What race tires?
For most purposes, the same tire I train on, Conti Gatorskin folding. The folding are about 100 grams lighter than the wire Gatorskin, making them a very light tire indeed. I'd say they wear well, but they hardly wear at all; I get 2000 miles out of a set without trouble. They stick really well as long as it's not wet (caveat: they are treacherous as hell on damp roads). Plus they are tougher than nails, literally. I've only flatted twice on them in the last couple years. Awesome tire for a mid-range price.
For champagne racing on nice surfaces, Vittoria Corsa Evos. Sticky as fresh bubble gum, 290 threads per inch make 'em softer than silk to ride on, and they weigh next to nothing. Not real durable and I wouldn't ride these on the Northeast Branch trail over the hypodermics and broken glass - not unless my goal was to meet the interesting local people who keep the multi-use trail well stocked with used needles and busted 40 bottles.
I'd consider racing my cheapo Tufo T-22 tubulars which I'm training on right now, but not if the ground was anything other than bone dry. These are supposedly the toughest, nastiest, worstest, heaviest tubies around yet they provide a sublime ride and are lighter than my lightest clinchers. When they give out I'm going to upgrade and see how a really nice (e.g. mid-range, race rated) set of tubies rides. I'll let you know.
Other tires I've raced with good luck: Michelin Pro Race 2 - light, sticky, short life. Decent wet weather tire. Serfas Seca - good crit and rough industrial park tire; sticks okay, very flat resistant. A little heavy and rides a bit rough, but you can train and race 'em. Conti 4000s - good tire, nothing particularly amazing or bad; just proficient. Specialized Armadillo - like racing on the wheels of Fred Flintstone's car, except they last longer and are possibly harder.
6 comments:
In new england, this time of year (wet / sandy) what tire would you recommend? I've got conti 4k's which seem ok, unless it's barely wet, and at that point, I don't think any tire is good.
Geez, tough call. Softer tires are usually better in the wet but they shred pretty easily. I'm a big dude so I wear them out quick. I've had luck with the Michelin Pro Race 2s in wet weather; dry, that tire lasts me 200 miles if I'm lucky. I suspect my Vittoria Open Corsas would work pretty well in the wet, but jeez, the things retail for $65 or so, so that would be an expensive experiment to try.
Higher mileage tires tend to be death in the wet because they are usually made of a harder compound. Mildly wet conditions are the worst because tar will sort of "sweat" oil, and road debris / petroleum products will drop onto it. A light mist or rain will cause this stuff to pool on the road surface and it's super slick. A heavier rain will wash it off and the surface will be cleaner and stickier, even if very wet. So I can ride Gatorskins in a heavy rain and they're fine (like at camp last weekend in the mountains) but in a light mist they are treacherous.
Bottom line I'm not comfortable telling you something would definitely work because I'm not confident that anything would.
Try Vittoria Rubino Pro's for wet. I wouldn't race on them, unless the race is to see who hydroplanes the least.
Evo CX's are not terrible in the wet; I usually run the KS, so its been a while...
+1 on GP4k's being crap on slightly moistened roads.
Thanks guys, I should have prefaced it with I'm not racing but training, so while I want to be 'fast' being upright is more of the goal. I had poor luck with the durability of pro race 2's. I've had 3 split sidewalls, and while I'm not a small guy, I'm under 200.
Anyway, thanks again.
AO
Second vote for Rubinos here! I got a new bike in Nov that came with Vittoria Rubino Pro Slicks. 2500 miles later they are going strong and I've flatted only once - a snakebite when I rode (CLANG-WTF?!?) over a short piece of rebar in the road.
Not a super-supple tire or a super-light tire but for training, I'm a happy customer - even on fast corners and descents. If the mid range Vittoria is this good, I'm definitely going to give the Open Corsa EVOs a try next.
Nice to hear some love for Xenophon and the Ten Thousand. It is a great story, and Xenophon's Greek is as straightforward as it get, so many generations of schoolboys were, like myself, exposed to it at an impressionable age. I'm still inclined, when returning to Sydney and seeing the sun glinting on the waves, to exclaim: "Thalassa! Thalassa!
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