Which Tyres????
Discussion
Hi All
I've got a Boardman CX Team which I am doing a lot more road miles on rather than off road, so I'm looking to swap the tyres from 700x35s to something more road-suited. I've been looking online and it would appear that I would be fine with 28s, but there's a lack of certainty about whether 25s would fit??
That then leads to which tyres to buy? I like the look of the Conti Gatorskins (but their are different types, ultras, hardshells, etc.), or the Conti Grand Prix 4 Seasons, but being new to cycling, i don't know which are good and which aren't.
Any recommendations?
Thanks
I've got a Boardman CX Team which I am doing a lot more road miles on rather than off road, so I'm looking to swap the tyres from 700x35s to something more road-suited. I've been looking online and it would appear that I would be fine with 28s, but there's a lack of certainty about whether 25s would fit??
That then leads to which tyres to buy? I like the look of the Conti Gatorskins (but their are different types, ultras, hardshells, etc.), or the Conti Grand Prix 4 Seasons, but being new to cycling, i don't know which are good and which aren't.
Any recommendations?
Thanks
You'll have to spend eternity thanking me, but get Jan Heine's Compass Barlow Pass 38c Extralight and run them tubeless sub 50psi. The European suppliers are Velo Vitality in Brighton and they are £50 a pop delivered.
They are simply amazing both on and off road. In fact I might not ever ride my narrow tyred road bike again.
They are simply amazing both on and off road. In fact I might not ever ride my narrow tyred road bike again.
The Gatorskins are brilliant. Right up to the point where you fit them to a bicycle wheel... 
They are, in my very humble opinion, best left where they are - in the suppliers warehouse.
GP 4 Seasons, on the other hand? I swear by them. Currently I'm thrashing a set of 25 x 700c that already have several thousand road miles on them, around local byways and heathland. I was mocked by the course designer at the Gorrick Summer Monkey MTB race for suggesting that I might have a crack at a lap. So I went around four times. The only puncture I can recall since I started using them off tarmac was a pinch flat caused by 'rider error' (I slammed hard into an exposed root). So lots of gravel, lots of flint, even some broken glass and they've coped just fine.
On the road, I started off using them as "winter tyres" - then I ended up leaving them on all year round. Right now I'm getting my money's worth out of a set of Bontrager tyres that were 'stock' on my new bike. My favoured Schwalbe Ultremo tyres (now there's a "Marmite" tyre right there!) will go on for summer use when the Bontragers wear out, but after October time, I'd definitely be switching to GP 4 Seasons.
They are, in my very humble opinion, best left where they are - in the suppliers warehouse.
GP 4 Seasons, on the other hand? I swear by them. Currently I'm thrashing a set of 25 x 700c that already have several thousand road miles on them, around local byways and heathland. I was mocked by the course designer at the Gorrick Summer Monkey MTB race for suggesting that I might have a crack at a lap. So I went around four times. The only puncture I can recall since I started using them off tarmac was a pinch flat caused by 'rider error' (I slammed hard into an exposed root). So lots of gravel, lots of flint, even some broken glass and they've coped just fine.
On the road, I started off using them as "winter tyres" - then I ended up leaving them on all year round. Right now I'm getting my money's worth out of a set of Bontrager tyres that were 'stock' on my new bike. My favoured Schwalbe Ultremo tyres (now there's a "Marmite" tyre right there!) will go on for summer use when the Bontragers wear out, but after October time, I'd definitely be switching to GP 4 Seasons.
I hate Gatorskins as the ride was too firm, they were really sketchy on manhole covers and wet roundabouts, plus they aren't cheap. On the plus side they last ages. Although I managed to knacker a set out in 40 miles by riding down a gravel potholed road.
I like 4seaons, but I find them not too great when the roads are really hot (rare)
I like 4seaons, but I find them not too great when the roads are really hot (rare)
2Btoo said:
Why the dislike for Gatorskins?...
Too harsh, too little grip in the dry, zero grip in the wet, and sadly nowhere near as puncture resistant as they're claimed to be. I'm stating facts here, just my opinion based on a sample size of 1, and only one pair of the tyres. It was back in the days before I joined Pistonheads, and I'm not on other bike forums to ask there either, so it was a quite expensive period of 'trial and error' for me.After removing the stock Vittoria Rubino tyres that came on the bike (same wet grip issues), and failing to "get on with" the Gatorskins, I finally found the GP 4 Seasons through personal recommendation. They work for me, so I stick with them. Other people will have different tyres that they swear by. If I find something else that works better, I'd happily swap and recommend them too. But for now, the best tyres I have long term personal experience of are the Conti GP 4 Seasons.
Rob_T said:
if you're doing mainly road miles but still doing some off road as your post seems to suggest, i would go for schwalbe marathon plus. great for road, plenty resilient enough for off road. you can get them in a variety of sizes too.
I use Schwalbe tyres on both of my bikes & have yet to have a single puncture since putting them on.I really shouldn't have said that should i .
