Tandem Cycling - Rolf Vigor Wheels -- what tires?

Mrs. O and I just acquired a set of schweeeeeeet! Rolf Wheels for the tandem. We'll be using that wheelset mostly for very fast club rides and for racing (including some 12- and 24-hour events). (The current wheelset, Hugi 1.1 rims laced to DT Swiss hubs, with el-cheapo 28mm Conti Sport tires, will see use on social rides and on randonneuring events.)

What are your thoughts on the rubber that ought to grace these beauties?

Maxxis Xenith Hors de Categorie or Equipe Legere.
Hutchinson Fusion Comp

I've always had really good luck with the Michelin Pro Race or its new version, the Pro2 Race. And while I've not used these tires on a tandem myself, a couple teams I know who run Vigors use the Michelins and are very happy. It's a very nice, very fast tire.

We're using Conti GP 4-Seasons on the Burley right now, but it's a slightly wider rim that calls for a size 28 tire. No 700x28 Pro races to be found out there... :(

DrPete

We run Hutchinson Carbon Comp 700x25s on our Vigors. They are light and handle very well. I guess we got about 1500 miles from the first rear tire climbing some relatively hilly routes with a 320 lb team. No flats yet!

We are running Conti Ultra-Gatorskin 28s on our Rolfs right now, but when the weather is better we will go back to Michelin Pro Race 25s. You should note that Rolf rates their rims for a maximum of 120psi regardless of the tire used.

I'm assuming you're into performance riding as you've got some nice wheels, so some comments in that vein: IMO cornering on a bike is 95% about confidence, so the last thing you want is hard, cheap rubber sliding around. Think of grippy tyres as an insurance policy for your teeth, shorts and riding partner and the cost becomes cheap. I'm not a fan of anti puncture strips, extra tyre belts etc. as they kill the ride. Replacement of worn tyres, correct installation and inflation plus occasional checks for embedded stones mean punctures are very rare anyway.

My long-term favourites are the Michelin road racing tyres - latest ones grip well in rain or shine, are easy to wash back to new-looking particularly if you buy the all-black ones, last a racing season without wearing out or getting cut to bits like the old ones used to. You can even use them on the Turbo without making them squiggle or excessive wear. I'm looking forward to testing a wider pair on the tandem some time. Only question is the pressure they take as they recommend 110psi, which is fine for one rider, but I'd think 130 or more would be realistic for the tandem.

The tyres that came with my T2000's Bontrager wheels seem just about OK. They are Bontrager Race Light Hard Case 28mm in grey and black. I'm a bit doubtful about their wet weather grip as they tend to slip at the back up wet hills and go shimmy sideways at the front when making a sharp U-turn on a narrow road. Whether this is just tandem riding or the tyres will require further tests, but my first guess is that the rubber is fairly hard as wear seems low. They haven't punctured or suffered cuts despite lots of winter riding in and around the potholes of London. Not really a fan of their file tread as it tends to pick up more water to spray at you than slicks.

Vittorias - the expensive Corsa CX cotton-sided ones used to crack and go brown as rainwater got absorbed. Otherwise worked fine and cornered really well. The cheap black and green Romas of old were just cheap, and tended to bulge if used on the turbo. Currently my wife has the pair of the current Rubino Pros that came with her new bike and she seems happy enough with them compared to they Michelins she had before.

Contis- Tried the GP 2000s and 3000s, which I thought were little more supple than the Michelins, probably because they were a little wider for the same marked size. Tended to wear out a bit more quickly and pick up stones more easily. The early 90s brown-wall Conti GPs were fragile but cool at the time - sidewalls had so many threads and so little rubber that you could see light through the sidewalls. I used to ride 18mm versions of those at 150psi for time trials until I knew better.

Whether to go for 20, 23, 25 or 28mm is a difficult question. I weight about 70kg and the stoker about 60kg, so we're about middle weight for a team I think. Mathematically, the contact patch of the tyre is driven by rider weight and inflation pressure. To keep the contact patch to a similar size and shape as on a single bike, the inflation pressure therefore needs to roughly double. That should mean that a wider tyre is definitely needed to avoid excessive deformation and therefore too much rolling resistance. My current 28mm Bontragers seem fine, seem about as comfy than my road bike 23mms, and don't look excessively wide on the rims, so would seem about right for road racing, and everyday riding. If you're happy to ignore the Rolf recommendations for 120psi I think 25mm tyres would be fine, and if you're happy to pump them up a bit more maybe you could get away with 20mms at 150psi at the front for a time trial on a flat road.

On the subject of maximum inflation pressure, my experience of pumping tyres to 150psi, on early 90s lightweight rims was always fine. The only rims that ever failed (normally without danger) were well-used MTB rims that simply wore through from mud on the brakes. In practice the manufacturer's limit is based on maximum rider weight, maximum psi, worst case manufacturing tolerance, badly worn rims etc, so if you're not heavy and the rims are relatively my opinion is that the danger of a failure is minimal.

Andrew

O-h

What are your thoughts on the rubber that ought to grace these beauties?

What brand/model tires do you use on your 1/2 bike? If you're happy with them, move a set to your new tandem wheels and see how they feel and perform. If they're 700x23's, no worries if you're a lightweight team, i.e., under 325lbs... after all, it's just a test ride to evaluate the "feel" and handling of the tire. If there is a 700x25 version of the tire, that may be your ticket or you may elect to stick with the 23's since these are, after all, intended for racing.