Road tyres for Ksyrium wheels

Thanks for all the help in this thread:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/road-bike-tyres-any-for-winter-riding

Just needing a little more help still, specifically will the Continental tyres recommended (GP4000) be reasonably easy to fit on Ksyrium wheels?

Current tyres are Continental Ultra 23mm wide but want wider so options are 25mm or 28mm. GP4000 not available in 28mm width it would appear.

As always, thanks. 🙂

EDIT: just to emphasise that the idea of wider width is for confidence when I eventually get back on it! Despite my good intentions, I just kept bottling it. 😳

No problem in fitting wider tyres, should be easier than 23mm due to more sidewall. I would suggest that if you are planning to ride on poor roads, it may be better to get a pair of cheap wheels as well to avoid damaging your Ksyriums. Also if the roads are wet and gritty, the braking surface of your expensive rims will get worn out pretty quickly. There are some good deals on Shimano at places like Planet X at the moment.

I’m using 25mm Schalbe blizzards after years of paying through the nose for GP4000’s. The GP4000’s are lighter, and probably faster, and probably more comfortable, but the blizzards are £25/pair. They do feel different, but despite my initial scepticism I’m not convinced it’s nececeraly different in a bad way. There’s certainly a lot more rubber in them so I reckon they’ll last longer.

Have you considdered GP4seasons if you can fit 28mm tyres in your frame and want them, then they’re a good option.

All road ttyres seem tight, but I’ve never found one that I couldn’t fit, even if it sometimes means resorting to tyre levers.

I’ve used ultra’s, 4000’s and 4 seasons on my k elites which are pretty much my stock training wheel; all go on fine in 23mm, never tried bigger. If you are anxious, the 4 seasons may offer you a bit more confidence, I doubt you would notice much difference in rolling.

Edit – as a chap who has had 2 lots of facial plastic surgery and 6k of dental work to restore my face to it’s former glory following a crash, i’d recommend not focusing on parts, just start where you can and build yourself back into it, it can take a while.

The Ksyrium rims are fairly loose so you should be able to get almost anything on them, having said that Conti tyres have a rep for being on the tight side… I personally don’t like GP4000 as I find it very tall and cornering onto the edges not very confidence inspiring, I prefer ’rounder’ profile tyres such as Schwalbe and Michelin.

Does your frame take bigger than 25c tyres, a lot of modern road frames probably won’t/will run very close.

I always use 25c tyres anyway and that’s for premier calendar racing and crits as well as training, prefer the more rounded profile for cornering and a little more comfort. I too use the Schwalbe blizzard as a training tyre, they’re great, they roll well and aren’t too heavy despite having puncture protection.

The Conti Ultras you’re using come in a 28. Or, Ultremo ZXs come in a 28 if you’re OK with a treadless tyre, had no problems fitting the 23mm version to my Ksyriums, and never had a issue with grip either.

CG – see your email, we’ll sort you out 😉

panaracer pasella is a very nice & quite light 28c tyre. SJS seem to have the best availability.

Thanks for the most helpful replies! I’ll be a fair weather roadie and wider tyres will hopefully only be a temporary thing.

Having struggled massively with DT rims on the mtb, I really want to avoid that scenario so it would be sensible to find out before I hit the road.

Blazin-saddles – that’s interesting you’re using 25’s anyway, thanks for your thoughts there.

smell-it – ouch! 😯 Did that happen on or off road? Respect for getting on a bike again.

Zulu – cheers for that. 8)

Running 25c on my road bike too (conti 4000s) really for comfort rather than confidence. So far so good, not as jarring a ride compared to 23c – but I am running new wheels as well so it might be partly that too.

