm.

tbh; I just use Gatorskins. I’m not so fussed about saving a few seconds here and there on a ride and as a plus; I usually wear a set out without a single puncture.

They are apparently dreadful and with so little grip you will kill yourself. YMMV 😀

I’m guessing your friends are newish to the sport mostly informed by google rather than being around real world racing?

Unfortunately none of us are new to the sport – all far to old for that! The specific friend in question has done loads of iron mans and represented GB (once) at it… He also has better taste than me! TBH I see his point, the tan side walls on the GP 4S would look a bit odd on the rims.

I have a gator skin on the back wheel of my commuter (used to have 4S both ends but a glass bottle killed one and I was feeling tight), I must say they really are not the grippest!

I mostly think people who ride around on fancy dan wheels when they are not in races make themselves look like knobs, so I’m clearly not wired right!

I fully appreciate I will look like a knob with my poncey wheels! Fundamentally I’m a 40 year old in lycra! Ideally i’ll get fit again, so at least i’ll look like a knob who’s overtaking.

Schwalbe Marathon Supreme

No one has mentioned Vittoria Rubino tubeless ready? Great hard wearing tyres for tubeless or inner tubes? And good value

Alternatively another vote for Schwalbe pro ones, hardwearing road tyre.

Personally always found 4 seasons expensive and quick wearing short lived tyres, but great quality

Also have to factor in availability, 28mm tubeless are like hens teeth at the moment

Duranos aren’t bad at all. I have them on the trike and commuted on a set for years. Basically better rolling Marathons with proper puncture protection. GP4 Seasons are like riding on hosepipe by comparison. Ironic as I love GP5000s

You shouldn’t discount something unless you’ve properly tried it 😜

Give tubeless a go, then if you hate it, you can tel everyone how terrible it is on the next thread.

I’m running my road wheels tubeless, it’s not as good as a mtb tubeless set up due to the higher pressures but it’s still better than repairing inner tubes.

Just looked up a few tyres on https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/ and I was wrong about Marathon Supremes (25mm @ 100PSI road tyres vs 35mm @ 75 PSI)…

GP5000 10.7W
GP4000 SII 12.9W
GP 4 Season ’22 15.5W
Marathon Supreme 16.9W

I’m running my road wheels tubeless, it’s not as good as a mtb tubeless set up due to the higher pressures but it’s still better than repairing inner tubes.

hm, I reckon it works better, because the higher pressure locks the bead in better so you’re less prone to burp the tyre.

The specific friend in question has done loads of iron mans

You’re taking style advice from a triathlete 😀 ?

(and I write that as someone who has also done multiple ironmans…)

Quite happy with the Specialized Roubaix Pro on the steel bike. They don’t feel as fast as the Vittoria Corsa but are grippier and more confidence inspiring on damp roads early morning plus more comfortable.   I suspect a lot of that is down to choosing the 30/32 variant and generally running them at around 70psi though.  Worth a try and not expensive.

Apologies for the slight hijack but s<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>peaking of road tubeless, has anyone got any experience of silca ultimate sealant for the road tyres? It does look like the solution to road tubeless </span>

Before I buy some expensive snake oil, I want some real world experience.

Anyone using silca ultimate sealant on road tubeless?

Thanks

It does look like the solution to road tubeless

It what way is it different to any other tubeless gunk?

I mostly think people who ride around on fancy dan wheels when they are not in races make themselves look like knobs, so I’m clearly not wired right!

Deep section carbon are totally ubiquitous now, I only know one or two people who don’t ride all year round on ‘fancy dan’ wheels. Even my dedicated winter bike has 40mm section carbon wheels on it now.

It what way is it different to any other tubeless gunk?

@footflaps, Well, apparently it has carbon fibres (I think) that knit together. The video explains it a bit.

The screw driver test in that video showed it sealed upto 7mm. It out performed all the other sealants.

But a spin of a wheel doesn’t prove much. I’d like to see what happens when it’s ridden after it’s sealed.

My experience of road tubeless is that its great with thorns and very small cuts and nicks but anything larger seals around 40 psi and when you put air in it usually fails. Apparently this stuff holds.

Its pricey though which is why I want to know if it really does work before I buy yet more sealant 😂

You’d be pretty brave to not carry anchovies / dyna plugs and just rely on the gunk working every time, no matter what they say in a video…

Ix them up I’m running a GP4 season on the back and a plain boring GP on the front, rear tyres always wears faster for me so something slightly more robust on the back makes sense IMO.

Aesthetically they’re tyres, the only thing that really affects them once your rolling along might be tyre wall colour, but black circles are black circles, hardly the most visually offensive objects.