Tyre suggestions
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Tyre suggestions
Postby Rawshack » Tue Nov 20, 2018 2:48 pm
So, as I posted in another thread, I've recently moved from a trek flatbar hybrid to the Giant Contend 1. Even after a week, I am loving riding on the drop bars and apart from a couple of niggles with the gears, loving the bike
However, when I bought it, I - due in part to some nerves going to drops - I opted for 28mm Gatorskins. The Trek was packing 35mm Bontranger tyres that weren't so much a tyre as a caterpillar track for a large bore Panzer tank.
So, I have the Gatorskins on and I can't say I am loving them. They seem heavy and clumbersome and ironically, I don't feel like that they have a huge amount of grip, but that could quite easily still be some inherent nerves from riding a road bike.
Any suggestions for an alternate tyre? Commuting is my bread and butter...
Ta
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby 10speedsemiracer » Tue Nov 20, 2018 2:59 pm
Like you, I'm not a Gatorskin fan. Continental GP4000 are the generally accepted sweet spot between grip, durability and puncture-resistance although I've had good experience with Vittoria tyres and even a Maxxis Re-fuse in 28mm. I'd suggest the Conti as a first option though..Rawshack wrote:Hi everyone
So, as I posted in another thread, I've recently moved from a trek flatbar hybrid to the Giant Contend 1. Even after a week, I am loving riding on the drop bars and apart from a couple of niggles with the gears, loving the bike
However, when I bought it, I - due in part to some nerves going to drops - I opted for 28mm Gatorskins. The Trek was packing 35mm Bontranger tyres that weren't so much a tyre as a caterpillar track for a large bore Panzer tank.
So, I have the Gatorskins on and I can't say I am loving them. They seem heavy and clumbersome and ironically, I don't feel like that they have a huge amount of grip, but that could quite easily still be some inherent nerves from riding a road bike.
Any suggestions for an alternate tyre? Commuting is my bread and butter...
Ta
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby ldrcycles » Tue Nov 20, 2018 3:04 pm
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby g-boaf » Tue Nov 20, 2018 3:32 pm
Rawshack - I've heard a lot of other people suggesting the Gatorskins don't have that much grip either, especially be cautious in rainy conditions.Rawshack wrote:Hi everyone
So, as I posted in another thread, I've recently moved from a trek flatbar hybrid to the Giant Contend 1. Even after a week, I am loving riding on the drop bars and apart from a couple of niggles with the gears, loving the bike
However, when I bought it, I - due in part to some nerves going to drops - I opted for 28mm Gatorskins. The Trek was packing 35mm Bontranger tyres that weren't so much a tyre as a caterpillar track for a large bore Panzer tank.
So, I have the Gatorskins on and I can't say I am loving them. They seem heavy and clumbersome and ironically, I don't feel like that they have a huge amount of grip, but that could quite easily still be some inherent nerves from riding a road bike.
Any suggestions for an alternate tyre? Commuting is my bread and butter...
Ta
I commute on S-Works Turbo 26C tyres, but before those I used Continental GP4000S II 25mm.
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby rodneycc » Tue Nov 20, 2018 3:39 pm
You'll prob find its not so much the Gator's (although I'm not a fan there isn't that much difference between Refuse/GP4000s or Gators imo for ride quality), The secret is more in the tyre pressures so maybe play around with the tyre pressures a bit. Around 80psi would be about right for the average person in average conditions on 28c tyres. 5psi more if you are a heavy rider. The Tyre pressures go up the skinnier tyres are.
The only real junk tyres I have ridden on are the Conti UltraSports (so I'm with LDR with those!). They are commonly used on new bikes sales which is just the complete opposite of what new cars do with putting good quality tyres on their vehicles.
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby biker jk » Tue Nov 20, 2018 3:45 pm
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby cjrich » Tue Nov 20, 2018 3:47 pm
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby Thoglette » Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:09 pm
Forget 28mm. 35x700c with a supple case construction. Or bigger if possible.Rawshack wrote:Any suggestions for an alternate tyre? Commuting is my bread and butter...
How fast do you want to spend? Top end: Challenge Strada Bianca; Compass Bon Jons super lightweight or anything else that's actually a real "open tubular".
Middle of the road: Maxxis Refuse; Panaracer Pasela or other Panaracer made specials (e.g. Soma's stuff). Hearing nice stuff about the Gravel King (vanilla) too.
