while we’re talking tires…good compromise between gravel and slick?

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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 203 total)
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  • #1039582
    Raymo853
    Participant

    @Powerful Pete 126225 wrote:

    Don’t go with the Gators. Cycling is meant to be fun. Honestly, a less enjoyable riding tire is yet to be invented.

    I confirm Conti Gatorskin tires simply ride awfully harsh. Plus Conti sizing is way off, their 28s are as narrow as others’ 23s.

    #1039584
    Tania
    Participant

    @Powerful Pete 126225 wrote:

    Don’t go with the Gators. Cycling is meant to be fun. Honestly, a less enjoyable riding tire is yet to be invented.

    Another vote for fatty Schwalbes. I am impressed with the regular 32 Duranos. Not great, but not half bad either.

    I would put in a vote for the tubeless set that hozn mentioned, if your wheels are tubeless ready.

    I’ve ridden gators before and truly didn’t notice any downside! May be due lack of saddle time compared to most of you.

    My rims are tubeless ready (DT Swiss R24s) but I’m NOT – I don’t have any workspace at home where I could deal with the potential mess. Plus, I weigh 115-120lb: I can run a pretty low pressure on gravel with no issues. My two main concerns are puncture resistance (like Wheels and Wings) and plushiness so I can bomb stuff and not get tossed around and wanting to death grip. The Sammies were nice and cushy, but don’t seem like they’d stand up to city street detritus.

    The ride home last night (pavement only) on the Pro4’s was fast, sure…but not FUN. Or not as much fun as it could have been. Fun > speed for me.

    #1039585
    Tania
    Participant

    @Raymo853 126230 wrote:

    I confirm Conti Gatorskin tires simply ride awfully harsh. Plus Conti sizing is way off, their 28s are as narrow as others’ 23s.

    Depends on your rim. On my Pacentis the gator 28’s were almost as fat at my schwalbe 35’s on my DT Swiss rims.

    #1039590
    AFHokie
    Participant

    I just ordered a set of Schwalbe Marathon Mondial’s. Anxious to see how they compare to the stock Bontrager’s that came with the bike.

    #1039597
    TwoWheelsDC
    Participant

    @Tania 126234 wrote:

    I’ve ridden gators before and truly didn’t notice any downside! May be due lack of saddle time compared to most of you.

    Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. I’ve used Gatorskins on every road bike I’ve had and I’ve never noticed any difference, even right after switching tires from non-gators to gators. But I do use my road bikes for commuting–95% on roads–and I’ve never had a puncture with a Gatorskin, so I don’t plan to switch any time soon.

    #1039613
    Tania
    Participant

    @AFHokie 126239 wrote:

    I just ordered a set of Schwalbe Marathon Mondial’s. Anxious to see how they compare to the stock Bontrager’s that came with the bike.

    Holy heavy tire! 580 grams. Eesh.

    #1039614
    AFHokie
    Participant

    @Tania 126263 wrote:

    Holy heavy tire! 580 grams. Eesh.

    Stock tires are 560. They’re going on my commuter, so I’m anticipating I won’t really notice the weight difference

    #1039616
    hozn
    Participant

    @Tania 126234 wrote:

    I’ve ridden gators before and truly didn’t notice any downside! May be due lack of saddle time compared to most of you.

    I think tires make a significant difference, but there are a number of variables and I’m sure the placebo effect is also strong :)

    I typically change two variables at once, but I definitely notice how sluggish a Durano feels after riding a GP4000S all summer (similar sizes). (But the Durano is a great winter tire and I would also choose that over a Gatorskin if looking for a durable tire.) I’ve also wiped out several times on wet pavement on Gatorskins; they have a reputation for poor grip in the wet, so I blame that.

    If you can’t feel any difference riding a Gatorskin back-to-back with a GP4000S or something like a Schwalbe One, then definitely don’t pay the extra $$ for the faster tires!

    @Tania 126234 wrote:

    My rims are tubeless ready (DT Swiss R24s) but I’m NOT – I don’t have any workspace at home where I could deal with the potential mess. Plus, I weigh 115-120lb: I can run a pretty low pressure on gravel with no issues.

    So, tubeless really isn’t too bad to setup. Yes, there is sealant and there is probably some soap and water needed when first mounting a set of tires. I just seat tubeless tires outside. Actually, I do all my bike work outside.

    The reasons to do road tubeless do include running lower pressures, but lower rolling resistance (at same pressures) is a significant motivator. Of course, if you don’t feel any difference between different speed tires, then this is moot.

