Originally Posted by Lazyass

Spec sheet? No, I look at the entire construction. If a tire has a thicker casing and 1/3rd of the thread count it ain't gonna ride smoother than what is essentially a high end cotton handmade tubular. It's just not. I don't give much credit to reviews. For instance, on Performance Bike, many reviews of the Conti are positive. But someone says they ride harsh, another says he had multiple punctures, another had a sidewall blowout at 200 miles, ect. The opposite of your comment. At Competitive Cyclist the Open Pave has 27 five star ratings, 5 four stars, 2 three stars and 2 two stars. At Wiggle, the Veloflex has a total 4 1/2 star rating over 52 reviews but LiquorLad here said he threw his away at 100 miles.

See what I'm getting at? I base my purchase on mostly my technical research. I'll check out some reviews but don't pay them much attention because it's all subjective.