[Closed] First purchase of road tyres help and advice needed for CX bike

I have a real dislike of Gatorskins, partially OE Gatorskins, they just feel horrible to me, so I would suggest you avoid those (though many others will disagree).

I would have a look at [url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/schwalbe/durano-700c-folding-road-tyre-ec109478 ]Schwalbe Durano's[/url] or [url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/vittoria/rubino-pro-700c-foldable-road-tyre-ec117740 ]Vittoria Rubino[/url], both better tyres in my experience.

I have these and they're brilliant in 28mm

[url= http://www.wiggle.co.uk/panaracer-gravel-king-folding-road-tyre/ ]gravel king [/url]

Also not a fan of Gatorskins.
I like [url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/hutchinson/fusion-3-x-light-700c-folding-tyre-ec052199 ]Hutchinson Fusions[/url] (only 23C, so maybe not, if the min width is true) or [url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/continental/grand-prix-4-season-700c-folding-duraskin-road-tyre-oe-ec063186 ]Conti 4 Seasons[/url] (good price at the mo, might order a pair, but mine are still going so.. nah.)

[i]I have a voucher for Evans cycles [/i]
Gets a Wiggle link 😆

I really like the schwalbe kojak- it's sort of a cross between a road and commuter tyre really, 35mm wide but still light (330g) and fast, bit of puncture protection too, ideal for bad roads and conditions and a bit of mild offroad.

I've used a couple of pairs of the far east made continentals (ultra sport, sport contact) and they have been fine. Had sport contact 32c on my commuter with no problems, feels just like a big version of the racier tyres.

I've just got some Vittoria Zaffiro on my Uncle John. I've only done about 100 miles so far but they seem great and only about £15 from Ribble.

Just to confuse you even further, I swear by the Gatorskins. Good grip, good puncture protection and they roll well.

Buying road tyres is, in my experience, a slightly simpler version of buying MTB tyres. At the end of the day you're factoring in grip, puncture protection, rollability, comfort (suppleness and shock absorption), weight, longevity (grippier compounds tend to wear more quickly), season (ie summer nd winter tyres) and price. Tyres with lots of protection built in will usually be quite heavy. Tyres that are very grippy will usually not roll so well. For the riding that you're doing, my priorities would be a well protected and comfortable/grippy tyre that isn't too heavy and that rolls quite well. I find that the Gatorskin ticks those boxes, though it's worth bearing in mind that there are two types of Gatorskin - the original and a newer, better protected one. I'd stick with the original myself and go for folding, they're lighter.

In fairness the Durano is also a good tyre, though the standard model isn't as well protected as the Gatorskin.

Gatorskins, particularly the wire bead ones are chuffin lethal in the wet. I have NO confidence that they will grip in a corner or when pedalling out of the saddle.

I'd buy a 2015 GP4season with the Black Chilli compound and the Vectran pucnture protection over a Gatorskin any day

will be needing the tyres for commuting and road rides, so normal roads with speed humps, pot holes etc in all weathers.

Conti 4 seasons (28mm) for great combination of light weight, grip and puncture proofing. I'm sure a bit of a search will generally support these as a good option. I've ridden occasional rough track, canal, easy bridleway and they haven't punctured on these (and only ever suffered once in a few thousand miles). Look around as often good deals can be found , especially on the german web sites.

[url= http://www.bike-discount.de/en/praesenz/search?q=4+season ]http://www.bike-discount.de[/url]

or

[url= http://www.bike24.com/ ]http://www.bike24.com/[/url]

I have a voucher for Evans

Gatorskins, particularly the wire bead ones are chuffin lethal in the wet. I have NO confidence that they will grip in a corner of when pedalling out of the saddle.

I like Michelin Pro 4s. The 25mm tyre actually measures 28mm...I'm running them on 20mm internal width Stans Grail rims.

Agree on Gatorskins (horrible tyres)

For commiting I would go with 28c Maxis Refuse. Fast, lightish and good puncture protection.

These are what I would buy:

[url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/continental/grand-prix-4-season-700c-folding-duraskin-road-tyre-oe-ec063186?country=GB&currency=GBP&esvt=906-GOUK325506&esvq=&esvadt=999999-0-35418-1&esvcrea=61232449016&esvplace=&esvd=c&esvaid=50080&gclid=CPio09iQgMcCFWoJwwodH2EGCQ#features ]Continental GP4 Season - Evans Clicky Link[/url]

Also hate gatorskins. Abandoned them after about 3 weeks due to 3 punctures, lack of grip in the wet and poor feel. Maybe I was unlucky, but I've used 28mm GP4Seasons for about 9,000-10,000kms, no punctures, no issues with grip.

