Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Hi All,
Just joined this and i've never been in a forum before.
I'm a road cyclist with a decent bike (to me) running 23's on racing 3's.
I've been using garorskins on my old bike for about 2yrs and also got them on the new bike a yr ago and have now worn them out.
My bike shop recommended gp4000s as a "summer'tyre which i breifly put on over summer but after a big fall and a few subsequent slippery incidents in summer rain i took them off and immediately felt better balanced on the gatorskins although now i just think my confidence took a beating for a while.

I ride through the hills a lot in the east of Melb and the roads aren't always smooth and clean and so puncture resistance is needed and i'm after something that will last a decent milage, i don't race so not looking for the fastest tire but i don't feel that i want something that is un breakable either, guess i'm just after a decent value tyre.

So i'd just like to get some opinions on what you guys think.

Cheers,

Don't know what the clearances on your bike are like, but something a little bigger is always a good move too.
I went from GP4000s 23mm to Schwalbe durano P 28mm which I run at 85 psi and the difference is huge. More forgiving on the comfort front and better rolling resistance . So far no issues, wear is pretty good as is grip.

http://www.this link is broken/schwalbe-durano ... city-tyre/

For the record I'd never go back to 23's.

+1 for the Durano's. They roll well, have good resistance to road nasties, and last reasonably well. Their grip is excellent even inthe wet. I run 23's and they are very good.

Agree that Durano looks like a good tyre. I'm going to try them next.
http://m.road.cc/content/review/58178-s ... urano-tyre

I've tried a few of the Schwalbe tyre range and had very few problems, other than being able to get consistency on what is available. I have used the Lugano and Blizzard (and another I can't remember) as training tyres and they have been good. I've used Durano and Ultremos as racing tyres and found them to be excellent as well. I did have the durano on the wheel I use on the Mag trainer and it didn't hold up very well, but that is not going to be a problem for you i reckon. I can't recommend any continental tyres, I've had problems with all I've tried. I run Vittoria tublulars on all my tubular sets. These have been very good.

The Vittoria Rubino Pro is an excellent training tyre. I get over 5,000km from them and they puncture less often than the Gatorskins on my wet weather bike. They are great value for money and can be bought for $25 from overseas. I do agree that the Schwalbe Durano is excellent as well but much more expensive. I have the Ultremo ZX on my race bike but you would be lucky to get 2,000km from them in training.

Its funny reading this thread as I have seen plenty of other tyre threads rave about the conti gp4000's so this thread leaves me confused

I have the standard Vittorio Zaffiro Pro's now and I am thinking of upgrading and had settled on a set of the gp4000s but now I am not so sure

yarravalleyplodder wrote:Its funny reading this thread as I have seen plenty of other tyre threads rave about the conti gp4000's so this thread leaves me confused

I have the standard Vittorio Zaffiro Pro's now and I am thinking of upgrading and had settled on a set of the gp4000s but now I am not so sure

Random sampling is like that...

For the record, I have gp4000s on my fun bike and they're great so far. I have Maxxis Refuse on the commuter and they're more puncture resistant but the gp4000s roll and grip far, far better.

I'm tempted to try a different tyre after the refuse wear out, but I'm happy with the contis.

Cheers,
Dave

GP4000S's here too, highly recommended IME

I just replaced my GP4000’s after only 600km, 4 punctures (bad luck I suppose) and a nasty 3cm gash through the sidewall.

I had read about how these tyres were soo good, which they are, rolling and grippy, until they fail.

I know have some harsh Specialized all conditions on. No where near as nice a ride, but no hassles either.

yarravalleyplodder wrote:Its funny reading this thread as I have seen plenty of other tyre threads rave about the conti gp4000's so this thread leaves me confused

I had no issues with the GP4000s either, except to say they have a very soft sidewall. I decided to go fatter for comfort and rolling resistance advantages and found the Duranos to be good allround value.

mmmmm well I only really get out on the weekends with a 60km ride on Saturdays and anything from 60km to 120km on the sunday, no racing. Might try the conti's and was thinking the rubino pro's. I am thinking of getting a set of TWE wheels and wanted a half decent tyre attached to them. I am still saving for the wheels so I dont need to make up my mind on the tyres just yet

I get over 3-4000km's(takes about bout 3months) easily on my GP4000s. Last replacement was due to my rear tyre getting slashed but the front is fine and still useable.

I had a Rubino Pro on my rear wheel to replace the Gatorskin which wore out after 4000km.. within 2 weeks I had 2 flats which left me with 2 holes and a nasty little gash.

I may have just bad luck... I ordered a pair of Rubino 3's and now using my stock Bontragger R1's to the end of winter.. but already have pulled out 3 shards of glass on the rear but not punctures..
I must be a glass magnet -_-

I am still leaning towards the GP4000s. I am still a month away from ordering the wheels so I could still change my mind

GP4000s on my Trek Madone, they seem quite good - and they do roll forever. I'm happy with them so far.

I train and race on vittoria rubino pros, ever since using them never had a puncture. 1000kms ago . . .

Mate commented yesterday that while I was pedaling down hill into wind, he was a bit behind snd not in my slip stream but had to touch brakes to stay at same speed and was free wheeling.
I found out tody my tyres were at 60psi but didn't feel flat , just smoother as I had let some out as it was making my teeth rattle !
He's about 100kg on a trek madone carbon and I am 63kg on a avanti alu/carbon.
Both running 105.