If it’s any help, I habitually run GP4000S tyres in a 25 on Ksyrium SLs – ace wheels – no problems fitting, de-fitting or otherwise. I realise I should probably be running 19s at 150psi to keep the roadie fascists happy, but I live in the Peak and the back lanes are mostly made of large craters and I like having my own teeth. I wear stripy arm warmers too… 😉

Another Ksyrium user here too. Previously had the Equipes and had no problems with GP4000s 23c. Now have the SL’s and again not problems. I can get them on and off without tyre levers.

How did the op go c_g?

CG – on the road descending mount etna, I’ve no recollection of what happened or the 48 hours before or after, I just woke up in hospital a very unhappy and confused bunny. It did appear I took most of the impact on my face! I had about 5 months off the bike, as I couldn’t take being rattled about without awful head and dental pain and once back on it did take me about 18 months to get back into racing fully committed, and every now and again when descending at speed I do have to ‘have a word’ with myself to make sure I keep fully on the gas. On the bright side I was very pretty and the scars have left me looking a bit more rugged 😉 Small steps, you get back into it, and you can love it again!

smell_it – ouch! Having also had some, er, rebuilding done (hockey ball, titanium plates, no visible scars) I understand the caution!

c_g – I know a few racers who use 25s for the same reason as blazinsaddles. I use 23c ProRace 3s on Kysriums (2009 Elites) and they fit fine. ProRace 3s come in 25 flavour, too. Michelin also do a “grip” version.

I’ve also used 24c Vittoria Open Pros on the wheels plenty of times for wet weather and Belgian cobbles. They grip like s–t to a blanket, especially cornering (wear out quick, though).

What little riding I did over winter, I’ve been using 25c 4Seasons. I like them a lot. Replacement for my usual winter choice of the Open Pros.

Good luck getting back on. Softly, softly, catchy monkey 🙂

Thanks again for the useful info!

smell-it – well, you’re bloomin’ brave getting back on after all that, what a frightening experience. 😯

omitn – I can barely get my head around mtb tyres/tubeless combos these days. Road tyres sound just as confusing!

Mulletus – op went well, saw consultant yesterday for follow-up and he’s happy. Having physio and lots of exercises to do. Just need something for the head. 😉 Hope you’re well and not completely given up the mtb?

Glad you’re on the mend.

Hope you’re well and not completely given up the mtb?

Haven’t given up at all. Currently taking part in a season of mountain bike racing with the Gorricks and Southern xc. 😀

If funds allowed, a cyclo-cross bike with road tyres might be a good idea to get back into it. They tend to have rather more forgiving steering characteristics.
Good luck whatever.

interestingly boringly, Ian Cammish (Planet X testing guru and LA games olympiad) says that 25s are quicker than 23s, something about the shape of the contact surface and the tyre leading edge being rounder…

. I personally don’t like GP4000 as I find it very tall and cornering onto the edges not very confidence inspiring, I prefer ’rounder’ profile tyres such as Schwalbe and Michelin.

This is in your head. Tire profile does not affect contact patch.

Just a little update on this thread …

I bought some Grand Prix 4 seasons in 25mm and whilst the front wheel is fine, the rear is not! Chain stays are shaped and tyre is extremely close. In fact I can barely get the rear wheel to rotate no matter how much I try to adjust.

Have some 23mm ones now so the 25mm’s can go on Classifieds!

Edit: I went on the Scott website and it only mentions using 23mm tyres.

Tire profile does not affect contact patch.

cynic-al – sorry but don’t understand this. ❓

I might be interested … 🙂

Still like 25’s although I ride 23’s as well. Glad the confidence is back

25mm would definitely be a peace of mind thing but am happy to sell them!

Glad the confidence is back

Road bike not been ridden yet! Only started back a week ago on the mtb and feel a bit of a numpty riding on the shared cycle paths. 😳

Tire profile does not affect contact patch.

If you put 100psi into a tyre it’ll have the same contact patch whether it’s 23mm or 32mm, the wider tyre sjust makes the patch wider rather than longer. Big tyres do allow for lower presures though, which therefore deform more and provide comofort and grip.