Road Cycling - Tire question

I have a bike that is bit by bit being truned into primarily a road bike (it started its life a commuter) I have replaced the bar, steam, cacette and front derailler. the guy at my LBS told me the next two things to change are the tires and the front cranks.

I have 26x700 Specalized Armadillo tires on Mavic CXP21 rims. What would a good tire be. I have heard a lot about the Continental GP 3000 and the new Continental Attack/Force combo. Others have suggested the Hutchinson Carbon Comp.

Any suggestions???

Michelin Pro Race.

I know some people would not agree with me, but I would NEVER put Continentials back on my bike again. I had to practically build an alter to the Lord and offer animal sacrifices and pray for spiritual guidance and strength to pull off those freakin' tires.

I had Hutchinsons before that, and they came off the tire like butter. Never a problem with getting that tire off- it just peeled off as smooth as butter, and they performed well.

Koffee

I know some people would not agree with me, but I would NEVER put Continentials back on my bike again. I had to practically build an alter to the Lord and offer animal sacrifices and pray for spiritual guidance and strength to pull off those freakin' tires.


You too? I thought it was just me. I flatted once and exerted more energy changing the damn thing than I did actually riding the bike.

My personal faves are the Panaracer Stradius Pro and the Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp. I ride 700x20, but 23s are okay too.

DEMON

What's wrong with the Specialized Armadillos? I have a pair that I use on my trainer and they refuse to wear out. I have another pair of their Lightweight Armadillos on my flatland wheels and they are excellent. Perhaps a little heavier than the Conti or Michelins, but I haven't flatted on the road with them in five seasons. I use the Performance Pro Kevlar for my lightweight set. The are half the price of the Conti and Michelin and just as good. Only one flat in three seasons with them. I like not having flats and not paying too much for tires. Guess I have a low "poser" level.

I have 26x700 Specalized Armadillo tires on Mavic CXP21 rims. What would a good tire be. I have heard a lot about the Continental GP 3000 and the new Continental Attack/Force combo. Others have suggested the Hutchinson Carbon Comp

Depends what you want.


the next two things to change are the tires and the front cranks

What? Like, how many bikes have rear cranks???

Depends what you want.
What? Like, how many bikes have rear cranks???

Tandem bikes.

Well, at least he didn't make the first mistake of cycle description: front fork.

I know some people would not agree with me, but I would NEVER put Continentials back on my bike again. I had to practically build an alter to the Lord and offer animal sacrifices and pray for spiritual guidance and strength to pull off those freakin' tires.

I had Hutchinsons before that, and they came off the tire like butter. Never a problem with getting that tire off- it just peeled off as smooth as butter, and they performed well.

Koffee
Maybe you need to workout a little more?Few more pushups?

Specialized Armadillos are a little on the heavy side...if you don't ride in an area with a lot of hills, it might not be an issue. Going to a lightweight tire will feel faster, but there are some draw backs...lightweight tires do wear faster and you will get more flats...the Armadillos have alot of rubber and kevlar belt. I'm not a big fan of thin tires, they tend to be harsh and handling is very quick. I think for commuting you should stay with 23s, and I agree that the contis are hard to mount and take off. Once I helped someone that flattened and could not get the tire back on without pitching the innertube...he was near tears!

I've used Conti GP3000 700X25 tires and love their ride. Even at higher pressures--120-130 psi--they performed well and gave a good ride. Unfortunately, I get only about 1000 miles on the rear tire; that's two and a half months of good weather riding. A few weeks ago, concerned that I had only about 200-300 miles left before my rear conti wore through to the threads, I pulled them both off the bike and put on Michelin Axial Carbons--I really don't want to be fixing flats in cold weather. The Axial Carbons are heavier and ride much rougher, but with the pressure at about 104 psi their ride is ok. I may put the Contis back on in the summer.

An intersting note: Some on the forums have complained that Contis are difficult to get on and off the rim. On my Ritchey rims the Contis came off easily, but the Michelins were nearly impossible to get on. Go figure.

Maybe you need to workout a little more?Few more pushups?

Well, without doing any weight training, I just flexed my biceps and measured them at 3 1/4" high. With weight training, they are much bigger.

I don't need more strength training. The problem are the tires, not my biceps.

Pushups weren't my problem.

koffee

Getting tires on and off seems to be a combination of rims and tires.. if you have a rim that is made on the large side and a tire on the small it is dificult. I know I had a hard time getting a set of tires on my sun venus rims, yet the same tires went on the velocity rims without much trouble at all.. On my first ride with a flat they came off and went on very easily though guess they stretched out a bit.

Well, without doing any weight training, I just flexed my biceps and measured them at 3 1/4" high. With weight training, they are much bigger.

I don't need more strength training. The problem are the tires, not my biceps.

Pushups weren't my problem.

koffee
You measured your biceps?

Well, after some further exploration I am now looking at the Vitoria and Verdisen tires. Ratings of the Huthinson were abysmal and the Contis seem to wear out fast. I ride almost daily for fitness and hope to race (old fart class) next season, so I want something quick, but durable.

Thanks to everyone who gave constructive feedback!!

Bill

I have the Vitoria Pros. No problems yet!

Koffee