32c/35c slick tire options?
 

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a set of slick road tires for my Litespeed T5G in either a 32c or 35c. Ideally I would like a folding bead and lightweight.


Any suggestions?

I'm using 700x32 Schwalbe Marathon Supremes right now. I used the 700x35 model before this and was pretty happy with them. They're decently light (375g for the 700x32).

According to Continental's web site the Grand Prix 4 Season is now available in a 700x32 model (@ 320g) but I haven't been able to find them anywhere yet.

Vittoria Voyager Hypers are really nice rolling, folding beads and have reflective sidewalls. Reasonably light for a 32 at 350 g. Panaracer Pasela PTs are similar weight but don't roll as nicely. For lighter options, check out Compass - Grand Bois tires.

I've been running 700 x 32 c continental gatorskin folding tires. They handle well. They're reasonably light weight and puncture resistant.

Thanks for the input guys but I'm looking for slicks.

These are the only tires I'll run anymore. Compass Bicycles: 700C Tires

Light weight, comfortable and does great on dirt road/gravel. Yet to puncture with them even though they don't have Kevlar protection.

Riv Bike Jack Brown BLUE 700c x 33.333 Tough - 10092 - BLUE

+1 for the Vittoria Voyager Hyper, it's a great tire. Mine measure 32.5mm wide on a Velocity A23 rim. It's a great gravel tire: it's tough, light and fast with a very smooth ride. I've never had a flat.

I also use the Challenge Parigi-Roubaix and the Compass Stampede Pass. These tires are smaller, about 30mm wide. They are light and fast, but nothing like the durability of the Hyper.

If by "slicks" you mean something like this:

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...0/sckjk3-1.jpg

and not like this:

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...50/co4sv-1.jpg

or even this:

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...0/scmsp2-1.jpg

I'd say you're overthinking it. A minimal tread like this makes very little difference in performance.

Of course if you want slicks for purely aesthetic reasons, then by all means go for it. The Schwalbe Kojak is available in 700x35 at 330g with a folding bead. It could be just what you're looking for.

Good post. I was thinking the same thing.

Thank you! Yes, mostly for aesthetic reasons.

And you couldn't pay me enough to use a tire with a reflective sidewall. Lol. And anything from Contintental as well, almost all my bikes have red in the color scheme and considering almost every Conti made is covered in orange..... :bang:

On a very similar bike (Lynskey Sportive Disc with Di2 hydraulic and Rolf Prima Elan Alpha Disc wheelset) I run the Challenge Strada Bianca. It's marked 30mm but measures 32. Technically it has tread but it's very fine grained and you have to get fairly close to it to notice. I like a little bit of tread in the rain due to all of the pine needles and other road debris in the northwest. While this is my full-fender rain training bike, I like to go fast on it, and the Strada Bianca is a very sporty feeling tire with good high speed handling. They work perfectly at speeds I would be very nervous at with a high-mileage compound like a Marathon. On the flipside they are not cushy feeling, which is something I don't care much about.

There are a few older versions of the Strada Bianca floating around, with and without puncture protection. All of the current versions have PPS2 (double puncture protection) which is marked on the sidewall and you can tell right away by the big bright red strip down the inside of the tire.

They're good in the wet, about the same as the GP 4 Seasons, but not as good (especially "per millimeter of width") as the Michelin Pro4 Grip. However, they have a very smooth and predictable loss of traction so you can drift the rear in the wet, rather than suddenly losing it and going down. They work great at reasonable pressure, I'm 175# and I run 65 rear/60 front in the rain.

The sidewall graphics are red and white so they'll match your bike :)

If only someone made a great rain-specific tire in 28-32 like a bigger version of the Pro4 Grip, Specialized Turbo or Vredestein Fortezza Senso.

Specialized Bicycle Components (these now have a 32/30 [casing/tread] option)

Thanks for the input guys. :thumb:

I couldn't really find what I was looking for so I ended up up ordering a set of Schwalbe Ultremo ZX in 28mm. All of the reviews I read state they are closer to 31-32mm when mounted on wide rims. I have a 23mm wide rim so I think I'll be ok.

I'll post a review once the snow is gone and I have a chance to ride on them.

I used to have a set of those in 700x25. As you'd expect from what is basically a race tire they didn't last long (about 1500 miles) and were prone to punctures if the pavement wasn't clean, but they rolled like a dream. Very sweet tire!

Thanks for the info Andy!

i did read most of what you shared when I was looking into them and checking out the reviews. I think the newer model has better puncture protection and wearability. At least I hope so. :-)

Bontrager AW2 or AW3 Hardcase Lite is a smooth tire with great puncture protection. I have a set for my commuter when I want the wider tire. It shows some grooves on the side, but it is not raised.

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually had a set of the AW3's on my Lemond Wayzata last year and they were very nice. As noted above I have ordered a set of Schwalbe Ultremo in 28mm. So I guess we'll see how that goes and if they are not what I am looking for I will probably try the AW3's. :thumb:

So the Ultremos arrived today. I have to say, I love the way they look on the bike and the bike now weighs 18 lbs 7 oz and down from 19 lbs 5 oz when it was shod with the Clement X'PLOR USH tires. Now if we can just get some weather warm enough to ride.....

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps03ad01a6.jpg

I haven't tried them yet, but the Specialized Roubaix Pro 30/32 tires look very interesting.

I looked into those before I bought the Ultremos and the reviews were terrible. That was disappointing because I'm a huge Specialized fan and some of the components such as the saddle, grips, and cages on my bike are from them. It would have been cool to use Specialized on it as well but the reviews were so bad I went with the Schwalbe.

Update.....

These Schwalbe Ultremos suck ass. I have had three tubes burst since I installed them yesterday because the bead will not stay seated properly to the lip on the rim. I had read that this has been an issue in the past with these tires when run on wider rims but I had hoped that Schwalbe had addressed the issue and had it fixed by now.

And before everyone asks, yes I checked to make sure the bead was seated properly and that there were not any kinks or wrinkles in the tube. This is my first set of Schwalbe tires and so far I am less than impressed. I fired off an email to Schwalbe so we'll see what they say.

Update 2.0

I spoke with a Schwalbe cust service rep today and was told that the Ultremo 28mm tire is "not recommended" for use on my 23mm rim. I was a bit upset because I call them last week and asked about using this configuration and was told it wouldn't be a problem. I ended up talking to one of the supervisors there and was told the same thing but after explaining that I called last week prior to ordering the tires and was told it would work they offered me a warranty replacement as the bead on the tire has become delaminated after the tubes burst.

So while I didn't receive the correct info the first time around, they are making an effort to help me out. Actually, I'd say more than just "an effort". I sent the warranty claim in less than an hour ago and I already have a credit with them to purchase a replacement set of tires. So now I just need to figure out which tires I want to use.

Anyone have ate any suggestions within the Schwalbe brand?

I'm glad to hear you're having good experiences with Schwalbe support now. I had a very good experience with them last year as they helped me out with a replacement when I ripped the sidewall of a Marathon Supreme tire on its first ride.

You could try the Kojaks. I don't have any experience with them, but they seem like a good fit for what you want except that apparently the lettering is reflective or something. I doubt they'd be in the same league as the Ultremos, but they're supposed to roll pretty well for a touring/city tire.

Is your rim 23mm interior width or exterior? If exterior, I definitely would have expected the 28s to work with that. I've been using 700x25 tires with Velocity A23s and had no problems. If interior, well that's a good bit wider.

The rims are 23mm interior width. I spoke with my LBS today as well and they told me they didn't think it should be a problem.