Cycling Review » tyres

Best Tubulars for Road Bikes

tejvan — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:58:40 +0000

These are some of the best quality tubulars for road racing and time trialling. I recommend getting best possible tubulars you can afford. There’s no point in getting cheap tubulars more likely to puncture. For most time trials on UK roads, I want a reliably puncture resistant tyre. I usually go for Continental competition and Corsa EVO CS. These offer good combination of light weight, low rolling resistance and good puncture resistance.

For the hill climbs, I researched some super-light track tubs. You are much more likely to puncture with track tubs, but for hill climbs, the short distance and altitude gain make it worthwhile. For hill climbs, I like a Vittoria Chrono Time trial (165 grams) I also like the look of the Veloflex Record.

Continental Competition 22 – 280 grams – £61 wiggle – 5 layers of puncture protection, grippy tyre. Handmade in Germany. Won three Paris Roubaix. Very tough tyre. Long lasting excellent grip. I’ve used these for two seasons. Offer very good performance. Very good puncture resistance and hard wearing. Seem to be quite resistant to cuts and nicks. Slightly on heavy side compared to some rivals, but 280 grams is still lightweight and good for tough terrains.

Continental Competition 19 – 239 grams

Bontrager XXX lite only 255 grams for 700*23 | £69.99 Evans Cycles

Schwalbe Ultraremo – 240grams 700*22 Fast rolling triple compound | £64.99 | Evans Cycles

Vittoria Corsa EVO CX (2008) – 240 grams list price £62 | £44. wiggle Similar to Continental Competition. One of best selling tubulars. I had a few punctures using this, but that might have been bad luck. Overall was quite happy with performance. Can’t tell difference for rolling resistance between these and Continental competition.

Vittoria Pista Evo CS (Track) Tubular Tyre £61 | wiggle - Weight: 700×19- 140 grams, 700×22 – 160grams. Light weight for track. Great tub, but no real puncture resistance.

Vittoria Crono Time Trial – 700*22 165 grams £76 retail price | Wiggle (video about putting on tub) Similar weight to the Track tubular; this claims to have one layer of puncture protection which is improved on previous version. I will be using this in hill climbs to get lowest possible weight. However, for ordinary time trials you are risking greater chance of punctures. Nevertheless very supply and fast. Uses latex inner tube for improved comfort when racing. Best for front tyre and is rear wheel is more prone to punctures. Also not long lasting on roughish roads (i.e. British roads)

Veloflex Record Tubular RRP £99.99 – 700*20 – 180 grams | Ribble | Wiggle £72 – 350 threads per inch core spun cotton casing construction. Puncture protection Belt: Calicot puncture resistant layer

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Continental Grand Prix 4000 Tyres

tejvan — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:50:53 +0000

Continental Grand Prix 4000 are the successor to the highly popular Grand Prix 3000 series. The new tyre boosts increased performance with lower rolling resistance combined with improved puncture protection.

Continental have made use of Vectran technology to offer the best rolling resistance and puncture protection. I bought a pair for my road bike and having been testing them out. Brand new, the tyres have quite a smooth feel and they looked pretty good in the Gold /black combination.

I rarely punctured using the 3,000 Grand Prix series and so if the new 4000 series offers even better protection I will be happy. The grip to the road felt pretty good, although I struggled to notice a measurable difference with the old series.

I did find them a little difficult to fit (and have a blister to prove it) However, that might just have been my bad technique. When I used the palms rather than thumbs they went on better. But, they do remain a rather stiff tyre..

At £31.46 they are quite expensive. But, I have always felt a good tyre is worth the additional expense.

the weight of the 4000 tyres are 205 grams

Durability of Grand Prix 4000

A problem with Continental Grand Prix 4000 is split sides of tyres. Due to low weight of tyre. Others have reported similar side wall splits. But, it’s still fairly rare.

I’ve now done 3,000 miles using Continental Grand Prix 4000. In those 3,000 miles, I’ve punctured a few times. The tyres last reasonably well, though are prone to glass cuts. The above tyre, is an example of a slit tyre, after riding in the winter months.

One good point of Grand Prix 4000 is that I’ve always found they have had good performance in the wet. They grip pretty well as any tyre in wet conditions.

