Race Tires & Tubes

kimmydct

I know there are threads on this but nothing that totally answered my questions so I'll just take a quick survey from the team.  First some background and my questions...

IMFL in 6 weeks (first IM).  Seems like folks get new tubes/tires before IM (although mine don't seem that old, they might be "old" by IM racing standards)  I currently have Schwalbe Ultremos (reco'd by LBS) and I think they are super fast.  I was going to re-order then started reading reviews that scared me, even though they have worked well for me so far.  I generally inflate to about 100PSI, maybe a bit more for racing.

Here are the questions:

- What tires do you reco for racing? (I am willing to sacrifice a bit of rolling resistance benefit to lessen the chance of a flat)

- What type of tubes do you reco for racing?  (I really don't remember what I have on there now....)

- What is the reco for PSI (front and back) for 150lb. rider?  (Again, willing to sacrifice some speed for a little extra insurance against a flat)

Again, sorry if this is redundant but want to make sure I'm getting the right tire for my needs.  I know lots of folks ride Corsa Vittorias?  Is that the overall winner?

Thanks team!

John Withrow

For me it is:
Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX tires
Vittoria latex tubes. (Regular butyl spare tubes because latex tires and CO2 don't really work together.)

No tire will guarantee you won't get a flat so I ride the fastest things I can find.

kimmydct

Posted By John Withrow on 27 Sep 2012 04:46 PM

(Regular butyl spare tubes because latex tires and CO2 don't really work together.

I didn't know that!  Will have to check my spare tubes!  Thanks!

Paul Hough

Bonty Aero R4 plus Vittoria latex tubes. One flat in 6 years (during an oly) and I was using old tires. IMHO, the real key is to go into races with relatively new tires ... e.g., under 300 miles. My tires for IMCOZ have 2 races on them...less than 150 miles right now. After IMCOZ they will move into my short course or trainer rotation and I'll get a new set for next year's long course races. For short course, I tend to push them longer-- hence, the one flat in an oly.

For training, I tend to push them to and well beyond their lifespan. So I've flatted a lot in training, and blown out tires (and the tube) several times with holes so large no internal patch could get me home.

coop6

Tires, Continental GP 4000s. Tubes, I don't have a brand preference.

I always race with newer tires. If you've trained on yours all summer, you are smart to be switching them out.

Scott Alexander

x2 John, same tube and tire setup.

MattAaronson

For the front I use a Bontrager R4 Aero. In the rear it is a Vittoria Open Corsa EVO Cx. I do not use latex tubes because I cannot find one with a 32mm or shorter stem, which I need for my badly-designed Zipp 900 disc (I will do the Dremel project at some point but haven't yet). Also latex tubes are a pain in the ass to work with and they don't hold air overnight.



I have two recommendations for you if you're changing tires and tubes before a big race:



1. Ride the new tires in training before race day to break them in. I have read that brand new tires have higher rolling resistance "straight out of the box" and the rolling resistance goes down after you've used them a bit. Maybe they get softened up or something. I don't know exactly how it works. But when I broke out a new rear tire for my last race I went on three rides totalling 150 miles or so before the race.



2. After you switch the tubes and tires, go for a "moderately long" ride (60-90 minutes) to make sure the tires are seated properly, the tubes are not pinched, and none of the equipment has a manufacturing defect. The only flat I've had (knock on wood...) was 45' into a taper-week ride with a brand new wheel, tube and tire. It turned out that the tube's reinforcement near the stem was defective. If I had just done a 10-minute ride I never would have found that out and my race would have been ruined!!

Cary Blanco

Same as Withrow & Alexander, Open Corsa EVO CX + latex tubes & butyl spares. But ... I'll be switching back to Conti 4000S next year.

If you get new tires, I'd recommend riding them for 10-20 miles before the race to "break them in" a bit.

Dave Tallo

I like conti supersonics, with michelin latex tubes at 115 psi.

kimmydct

Ordered up some Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX tires, despite the fact they didn't come in black and pink. (Bummer, would have looked sweet on my bike!)

Will take the advice re: breaking them in a bit first and get some new tubes for tires and spares as well.

Thanks team!