Schwalbe ultremo zx v gp4000s

[Comedian]

The Ultremo rides and rolls better than the GP, but the gains are marginal.

The Pro Race rolls smoother than both, but are too hard to get on and off.

You will need to buy Ultremo at roughly twice the rate of the GPs, as the Ultremo wears much faster.

I would argue that the GP is more equivalent to the DD than the ZX.

[bardygrub]

I got the 2 x gp 4000s w/- 5 tubes combo from wiggle for chrisse present. slapped them on before yesterdays ride and must admit the are are great tyre. One thing i noticed is the have two holes on the tread at the same place on both tyres is this for a reason?
edit.. i just goolged it... its a wear indicator.

[Matt_Matt]

They're wear indicators .... shows how much life is left in the tyre.


Matt

[nescius]

I have a set of Ultremos that came with my bike, they are nice to race on and I have no issues with their performance. As others have said, unfortunately they don't seem to be anywhere near as durable as the gp4000s (which I have always used in the past), I've only done a couple of hundred km on them and there are already some significant cuts on the rear tyre. I could just be unlucky, but I have been riding the same roads that I always ride, and I'm always pretty careful about riding through any debris on the road so I think it's more likely the tyres. I will be changing to a set of gp4000s after these ones are dead.

Well I've done almost a full crit season on the ultremos now and I'd say that they are great tyres for racing. Unfortunately the rear was completely shredded after 2,000km so it has gone in the bin and been replaced with a GP4000s. The front is still good though and I have been really impressed with how it feels while racing, I think I will stick with the ultremo front and gp4000 rear combination for a while. I don't think I would recommend them as a durable training tyre if you are on the heavy side (I'm just on 80kg), however my partner hasn't had any trouble with hers so they may be fine if you are on the lighter side (she is about 53kg).

[Derny Driver]

I cant get GP4000s on any of my sons 3 sets of wheels. They are simply too tight. I switched to the Ultremos and I can put them on and off without tyre levers. The loose fit may explain why they blow off certain types of rims. I put Duranos on the training wheels and Ultremo ZX on the race wheels - both have excellent grip but are soft and do wear more than a Conti. Dd Jnr got a small nick from a rock in the side wall of the ZX on the first ride and it then bulged at tyre pressure over 90psi. I regretfully tossed a brand new tyre away and replaced it. Since then, no punctures and no problems. Fantastic grip for road racing and crits with the ZXs and confident mountain descents training on the Duranos.
Nothing against the GP4000s except they are tight. But I will be sticking with the Schwalbes from now on.

[scirocco]

The Ultremo rides and rolls better than the GP, but the gains are marginal.

The Pro Race rolls smoother than both, but are too hard to get on and off.

+1 - that is exactly my experience as well. Personally I think that the GP4000S is the best all round compromise, but it all comes down to where your own sweet spot is in relation to grip/handling/wear/puncture resistance.

I have had problems with GP4000s blowing off though. Operator error - you just have to be very careful to get them seated exactly right, and check they are centred as you pump them up.

[Puffy]

I've been though countless sets of GP4000s and one set of Ultremo's. From that you can deduct I prefer the GPs. I have never had a single issue with them, and can get them off and on by hand, ie no tools. This is over two sets of alloy Mavic/Fulcrum wheels

[warthog1]

Anyone tried the ultremo zx hd?

Looks to be more of a direct competitor to the GP4000S.