No drag in m wheels as they'll spin for ages when hung on rack.

Any ideas other than tyres a bit low ? Can't get them above 8psi as my compressor doesn't have high enough pressure.

My tyres are specialized pro(mondo) and are very soft to touch and no tread whatsoever but wouldn't have thought the brand and spec would make that much of a difference ?

Sorry for the hijack

yarravalleyplodder wrote:mmmmm well I only really get out on the weekends with a 60km ride on Saturdays and anything from 60km to 120km on the sunday, no racing. Might try the conti's and was thinking the rubino pro's. I am thinking of getting a set of TWE wheels and wanted a half decent tyre attached to them. I am still saving for the wheels so I dont need to make up my mind on the tyres just yet

i have exactly that- TWE wheels with Rubino Pro 3's. Cannot complain at all, not a single puncture in 2000k

sdnelson19 wrote:

yarravalleyplodder wrote:mmmmm well I only really get out on the weekends with a 60km ride on Saturdays and anything from 60km to 120km on the sunday, no racing. Might try the conti's and was thinking the rubino pro's. I am thinking of getting a set of TWE wheels and wanted a half decent tyre attached to them. I am still saving for the wheels so I dont need to make up my mind on the tyres just yet

i have exactly that- TWE wheels with Rubino Pro 3's. Cannot complain at all, not a single puncture in 2000k

I am not unhappy with my zaffiro's so I wont discount the Rubino but from all the reviews I have read the Conti GP4000s get a better write up, provided I am not paying the rrp that is

Are you happy with your TWE wheels?

yarravalleyplodder wrote:

sdnelson19 wrote:

yarravalleyplodder wrote:mmmmm well I only really get out on the weekends with a 60km ride on Saturdays and anything from 60km to 120km on the sunday, no racing. Might try the conti's and was thinking the rubino pro's. I am thinking of getting a set of TWE wheels and wanted a half decent tyre attached to them. I am still saving for the wheels so I dont need to make up my mind on the tyres just yet

i have exactly that- TWE wheels with Rubino Pro 3's. Cannot complain at all, not a single puncture in 2000k

I am not unhappy with my zaffiro's so I wont discount the Rubino but from all the reviews I have read the Conti GP4000s get a better write up, provided I am not paying the rrp that is

Are you happy with your TWE wheels?

Very happy. To be honest I went with the rubino pros because the red stripe matched my frame. I used to run pro race 3/4's and have no regret changing to the rubinos. I've even got 2 spare sets (2x2 tyres) waiting for me, that's how happy I am with them.

yarravalleyplodder wrote:

sdnelson19 wrote:

yarravalleyplodder wrote:mmmmm well I only really get out on the weekends with a 60km ride on Saturdays and anything from 60km to 120km on the sunday, no racing. Might try the conti's and was thinking the rubino pro's. I am thinking of getting a set of TWE wheels and wanted a half decent tyre attached to them. I am still saving for the wheels so I dont need to make up my mind on the tyres just yet

i have exactly that- TWE wheels with Rubino Pro 3's. Cannot complain at all, not a single puncture in 2000k

I am not unhappy with my zaffiro's so I wont discount the Rubino but from all the reviews I have read the Conti GP4000s get a better write up, provided I am not paying the rrp that is

Are you happy with your TWE wheels?

It depends on what you want from your tyre. The Vittoria Rubino Pro 3 is a training tyre while the Continental GP4000s is a racing tyre which is more expensive. You will get fewer punctures and better durability from the Rubino Pro 3. However, if you value better rolling resistance and grip over punctures and durability then the GP4000s is your tyre.

wurtulla wabbit wrote:Mate commented yesterday that while I was pedaling down hill into wind, he was a bit behind snd not in my slip stream but had to touch brakes to stay at same speed and was free wheeling.
I found out tody my tyres were at 60psi but didn't feel flat , just smoother as I had let some out as it was making my teeth rattle !
He's about 100kg on a trek madone carbon and I am 63kg on a avanti alu/carbon.
Both running 105.

No drag in m wheels as they'll spin for ages when hung on rack.

Any ideas other than tyres a bit low ? Can't get them above 8psi as my compressor doesn't have high enough pressure.

My tyres are specialized pro(mondo) and are very soft to touch and no tread whatsoever but wouldn't have thought the brand and spec would make that much of a difference ?

Sorry for the hijack

the 40kg difference is where its at, pure physics.

noticed the same with a mate who is about 20ks light then me, on a downhill freewheeling ill just pull away.

That's what I thought too. Oh well, just need to practice those climbs to negate him there

Thanks !

Very happy. To be honest I went with the rubino pros because the red stripe matched my frame. I used to run pro race 3/4's and have no regret changing to the rubinos. I've even got 2 spare sets (2x2 tyres) waiting for me, that's how happy I am with them.

I thought I was the only who bought tyres based on colour! My Felt AR4 came new with Rubino Pros with the Orange stripe to match the frame highlights. Last time I needed tyres nobody had Rubinos in orange so I bought Vredestein Tri Comp in orange. They started to delaminate after less than 500ks. I have just bought Maxxis Refuse after discovering they are available in colours (from Pushys) and can't notice any difference in handling or speed over the Vredestein or Rubino but they should be much more puncture resistant.