Poll: What Tires RU Running and What Have U Tried?

[xkred27]

I guess the subject line says it. Love a good tire thread. I'm running 700x28 all-condition Armadillos and am shopping for an alternative. Gatorskins and Armadillo Elites are on the short list, but I don't want to rule out anything until I hear others' faves. Feel free to describe any tinkering you've done with widths, air pressures, etc. to add to the mix. FYI, I'm looking for <350g or so, flat-"resistance", decent ride. Re the latter, is fooling with the suspension more of a determinant of ride quality than the tire? If so, I can make that less of a factor with the tire. Also, would consider dropping down to a 25 from a 28, but am a little hesitant.

Thanks!

 

[Mark B]

You pretty much know my story;

700x25 Gatorskins, running 90# in the front and 110# in the run. It changed the handling slightly, but no speed drop-off and seems to grip better on climbs.

Mark

 

[xkred27]

Mark,

I notice that on this thread: http://www.cruzbike.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=180

you stated you'd consider going from a 25 to a 28 to increase the contact patch and improve your climbing/traction situation.

Mark B wrote:
I'm running 25c tires and 28's very well could be the hot ticket. Certainly I can understand how the increased contact patch with the wider tire could make a huge difference.

Thanks for the input!

Mark

Wondering why you decided to stick w/ 25's.

 

[Rick Harker]

Hi guys,

My Favorite subject at the moment.
Ask dealers what is good and you'll get the lowdown on what they are selling. Ask another and a different story.
Ask individuals what is more important and each will have different views.
Items of interest would be things like puncture protection, grip, long life etc.
Do you really need tread on a bicycle tire or does it just cause rolling resistance/friction?
I've never known a long life tire to have good grip. Consequently I have not seen a good puncture "proof" tire to be light.
Also factor into all of this the price of the tire; Is it worth it? Is your safety worth it? What price saving a patch of skin or joints and bones?
Currently the major bike tire manufacturers are focusing on reducing rolling resistance and coming up with solutions that would go against the trend.
Schwalbe for instance are producing 26" tires that would be considered tractor tires of yore but have excellent road adhesion with rolling resistance just a little more than that of racing tires. These being the Marathon Supreme.
Continental on the other hand have revamped their 4000 to the 4000s'. Super sticky with rolling resistance slightly less than the Gator skins and surprisingly the Grand prix.
Michelin, somewhat lesser known is quietly producing the racing tires in the "PRO" series aimed at different categories for either endurance, race or sprinting (stickiest). These seem very interesting but at this point in time I have little real world information. They are lesser known here in Aus.
All in all though everything you choose would be a compromise to something. Rolling resistance for instance becomes negligible after a certain speed where wind resistance take over. Higher pressures for lesser rolling resistance versus comfort and grip.
The best thing is to be honest with the type of riding you do and choose the most suitable.
For me safety would be number one and cost secondary.
I currently run Schwalbe Marathon Racers and ride approximately 250 kilometers per week. My next choice would be a toss up between the Conti Gatorskins or Conti Sport contact. Despite all the tires I've ever used in the last 10 years I've only had one tire failure and that was due to a faulty valve stem. My riding surfaces includes hard pack dirt, concrete pathways, asphalt pathways and roads and stone chip roads. Mostly all on the same day.
...And Luvin' it...

Rick.

 

[defjack]

Im using gatorskins 25 at 110 f&r . Jack

 

[Mark B]

xkred27 wrote: Mark,

I notice that on this thread: http://www.cruzbike.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=180

you stated you'd consider going from a 25 to a 28 to increase the contact patch and improve your climbing/traction situation.

Mark B wrote:
I'm running 25c tires and 28's very well could be the hot ticket. Certainly I can understand how the increased contact patch with the wider tire could make a huge difference.

Thanks for the input!

Mark

Wondering why you decided to stick w/ 25's.

I stuck with them because John T gave us a lesson in physics and told us there wasn't much difference in contact patch.. Instead of buying another set of tires, I started to play around with tire pressure and that seems to help. Admittedly, I haven't put them to the acid test, but I haven't slipped a tire on any of the routine climbs around here.

Mark

 

[xkred27]

Thanks Mark/Rick/all. Many variables to consider. And even more I'd think w/ a suspended frame. Is it fair to say that unlike other recumbents, with the Silvio you can deal with road shock by tweaking the suspension rather than (or in addition to) riding wider tires? If so, I may well go w/ 25's.

Also (having avoided physics classes like the plague; shoot--I got a D in chemistry), how does body weight factor in? I'm at 205 right now, so wonder if this introduces f/r load balancing issues best addressed by a particular style or width of tire. Obviously, I'll wear out tires faster than a slimmer guy, but wonder if at that weight I should be thinking of different sizes f and r, or something. Just speculating. And probably over-analyzing. My two priorities are smooth ride (to keep my twitchy lower back happy) and flat-"resistance". The Gatorskin seems like a pretty good compromise given those priorities, eh?