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby biker jk » Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:46 pm
I don't believe the Contend has clearance for a tyre much wider than 28mm.Thoglette wrote:Forget 28mm. 35x700c with a supple case construction. Or bigger if possible.Rawshack wrote:Any suggestions for an alternate tyre? Commuting is my bread and butter...
How fast do you want to spend? Top end: Challenge Strada Bianca; Compass Bon Jons super lightweight or anything else that's actually a real "open tubular".
Middle of the road: Maxxis Refuse; Panaracer Pasela or other Panaracer made specials (e.g. Soma's stuff). Hearing nice stuff about the Gravel King (vanilla) too.
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby Thoglette » Tue Nov 20, 2018 8:31 pm
Ah, well spotted. I misread the original post. Lots of open tubular in 28mm: Vittoria Open Corsa for example.biker jk wrote:I don't believe the Contend has clearance for a tyre much wider than 28mm.
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby Duck! » Wed Nov 21, 2018 12:50 am
Like all tyres, you do need to learn the balance of compromise in their intent. They're not a super soft, sticky race tyre, so they trade grip and low rolling resistance for toughness, nor are they a heavy-duty but slow semi-solid tyre like the Schwalbe Marathon family. So you can look at them as either a tough moderately light tyre, or a light, moderately tough tyre, with less grip that your supple soft racies, or more grip than your average semi-solid commuter boots.
I happen to rather like the Gators; although I do hardly any non-commuting road riding these days (I found out that dirt is a lot more fun), my commute is entirely on-road, and the odd occasions I do ride elsewhere off the commute but on road are not aimed at setting any speed records, I've found the Gators to be extremely suitable for both purposes.
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby terryc » Wed Nov 21, 2018 10:44 am
For commuting, which is mainly on sealed roads, I usually buy a tyre with a centre solid strip, or close to. I'm brand agnosticv, it is the tread pattern that matters to me.Rawshack wrote: Any suggestions for an alternate tyre? Commuting is my bread and butter...
Ta
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby caneye » Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:03 am
cjrich wrote:I've never had any grip issues with Gators on my flatbar commuter, I don't often ride in the wet but if I get caught out I just back off and ride to the conditions. Tried GP4000s for a while on my drop bar roadie but had to many punctures so now use GP 4 seasons, a good compromise between Gators and GP4000s.
I've been using the GP4 Seasons for ~4 years now.
Front tyres have travelled > 12,000kms. Rear tyre squared off around 6000kms and was replaced by Schwalbe Marathon Plus.
(My regular commuting route has a lot of broken glass, radial wires and other junk)
The GP4S is a good compromise between GP4000 and Gatorskin exactly like you mentioned.
If you want puncture protection then you can't go wrong with the Marathon Plus. But bear in mind that they are freakin heavy (~800g for my 32mm) and a royal pain to put on/off the rim when new. But they do provide a peace of mind. I'll never use them on my weekend bikes but certainly won't hesitate to replace them like-for-like on my commuter.
I've also had good luck with Maxxis Refuse (25mm) and Vittoria Rubino Pro (25mm). Both of them are inexpensive. Have not had punctures with either one of them, but then again I've not done as many miles on them as compared to the GP4S and SMP that are on my daily commuter.
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby grimbo » Wed Nov 21, 2018 1:46 pm
I like the GP4000 ride, but threw away too many of them from side-hall damage
I'm currently using one of the Rubino Pros varieties, and they seem like a decent combo of toughness/ride/weight.
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby 10speedsemiracer » Wed Nov 21, 2018 3:19 pm
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby Thoglette » Wed Nov 21, 2018 4:59 pm
Oh - check that you don't have them pumped up too hard. That's a quick way to get a squirrelly rideRawshack wrote: ironically, I don't feel like that they have a huge amount of grip
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby DavidS » Wed Nov 21, 2018 10:06 pm
DS
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby Paddles » Thu Nov 22, 2018 10:41 am
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby Rawshack » Thu Nov 22, 2018 10:50 am
Thanks again
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby Mububban » Thu Nov 22, 2018 12:23 pm
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby Paddles » Thu Nov 22, 2018 1:14 pm
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby Thoglette » Thu Nov 22, 2018 5:29 pm
It's been a few years but I don't remember anything special (one way or the other) about them in the wet.Mububban wrote:How do the Maxxis ReFuse go in the wet?
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Re: Tyre suggestions
Postby Rawshack » Wed Dec 05, 2018 8:56 am
They haven't and I feel more likely that the bike is going to slip out under me now than I did before. I'm going to change over to either the Refuses or the GP4000s this weekend
Al
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