Home› General Training Discussions

Tire selection

damonwagnerdamonwagner
in General Training Discussions

Ok that time of the year again to replace the rubber for this years training and racing. What is everybody running and recommending this year for a clincher tire?

Thanks!

Damon

Comments

  • tgarsontgarson
    For racing, the standard Crr (rolling resistance) links are:



    AFM Roller Data

    Slowtwitch Crr Thread

    Personally, I have abandoned racing on Vittoria Evo CX's this season after having pitiful puncture resistance in the clincher version. The tubular version had always served me well, but just not so for the clincher. Instead I'm currently giving Continental Attack's a trial run and planning on racing on them if all goes well. In the Crr test from the ST thread, they came out at or very near the top of the list, but with supposedly better flat protection than some of the other thin-skin tires.


  • zwubazwuba
    Can't say any word on tubulars since I just don't like them but for Clinchers
    I'll stick to the choice of the TT world-champion Tony Martin -> Continental Grand Prix TT of course with a Latex tube!
    I used that tire in 2 races last year and I've NEVER had another tire that rolled that smooth and fast even at only 7.5bar.

    I've recently read a test on BikeBoard (http://bikeboard.at/Board/Die-schnellsten-Reifen-der-Welt-th178993) which claims the Veloflex Record to be the "fastest" tire but in respect to the need of having a "good" flat protection they also claimed the Conti GP-TT to be the "winner" ...
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    After decades of needing to keep tires from puncturing - cross country bike tours, commuting to work in all weathers - I discovered the best tires for my needs - Schwalbe. Not a well known brand in North America, but Radio Shack - Nissan - Trek team (Cancellara, etc) ride them, so they are legit racing tires.

    The absolute fastest tires they have are the Ultremo ZLX. The best combination of puncture resistance and speed is the Ultremo ZX. And the best puncture resistance (2 ozs heavier than the ZX) are the DDs. I ride the Ultremo ZX, mainly because those are the only ones they make in 650s. But the ZX have all the colors you could want. Web site: http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/racing_tires  About $80; sometimes I can find them for about $10 less at various online retailers.

    They are pricey, but, like, say Sidi bike shoes, well worth the extra $ for the durability, plus the peace of mind I have training and especially on race days. A "faster" flimsy tire which flats and loses you even 2-3 minutes to change is just not worth it.

    For race day, I put a 20c Vittoria on the front wheel, for better aero fit to the rim. Most flats occur on the rear wheel, for obscure reasons still a mystery to me.

  • Brad MarcusBrad Marcus
    Continental Grand Prix 4000's
  • Darren FreemanDarren Freeman

    Two for the price of one.. Utremo ZX at Probikekit.com

    Ultremo ZX tires for $38.25 each.  Use Discount Code : RIDE10 and get an additional 10% off.  Final price for two tires..  $68.85 w/ free shipping.

  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    I do all of my training on Continental Gatorskins, and road bike races that have dirt sections...

    I do all of my racing on Vittoria Evo CX. This might be a bad thing to actually type somewhere, but have never flatted one in a race. If you hit debris/tacks/a nail/large pothole/etc you're gonna flat no matter what tire you are running, so may as well use a fast tire and take your chances...
  • Cary BlancoCary Blanco
    I switched from Corsa EVO CX II 700x23 to Conti 4000S 700x23 (all clinchers).

    The Corsas seemed a bit fragile for me.
  • tim cronktim cronk
    I normally cant tell one tire from another.... but it seems the last few years I have developed a bit more feel for them....this is completely subjective though....

    I used the Vittoria Evo CX last year and I noticed right away they "felt" fast and smooth with a very nice soft ride. They seemed to wear out very fast and as soon as they have a little wear they seemed to lose the grip on the road. I became very aware during hard braking situations specially on wet roads or going down hill with no weight on the rear tire while braking the back end was very scary....

    Because of that perceived handling issue I changed back to Continental and am currently trying the Attack/Force combo. I rode this set up in IMCZ . They feel slower than the EVO and harder , however I rode them to my highest placement Bike split in my AG with my lowest amount of watts due to other issues. So I cant say for sure if they are faster or slower but they dont feel as nice or as fast as the EVO. They do feel better under hard braking.

    I did pick up a pair of the vittoria and plan on riding them back to back with the attak/force prior to IMTX.

    No comment either way on flats, I seem to get a bunch in a row no matter what I am doing or using and then none for a while!
Sign In or Register to comment.