I just switched to Schwalbe One Tubeless last week, and while I can't comment on the puncture protection (I've done about 100km so far), I love the feel and grip improvements from running lower pressures.

And these if you're willing to shop elsewhere:

[url= http://www.vittoria.com/tire/voyager-hyper/ ]Vittoria Voyager Hyper - Clicky Link[/url]

Which you can buy (in 35mm variety) from Planet X for £15 each...

[url= http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVIVOHY/vittoria-voyager-hyper-folding-tyre ]Planet X Vittoria Voyager - Clicky Link[/url]

...which are exactly what I have on this:

[URL= http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u161/Razors_kiss/Bike%20Insurance%20Photos/A59F36EB-29E7-4DEB-882F-F8C59CA90505_zpscp5yqu1y.jp g" target="_blank">http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u161/Razors_kiss/Bike%20Insurance%20Photos/A59F36EB-29E7-4DEB-882F-F8C59CA90505_zpscp5yqu1y.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Excellent comfort, amazing corner grip, fast rolling and (I also have them on another bike) no punctures in over 3500 miles of commuting so far.

They also have a reflective sidewall, which I find invaluable on commuting bikes in the winter.

I recently built-up a Dirty Disco for relaxed road riding rather than off road. I too was looking for a reasonably light, not-too-skinny, well-protected, all-weather tyre and bought some of these in 32 mm:-

[url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/vittoria/randonneur-pro-700c-foldable-double-shielding-contour-tyre-ec117742 ]Vittoria Randonneur Pro[/url]

Haven't had much chance to try them yet but someone else might have some real-world experience.

I got mine from [url= http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-randonneur-pro-road-city-tyre/ ]Wiggle[/url] where they are a bit cheaper .

N.B. the "Pro" means foldable.

Really liked the Schwalbe Marathon GreenGuard on my old bike. Plenty of grip in all conditions, including grit and grass verges. Also never had a puncture and last forever.

Also used Continental SportContact. Good enough grip in all but worst weather, zero grip on grit (you know, like newely resurfaced tarmac or dusty footpaths).

Would go for Marathons myself.

[i]...which are exactly what I have on this:[/i]

And what, pray tell, is "this" filth?? 🙂

I'd buy a 2015 GP4season with the Black Chilli compound and the Vectran pucnture protection over a Gatorskin any day

These are what I would buy:

Continental GP4 Season - Evans Clicky Link

Be prepared to buy at least another one (possibly 2) after 1000kms.

I've just replaced with Hardskins. Will see if they are any better...

You simply can't go wrong with a set of Schwalbe Duranos. 25C will be wide enough (Schwalbe tend to come up wide), and the folding ones are suitably light.

I've ridden Durano Plus, Durano S and plain Durano. I rate them all, but teh plain Durano is a nice compromise (Plus is heavy, S is a race tyre by any other name).

As for Gatorskins ... shudder ... Hosepipe by comparison.

Bloody typical! Just had to fix a puncture in my Fusion. NEVER recommend a tyre! That's what happens!

DezB - Member

And what, pray tell, is "this" filth??

Just my bike 🙂

just to be different, I was in the same situation as you and I went for schwalbe duranos, 28mm folding, been very happy with them so far after about 1200 miles, 1 slow puncture in that time

My experience of running tyres 25mm and wider on the road is that the extra volume and cushion does away with the need for some of the puncture protection.

I'd go for an endurance version of a racey tyre myself, something like a Pro 4 or whatever Conti is comparable.

Also -1 for Gatorskins, didn't like how they handled. Seemed a bit hard & plasticky.

Be prepared to buy at least another one (possibly 2) after 1000kms.

Mine (conti 4 seasons) have done more than 4000km and looking fine and I had a similar experience on a previous bike / set. I think there would be a few more people shouting about it if 1000km was the norm.

Glad I asked 🙂 lots of useful info here and options too. Will have a look at all the suggestions so far, hopefully get some ordered soon.

What did you have in there previously ?

I had vittoria mx pro on my a2 and they pretty much melted, even in this mockery of a summer we are suffering in Scotland.

I have the Vittoria XM Pro tyres on there at the moment so looking for something more suitable for the roads. I converted my HT for commuting duties previously and had some Specialized Pro tyres on there in a 26" size. Those tyres are really good but this is my first venture into road tyres and there is a lot of options in a 700c size.