which tyres ?

ednwireland

schwalbe ultremo dd 225g €40
michelin pro race 3 200g (approx) €30
gp4000 215g €31
schwalbe durano 235g €31

remeber i ride on donegal roads would i be better off with 25mm (would 25mm fit a focus cayo ?)

Lumen

ednwireland wrote: »

would 25mm fit a focus cayo?

Yes.

blorg

All good tyres. The Pro Race 3 and the GP4000 would be more in the category of the standard Ultremo R rather than the DD which is an extra puncture resistant tyre.

I have ridden the standard Ultremo the longest and liked it a lot, very durable, grippy and fast rolling.

25mm give you a bit more comfort and cushioning but I think there is a slight speed penalty, probably more down to the aerodynamics than anything else. I use 25mm in winter but the 23s do seem a bit nippier. Could all be in my head of course.

paddyduc

Continental ultra gatorskin folding. Tough as hell and only 230g.



www.chaindrivencycles.com

blorg

paddyduc wrote: »

Continental ultra gatorskin folding. Tough as hell and only 230g.

Crap crap ride quality though. Gatorskins are not in the same category as the tyres the OP mentioned which are all solid race tyres. You couldn't put Gatorskins on a road bike in summer, it would be a travesty. I wouldn't say they are even more puncture resistant than a good race tyre- but probably more durable and they are cheap. I've used them on my commuter and tourer.

paddyduc

@blorg
Have you been to donegal since the big freeze?Roads are in tatters.

blorg

paddyduc wrote: »

@blorg
Have you been to donegal since the big freeze?Roads are in tatters.

I've been over Wicklow with plenty of holes and bad road surfaces. Potholes cause punctures mainly through pinch flats rather than an object penetrating the tyre; you hit the pothole hard and bang your rim, pinching the tube. If that is the concern putting on a wider nice race tyre (25) is a better option than a Gatorskin in 23. More air volume will give you more cushioning. Pumping your tyres to correct pressure and not riding straight into potholes would also help.

Gatorskins aren't even that amazingly puncture resistant; I found them about equivalent to a good quality race tyre. I have a puncture in one right now for that matter I've used all of the tyres the OP lists (or a former version- Stelvios rather than Duranos) but only have long term experience with Ultremos and GP4000s. Both of those would have puncture resistance on a par with Gatorskins IMO and with far superior ride quality.

What Gatorskins are is cheaper, hence the use on the commuter (although I have wider Conti tyres on that now.) I have a lot of experience with them too, on the commuter and long tours on them also. They have a better ride quality than the likes of Armadillos but are far far off the tyres OP lists. You couldn't put them on a race bike in summer, why bother with a race bike at all if you are going to do that to it.

abcdggs

blorg wrote: »

GP4000s

the ones with the chilli compound thing? or the original?

blorg

abcdggs wrote: »

the ones with the chilli compound thing? or the original?

The ones I used were black GP4000. Without the S. But with the black chilli compound. As far as I can make out the current black GP4000 is identical to the GP4000S other than the graphics. The coloured ones use the older compound.

Borneo Fnctn

ednwireland wrote: »

gp4000 215g €31

Can I ask where you can get them at that price? I'm looking at tyres myself. Blorg recommended me a set on a budget of 20 euro a tire but I might stretch it to get the contis.

Also, is there an appreciable difference between the coloured compound and the black compound? I like the look of the conti yellow.

blorg

Borneo Fnctn wrote: »

Also, is there an appreciable difference between the coloured compound and the black compound? I like the look of the conti yellow.

Reputedly, yes. The coloured compound is meant to be quite bad compared to the black one.

I'd also be interested in the source for GP4000s at €31 incidentally There are a number of places around £25 but they all have shipping charges.

ednwireland

i'm looking in germany
try http://www.bike24.com
http://www.jedi-sports.com

and last
http://www.bike-discount.de

i have no experience of any of these shops just found them through various forums, the last one has 25mm ultremo dd for 30.90 plus 13.95 20 shipping, i am assuming a single shippng charge (i could be wrong)

i included shipping prices in all those prices i could find

gp 4000
http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;navigation=1;product=3434;page=1;menu=1000,4,22,35;mid=0;pgc=0
25.99 +10 shipping

velo.2010

Searched high and low for Bontrager Race-lite tyres(Dual Compound). Finally got them after pestering Centro for a while. They normally only come with new Treks.

Maybe not the blingy-est tyre but they do for me. Excellent grip and highly puncture resistant. 23mm folding weighing 230g. E27 each, I managed to get a couple of euros off.

ednwireland

velo.2010 wrote: »

Maybe not the blingy-est tyre but they do for me. Excellent grip and highly puncture resistant. 23mm folding weighing 230g. E27 each, I managed to get a couple of euros off.

you see thats what happens when you ride a trek

Lumen

Last time I ordered a pile of GP4000Ss (that pluralisation really annoys me) and Conti race light tubes I got them from bike24.com. They were cheaper than CRC etc but not by a huge margin.

I wasn't in much of a hurry though.

paddymacsporran

I've got gp4000's on the training wheels, lasted all winter, no cuts. Plenty cushioning, they are a big profile for a 23, equal to many other 25's.

Have Michelin service course pro race 3's on the racing wheels, good grippy tyre too, seems to be wearing well.

Be careful with the ultremo's - Schwalbe had a recall last October, there may be stock that's suspect lying around on the shelves.....Bonty's are available at all decent trek dealers, shop I use in the UK has plenty of them. The AWC is all weather and puncture resistant. Not as comfy, harder riding and slippier than conti's or michelins. Conti's or michelins wear better too.

A good tyre often overlooked is the vredestein fortezza tri-comp. Really well priced.