Will search the board for physics lessons.

 

[Rick Harker]

Hi Peter,
Where I come from in relation to tyres is motorcycle racing. These not being dissimilar to those of bicycles as opposed to cars which have a wide section across its contact patch. This is where we could talk aquaplaning in the wet but with a bikes oval contact patch this would only start to happen at about 110 miles per hour.
Your weight on the bike would change handling depending on whether its greatly front or rear biased, your weight overall is no big deal. Generally central is best but with the Cruzbikes I feel slightly forward is best for overall handling. Too much forward and things get hairy at speed.
If you aren't loading your bike with luggage then most quality tyres like the Gator Skins would be an excellent choice. If you are carrying delicate luggage like cameras for instance then a slightly bigger section such as 28's might be better to increase comfort and shock.
Here again as Mark has done is experiment with pressures until it feels right. There is a trade off between traction, rolling resistance and comfort but start at a recommended pressure and ride your favorite rides and increase or decrease until it feels right for you.


Hope this helps,

Rick.

 

[xkred27]

You know, guys, I finally stepped back and took a deep breath. I realized I'm just too darn flat-phobic. I know how to fix a flat, but I've somehow convinced myself that on the Silvio it would take some special genius to remove the front wheel. I just need to do what I've been doing in learning to ride---go do it 4 or 5 times until I'm comfortable. Thus educated and freed from the phobia, I can broaden my perspective on the issue.

Yesterday I went to REI looking for Gatorskins. They only had 23's. So I was outa luck there. Then I noticed the Slime Lite tubes on the shelf (117g). Now I know that opinions vary about these things, but I figured I'd pick up a pair and use them in conjunction with the Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp 25's sitting in my garage. I mean, shoot, I don't want to waste 100 bucks worth of perfectly good tires just b/c I perceive them to be flimsy. (According to a large body of reviews, not only are they not flimsy, but are pretty comfortable when run at around 110-120psi) So I'll start there. If I flat every week I'll try the Gators. Meanwhile, I have a combined tire/tube weighing in at around 350g. Not bad.

Thanks.

 

[John Tolhurst]

I'm running Continental Ultra Gatorskins 700x23 on my Silvio at 120 psi with the front shock at about 110. I like the ride setup to be quite hard, so I feel I can work the bike and its very responsive. My weight is about 70kg.

 

[Robert Stewart]

Another vote for the Continental Ultra Gatorskins 700x25s. I'm not exactly sure what pressure I run at as I don't measure it at the moment. I should probably get a pressure gauge before I start racing :lol:

Cheers,
Rob

 

[Herman]

I have Challenge Parigi-Roubaix tires on my Silvio. The tire size is 700 x 27.

 

[Mark B]

Herman wrote: I have Challenge Parigi-Roubaix tires on my Silvio. The tire size is 700 x 27.

Hi Herman,

I've not heard of those tires. Where are they made?

OH! Welcome to the forum!

Mark

 

[Herman]

Hi, Mark,

The tires are made in Thailand. You can read about them here:

http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/images/BQ64TireTest.pdf

The fellow at the local bike shop informed me that they are extremely difficult to get on the wheel.

 

[Mark B]

Thanks for the linky. $8o each takes them out of my price range, though. I'd still be interested in hearing your take on them.

Mark

 

[Herman]

Dear Mark,

If you explore around the Internet with Google, you can often find prices (for something or other) notably less than what was quoted by the manufacturer. I paid around $67 or $68 for each tire.

I was looking for a wide tire, since I have read posts I found persuasive on the merits of wide tires for recumbents. I chose the Challenge tires primarily because the Bicycle Quarterly article suggested that they were resistant to flats, long-lasting, and possessing a good ability to grip the road. I have not ridden enough on these tires to give my own experience-based assessment.

 

[Mark B]

It's true, you get what you pay for. I don't mind paying a little extra for quality Continentals because they ride nice and wear well.

As I said, I'll be interested to hear how they perform for you!

Mark

 

[Brewmaster]

Hey All,
What is your opinion of the difference between the Gatorskins and the Sport Contacts? I've ridden both on 26" wheels, and the Gatorskins (559 X 28) seem faster, but the Sport Contacts (559 X 32) were more "comfortable", and the equivalent in overall speed for me. I went faster (MPH) on the G-skins, but overall, I was faster (average) on the Sports - mainly due to the less jarring ride. Has anybody tried the new Panaracer RiBMo? It's available in both 700 X 25 (340g) and 28 (370g) folding and with a very nice protection system....they look nice!
Brewmaster

 

[Mark B]

The thing I like about the Gatorskins is their puncture resistance. You'll still flat, of course, but I seem to get very few. They wear like iron, too.

I know that doesn't answer your question, Brewmaster, but I have no comparative info to add, only my two cents!

Mark