Rob_T said:
if you're doing mainly road miles but still doing some off road as your post seems to suggest, i would go for schwalbe marathon plus. great for road, plenty resilient enough for off road. you can get them in a variety of sizes too.
Interesting; I had Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres on my bike and hated them; they were heavy and dull and offered no road feel. I switched them for the Conti Gatorskins and considered them a huge improvement! Perhaps all this goes to show is that there is a huge degree of personal preference in tyre choice.
I've been using Gatorskin 28s and fine them fine - quick rolling and lightweight.
Got some 4 seasons too but am keeping them for autumn / winter as I understand the rubber compound is designed for colder / wetter conditions and will wear too rapidly in warm weather. They seem not to be particularly puncture resistant, a guy in my club has had about 3 punctures on club runs when no-one else has had any issues...
I've also been using Panaracer Pasela Tour Guards for years and find them excellent, but they are more touring / general use tyres than for racing, though a lot lighter than dedicated touring tyres like Schwalbe and pretty tough.
Got some 4 seasons too but am keeping them for autumn / winter as I understand the rubber compound is designed for colder / wetter conditions and will wear too rapidly in warm weather. They seem not to be particularly puncture resistant, a guy in my club has had about 3 punctures on club runs when no-one else has had any issues...
I've also been using Panaracer Pasela Tour Guards for years and find them excellent, but they are more touring / general use tyres than for racing, though a lot lighter than dedicated touring tyres like Schwalbe and pretty tough.
The guy's got clearance for nice wide tyres, there's no need for him to suffer with narrow uncomfortable puncture-prone high pressure road tyres.
Wider Marathon Plus are about as puncture proof as a tubed tyre can get and last forever. But weigh a bloody ton and feel dead. There are options in between these two extremes.
As you've plenty clearance then use it - run as light and fat a tyre as you can, low pressure and ideally tubeless. For ride quality, better grip and puncture proofing.
Wider Marathon Plus are about as puncture proof as a tubed tyre can get and last forever. But weigh a bloody ton and feel dead. There are options in between these two extremes.
As you've plenty clearance then use it - run as light and fat a tyre as you can, low pressure and ideally tubeless. For ride quality, better grip and puncture proofing.
cirian75 said:
I'm looking at the Boardman CX Team Bike
My works use the Halford bike scheme, how are you finding it so far ?
I've only had the bike for about 6 weeks but i really like it. I love the way it looks, and the spec was better than anything else i could get for that money on the Halfords Cycle to Work scheme.My works use the Halford bike scheme, how are you finding it so far ?
The Halfords customer service has been fantastic, however the mechanical skills maybe not so much. From other horror stories i have read, i think i've been quite lucky in how well they put the bike together but I have had minor issues with the brakes and indexing. I was talking to someone last night who had issues with how his was built by his local Halfords, that were so bad that he stripped the bike down himself and rebuilt it.
TBH i think the mechanical skills are a bit hit and miss depending on which store you get it from. Although i've not had any major issues, i'm still going to take it to my local bike shop at some point to get them to give it the once over.
So basically, i think the bike is great but the skills of the Halfords mechanics are somewhat in doubt. I may have felt more confident if i had bought the bike in the box and got the local bike shop to build it from scratch.
My problem with Gatorskins is that I can't get them on and off my wheels. I very rarely get a puncture but, when I do, I'm stuffed as I really struggle to change them at the roadside. It's the only time I've had to ask a bike shop to repair a puncture for me - I had no tyre levers left as each one had snapped.
If only the buggers didn't last so long, I'd have swapped them for something else by now - actually, not sure I would as that would mean I had to take off two at the same time. I'd rather have more frequent punctures that could be fixed in 5 mins than a very occasional one which results in me telling my mates to go ahead without me while I take half an hour of tears and pain to change them.
Are GP4000s easier to change? I have Campag Vento wheels, if that makes a difference.
If only the buggers didn't last so long, I'd have swapped them for something else by now - actually, not sure I would as that would mean I had to take off two at the same time. I'd rather have more frequent punctures that could be fixed in 5 mins than a very occasional one which results in me telling my mates to go ahead without me while I take half an hour of tears and pain to change them.
Are GP4000s easier to change? I have Campag Vento wheels, if that makes a difference.
Zigster said:
Are GP4000s easier to change? I have Campag Vento wheels, if that makes a difference.
Infinitely! They don't have the wire bead, so you can stretch them on. I can get them on and off without levers, and I'm a lilly-livered office worker with Fairy-soft hands.OP - 4 Season 28s will sort you out.
700 x 28c. You're already on 35c tyres, so the road benefits from reducing the section size are there. It also sounds like there's still a chance of wandering off the tarmac bits on occasion. My 25c 4 Seasons are doing the business off road on sandy heathland and gravel fire roads, as well as some more ambitious off-roading. But they're only on there because they came off another bike. Given the need to buy fresh rubber, for the use you describe in your OP, I'd be going for 28 section all day long.
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