    Actually, the main reason I have decided that I love tubeless is that when I do flat there is no mystery about why. I hate trying to hunt for the thorn/wire/grit/whatever that flatted my tube and I hate, hate, hate putting in a new tube without being able to find out why the previous one flatted. The tiny punctures should just seal (at low enough pressures, anyway) with sealant and the big punctures will be obvious because they’ll be spraying sealant etc. So no more mysteries. That alone is worth the cost of admission to me. I’m done with tubes. [Except for the two backup tubes I have to always carry on account of running tubeless. :) ]

    #1039619
    vvill
    Participant

    I’m not a fan of Gatorskins either, although I do admit they are very puncture resistant. I like the Schwalbe Duranos, and I really liked the 23mm Hutchison Fusions I once ran, but they lasted only a couple thousand miles. I’ve never tried GP4000s although I’ve heard good things. Currently on my road bike I’m just going through whatever tires I have stockpiled for my rear, and keeping a 25 or 28mm that I like up front.

    For some reason I’ve gotten a lot of flats on the C&O over the years even just between Georgetown and Great Falls, including one recently on a 32mm cross tire. (I checked afterwards and it was not a pinch flat.)

    I think 28mm tires are a good compromise, although I’m the kind of rider who prefers to have wider rather than narrower tires for the purpose. In the winter I tend to ride file treads on the roads because of the yucky salt/sand, etc.

    I’m waiting for Clement’s tubeless offerings to come out. Then I will probably pony up the cash for a MSO/USH tubeless for gravel and general road riding. My commute will be mostly disappearing by the end of the year so I won’t have to worry as much about having a good commuter build.

    #1042354
    hozn
    Participant

    @hozn 126151 wrote:

    I’m still enjoying my Schwalbe One tubeless tires. They’re fast. And yet they do seem very durable. (Duranos are also very durable & grippy, but noticeably slower rolling.) I would not be scared of riding gravel (esp. light gravel like the C&O) on these.

    I have just over 3k miles now on my Schwalbe One 28mm tubeless tires (on the commuter). These have officially qualified as “long-lasting” for me, for a tire that rides so nicely it’s very impressive.

    No flats. Well, one almost flat. Thursday riding home, I rode right over something sharp (probably a rock) and immediately heard the familiar pst.pst.pst.pst as the wheel rolled. I figured I’d just keep riding it until it was too low to see if the sealant worked. The tire got down to around 40psi and then lo and behold the hole sealed!

    It looked like a 1-2mm gash, so I’m a little surprised sealant alone solved that problem. I stopped a little later and added air until it was back up around 60psi, figuring I wouldn’t push my luck. I pumped it back up to 75-80psi at home and it’s been holding fine since.

    That incident has sold me on the value of road tubeless. The tires roll fast, grip great, last a long time (compared to similar grade tire) and the tubeless adds real value.

    #1042355
    hozn
    Participant

    Upon closer inspection, I think it is time to replace that tire…

    6b66f798c6f80eca35c746ecb7bb6d61.jpg

    #1042509
    BTC_DC
    Participant

    @hozn 126266 wrote:

    I’ve also wiped out several times on wet pavement on Gatorskins; they have a reputation for poor grip in the wet, so I blame that.
    ]

    That is my current dilemma. To the point where I prefer flats to the loss of confidence on wet roads. But I am new to this game, and past posts have mixed messages on optimal trade off.

    Any thoughts on:

    a) best grip while maintaining decent (i.e., above average, but does not need to be superhuman) puncture proofing?

    b) significantly better grip than (a), but will not pop due to simply riding over a pebble

    #1042517
    dplasters
    Participant

    I’ve not ridden them, but the Grand Prix 4 Season are supposed to be the GP and the Gatorskin love-child no?

    http://www.continental-tires.com/bicycle/tyres/race-tyres/grand-prix-4-season

    #1042522
    Tania
    Participant

    To follow up on my original question, I went with the Clement USH 120’s. However, since I’ve been banned from ever taking off my back wheel without proper LBS supervision, right now I’m running the heavier MSO 40’s. At lower pressure (I run 40/45-ish for gravel) I can feel a difference on pavement but if I run them higher they’re fine for commuting and general road riding while giving me the option of popping off into the gravel or just rolling over random things in my way such as sticks, rocks or wayward boy scouts.

    #1042552
    ShawnoftheDread
    Participant

    My last pair of Gatorskins were great. Several thousand miles without a flat, no slipping issues, etc. They got replaced earlier this year and I’ve had two flats and a sidewall blown-out at the bead.

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