Originally Posted by
TheKillerPenguin
Got a flat on one of the sworks turbos, but it was a mega slow leak. What did it was a 5-6mm length of thin metal wire in the tread. This is kinda like whatever, but the reason I'm talkin about it is THE TIRE IS SO WELL BUILT THAT IT WAS BARELY LEAKING AIR! This wasn't a tiny pinhole in the tube, it was a legit tear that you could see without having to pump up the tube and find the leak. When I switched it out I was kinda amazed at how slow the leak was relative to the hole.
Anyway props to Specialized. Sworks Turbo and Gp4000s II sit at the top of the tire pyramid inside my heart.
i like those tires, but IME they are less durable than even the vittoria (open) corsas, which have great ride quality but are not known for longevity.
i put on a new rear turbo before a couple crits last weekend and then wound up doing some training rides on it because i was lazy -- and it's about done after a week. i'll still ride it but not sure i'd risk an important race on it as the flat potential is much higher.
still, i'd ride/race 'em again in a heartbeat -- and in fact i raced the tubular version last weekend.