S40 Tire Anecdata

[seventy_by_seventy]

Hey y’all,

I ride a 2020 S40. Just replaced the original Kenda Kriterium tires with Specialized Armadillo “All Condition” tires, 700 x 30c. Two positive notes:
1) They grip the road better. There’s a short steep hill on the way home from some of my standard routes. With the Kendas on, that hill was the steepest I could climb without slaloming. At the top of every pedal stroke, working at keeping it smooth, I got just a little slip of the front tire. With the Specialized, no slipping! That’s still true with 300 miles on the tires.
2) They give a cushier ride. I run my tires (old and new) at 60 psi. There was a noticeable difference with the new tires on - softer over the bumps.

One downside: no reflective material on the sidewalls for nighttime visibility.

I wasn’t unhappy with the Kendas. Got 3500 miles out of them and only 1 flat. But I’m liking the Specialized better.

 

[benphyr]

Reading between the lines I see you rode at least 3800mi in the past year or two and did some effective tire research too. Thank you for sharing the results of both.

 

[seventy_by_seventy]

Happy to share. I’m sure these won’t be the last tires I buy. If anyone else has recommendations, pro or con, do tell. Thanks

 

[Frito Bandito]

I have a few different wheel choices, 1 for days when I am going after speed, and the other for training.
(1) Campagnolo Bullet 50mm(f) and 80mm(r) with Schwalbe Pro One tubeless tires, both 25mm.
(2) Campagnolo Sciroccos with Schwalbe Marathons Green Guard E-bike Ready tires with tubes, 28mm(f) and 25mm(r).

In short, the Pro Ones are faster but I'll be damned if the Marathons don't punch well above their weight. Just today I saw 2 of the Marathon Green Guards E-Bike Ready in the shop in 23mm for about $40 US each. The rolling resistance might cost me a few watts, but I wouldn't lose much sleep over putting them on my Bullets, especially since they are durable and have such a thick tread. I have posted to excellent speeds with them even though they seem to be limited to 50kph per the Manufacturer's recommendations, but I don't get above that speed very often on my usual training route.

 

[McWheels]

I've got a couple, but I will admit I ran green-guards on the V2k throughout its life and had a very good experience too.

However, I am more convinced nowadays by the wider tyre approach. I have a Rene Herse Babyshoe pass on the front (650b x 42) which I admit I've been a little nervous of, but it's been very well behaved and is a fast runner too. On the back I have the Pirelli Cinturato Velo TLR 700x35. I'd actually prefer a pair of these but the front wheel is far too nice to replace. The Pirelli isn't far off the puncture protection of the greenguard but it's noticeably faster on the rolling road test.

 

[Frito Bandito]

That is good to know about the Pirellis. I hear ya on the wider tire approach. I'd probably stick with the lighter 28s or 32s though since I am not a great climber. The Cinturato is a good looking tire.

 

[Michael Fasher]

According to Rollingresistance.com the Pirelli Cinturato has better puncture resistance then any road race tire, even better then Marathon supreme, its in the touring bike tire level of punter resistance. It's also got good rolling resistance better than a Continental GP4 seasons. Its rolling resistance is half that of a Continental Gatorhardshell which is the closest road race tie in puncture resistance. They haven't tested the Armadillo elite, it would be interesting if they did.

 

[Frito Bandito]

According to Rollingresistance.com the Pirelli Cinturato has better puncture resistance then any road race tire, even better then Marathon supreme, its in the touring bike tire level of punter resistance. It's also got good rolling resistance better than a Continental GP4 seasons. Its rolling resistance is half that of a Continental Gatorhardshell which is the closest road race tie in puncture resistance. They haven't tested the Armadillo elite, it would be interesting if they did.

By chance I saw 1 of those in my LBS at about $70. With the rolling resistance, tubeless ready, and puncture resistance it looks like it would be a pretty good tire for touring. Almost as tough as a Marathon Green Guard, but better RR and loads of grip in the wet.

 

[JerseyJim]

After using mostly Schwalbe and Continental tires, I tried Panaracer T-Serv ProTite last year. I was searching for a more supple tire for comfort but I wasn't ready to pay Rene Herse prices. I switched from 28 mm wide to 37 mm (As indicated on the sidewall. It's effectively a 38 mm wide tire, but Panaracers do measure more narrow on the rim than listed) and that made a huge difference in comfort. The T-Servs have great grip and compliance. I have more confidence with them in wet weather. They come in a wide range of sizes, which was important for me since I run 26" wheels. The only thing I had to get used to was the sound of the tires on the road because I was running slicks before and the T-Serv has a tread. Puncture resistance seems to be good. No punctures yet after around 800 miles.

One day I might try the Rene Herse/Compass offerings but for now the Panaracer works for me. The price is right and the performance is great. They are all in the same family anyway as Panaracer makes Compass tires.

Oh, and @seventy_by_seventy - you can get the T-Serv with a reflective strip on the sidewall.

 

[seventy_by_seventy]

Update to my original post: The Armadillo 700 x 30c tire was a bit too close a fit in the front fork, and in winter riding, leaf mush would get caught there and grit picked up by the tire would scrape on the fork. Both would add rolling resistance. So, I changed the front tire out for a 28c of the same Specialized Armadillo all condition tire. Problem solved. I worried that the narrower tire would adversely affect hill climbing but I haven’t been able to tell any difference.

 

[Randyc3]

Have you tried the Continental GP 5000(700x32 or 700x28)? Have a set of the 700x28s but have not installed them yet(waiting for dry weather in spring—hahaha). Looking for any feedback.
Thanks!

 

[Duncanleon]

Have you tried the Continental GP 5000(700x32 or 700x28)? Have a set of the 700x28s but have not installed them yet(waiting for dry weather in spring—hahaha). Looking for any feedback.
Thanks!

Yes on my V20 set up as a road bike, I previously had a set of Continenetal Gatorskins. I kept them at 100 psi. I was able to set a consistant speed plateau vs wattage that was stable relative to speed. Did some studying and decided to try the 2018 release 5000 GP TR (the TR means "Tubeless Ready" but these are NOT the TRS rimless released in September of 2021 ) The tire analysis site where one can compare tires and manufacturers showed some differences to category results for the 2 types of 5000 GPs but for my fitness level I decided that it wouldnt make that much difference (besides, the 2018 5000 GP TR's were on sale as a s result of the new release). I use 700x25. So on my bike...To begin with, they were a "bugger" to get on the rims, it took a couple of tries to get them seated properly and had aches in my hands for a few days afterward. I have since found a tire removal tool that makes removal and replacement of these tires a breeze. Once the tires were on the rims properly, I ran them up to 95 psi per Tube use instructions. My perceived results are that I have seen a significant speed increase for the same wattage output on my test path from using the Gatorskins. I'm still using tubes which apparenly is what increased the difficulty of initial installation. But if you are using tubeless its important to not exceed the PSI which is around 70. Final results: I'm really enjoying the new 5000 GP's. On the road I'm detecting better tracking on wet roads and definately greater speeds.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Have you tried the Continental GP 5000(700x32 or 700x28)? Have a set of the 700x28s but have not installed them yet(waiting for dry weather in spring—hahaha). Looking for any feedback.
Thanks!

Those are great tires Randy. Decent puncture protection, but they roll really fast and are pretty durable. I switch between Schwalbe Pro Ones and Conti GP 5000 for my fast wheels depending on what's on sale, but for training tires I use sealant filled Bontrager tubes inside Marathon Green Guards (25mm front and 28mm rear) because they are heavy, slow rolling, durable and offer a lot of puncture protection. Plus they are cush.

 

[Randyc3]

Thanks!