Manufacturer Description

3 ply with 330 tpi plus Vectran layer
Cool new colours
Activated silica-compound with new antiaging formula
New antislip Nylon rim chaffer
High mileage wear
Tread wear indicator
Highly antipuncture performance tyre
More cut resistance than aramid

Continental Grand Prix 4000 Tyres at Evans £34.99
Continental 4000 Road Tyres at Wiggle

Alternatives to Continental Grand Prix 4000

Schwalbe Ultremo. The Schwalbe Ultramo is similar price at just over £30. It is slightly lighter and even more silky smooth than the Continental Grand Prix 4000. I would probably choose Ultremo over Continental Grand Prix 4000, but there’s not much in it. See: Review Schwalbe Ultremo ZX

If you want a good winter training tyre, I would advise using Continental’s Four Season. They offer much better split tyre resistance, but are still very low weight at 250grams.

Continental 4000 Tubular Tyres

Usually used in racing, these tubs offer a top of the range tubular in a seamless tub. Tubular 4000 at Evans Cycles £64.99

See also:

Schwalbe Durano Plus Tyre

tejvan — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:53:03 +0000

The Schwalbe Durano Tyre, claims to offer the best puncture proof protection of any tyre. Although they are a bit slower than other road tyres, I have found them very effective in avoiding punctures. If you want a puncture free commute, these are an excellent choice. I’ve yet to find someone dissappointed with riding Schwable Durano plus tyres.

The tyre is based on a SmartGuard belt for extremely effective protection against penetration punctures. The protective layer is quite deep, meaning that it would have to be a pretty big thorn to penetrate to the inner tune. Previously I have ridden Armadillo Tyres which also have a very good puncture protection.

If anything the Schwalbe Durano offer an even greater level of puncture protection. Their best feature is that they are very resistant to glass cuts, the kind of cut that you might get on a Continental Grand prix 4000 tyre.

Also they have a very deep puncture protection layer, which is thick enough to absorb a drawing pin. This is a real boon for avoiding many punctures such as rose thorns or sharp stones.

The tyre is made very well and lasts for a considerable time. I have had 3,000 miles out of a pair without getting a puncture.

The drawback is that as you might expect – they have a higher rolling resistance and feel somewhat slower. But, for a training tyre, that is a small price to pay for greater peace of mind. Also the depth of the puncture resistance means they are heavier than your average tyre. But, for a 25c tyre, they still come in at a respectable 380 grams. This is 150 grams heavier than a lighter racing tyre like a Continental Grand Prix 4000.

Definitely recommended if you want to maximise your chances of avoiding punctures whilst cycling. They are not cheap at £30, but as for many high quality tyres, you get value for your money. They last well without attracting scratches and splits. You might even be able to manage 2-3000 miles without getting a puncture. You will get your money back on the cost of new inner tubes. Plus all the additional benefits of not having to walk your punctured bike to the nearest cycle shop.

If these were put on all new commuting bicycles, it would probably make cycling much more popular.

£30 for a tyres means they are not cheap. But, you will easily recoup this cost in saving money on inner tubes – to say nothing of the time saved and greater peace of mind.

Buying Online

Schwalbe Durano Tyres at Wiggle

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Vittoria Randonneur City Tyre

tejvan — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:13:02 +0000

For a city commuting tyre, the main criteria in order would be – puncture resistence, good value, good rolling speed, good grip in all weather.

The first thing about these tyres is you notice how nobbly they look. They look more like mountain bike tyres than road tyres. There is also an image about aqua planning, which is a bit misleading as bikes can’t really aqua plane and so they are more for show than anything. However, this is a good value tyre, people who have ridden thousands of miles, report a very low level of puncturing, though this anecdotal evidence is somewhat unscientific, they are made with a strong level of puncture protection. It combines a double layer of stiff rubber to resist most sharp objects, though this tough rubber layer is limited in width to limit rolling resistance. Secondly there is a layer of high intensity nylon fabric for resisting thorns and similar menaces on the road.

Despite strong puncture protection, with the Aramid 3D compound it offers good rolling resistence and so feels reasoably sporty on the road.

At 590 grams, it is quite heavy even for a commuting tyre. But, the surprising thing is the price at only £13.99.

If you are looking for maximum puncture resistance and wear resistance, you might be better off having a look at an Armadillo Tyre, which is more expensive, but, is pretty tough. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a top city commuting tyre at under £15, it’s hard to find a better choice than the Vittoria Randonneur.

Vittoria Randonneur at Wiggle Cycles

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