NoWhammies

After over 11,000km on my front tyre, I was inspecting the tyre and came across this:




Rather than take a chance, I figured after 11,000km the tyre owed me nothing. So I replaced the tyre - a Veloflex Corsa Evo TLR 25mm - with a new Veloflex Corsa Evo TLR only in 28mm this time.

So now I am running a mismatched set of tyres on my BH. A Schwalbe Pro One in 25mm on the rear, and the Corsa on the front. For now my OCD is held in check and I'm not changing to have matching tyres. I will likely ride out the season with this set of tyres, pending any issues.

robbyville

11k km is amazing! I too am for the first time ever sporting two different tires, gp5000tlr and a Specialized Roubaix TL that I got a great deal on. I live in terror that someone may notice lol!

Not sure what I’ll try next but with those numbers that corsa Evo will definitely be on the list!

Racing Dan

Id say that tyre is perfectly fine still. Living in a place with lots of little sharp flints I would replace my tyres every day, if that was the yard stick. I do pick lodged stones and glass from the thread at regular intervals tho. Helps me not flat and worry less :-)

The tyre is in amazingly pristine condition considering 11.000km.

NoWhammies

Racing Dan Yeah, I am agreement with you. The tyre looked amazing for 11,000km. No cords showing. Tyre still holding air. I was impressed/surprised at the amount of mileage on the tyre. But it was my front tyre. And I do a lot of climbing. And thus descending at high speed. In the back of my mind I was worried about the tyre blowing. I consulted with a couple friends of mine and they advised swapping out the tyre so I played it safe. I could still put the tyre on my rear I suppose.

robbyville I've been very impressed with the Veloflex tyres. Mounting can be a bit of challenge (see my description above) but that aside. Once the tyres are mounted they've been great.

surak

I'm considering swapping out the 32mm GP5Ks with 35mm Pirelli Cinturatos for my rain bike. Is going that wide overkill? I think that the bike in question has tire clearance for them, since there's more of a gap between the fenders and the GP5Ks than what would please my aesthetically.

Besides looks, I'm after better safety, like better grip and braking in wet conditions. As I posted earlier in the thread, the GP5Ks were easy to seat on my Hunt alloy wheels but lose a lot of air overnight and won't stay bead-locked when at low pressure. Schwalbe Pro Ones (first gen, 25mm) that I have on the DT Swiss rims of a different bike have no such air loss issues, but one did require a blast of CO2 to seat. The rear Pro One finally got a puncture that I noticed. It sealed on its own but has me thinking of the eventuality that I'll move the GP5Ks over when the Pro Ones wear out, with the hope that the tire-rim combo retains air better than on the Hunts.

PeteHski

I think the 32 mm Cinturatos are plenty wide enough for any road riding conditions. My local roads are terrible and these easily cope. They are amazing in the wet too and almost bombproof. I think this is right up there as a contender for best winter tubeless tyre on the market.

surak

Do you think other than weight there be any downside to going bigger with 35mm? I won't be setting any PRs anyway. I kind of like the idea of maxing out the clearance under my rain bike's fenders and riding them at some super low pressure.

PeteHski

If ride quality is your absolute main priority then 35mm can only be better in that regard. The weight difference (+50g per tyre) wouldn't bother me. I expect they would roll a little slower too, but probably not a huge difference. I just find that the 32 mm Cinturatos are already a very big road tyre, both in width and sidewall depth. My rims are also relatively narrow at 17mm internal and the 32 mm Cinturatos are already bulging out a fair bit at the sides (light bulb profile). If you have slightly wider rims that might make it an easier decision. When I come to replace these tyres I might well go the other way and try the 28 mm version. But mainly because I think they will be a better match for my rim width.

WhyFi

And so ends my season with the Michelin Power Road TLR. Yesterday, at about mile 40 of 70, I took a cut to my front tire - bad enough to boot-n-tube it to get home and prematurely retire the tire (it did have ~5k miles on it, so not that premature). In all, they were pretty damn good and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them if you find a good price on them. They mounted and seated easily, the rolled well, grip was very good, they were pretty comfy (though not quite as supple as the Pro One Addix TLE), and the tread life was decent (I got ~3k miles out of the first rear and still have enough meat on the second that I'll keep it around as a spare).

Today, I swapped over to the Pirelli P-Zero Race TLR intended for next spring... I was gettin' antsy to try them out, anyway. Like the last two tires that I've used, they're up to the latest ETRTO specs, including hookless use (I have Zipp 303Ss) and, like both before tires before them, they went on without fuss; they mounted with bare hands (I've never had to use a lever or bead jack) and seated with just the floor pump - no compressor or charger cannister necessary. Oh, and for msu2001la and other hookless wheel owners, they did stay bead-locked when deflated. Looking forward to riding them tomorrow!

NoWhammies

WhyFi Based on your recommendation I picked up a pair of the Michelin Power Road TLR tyres. As it turns out I never did mount them this season. Looks like I'll have to give them a go next year. Good to read your review/comments though.

PeteHski

Unfortunately both my Pirelli P-Zero Race TLRs took big cuts after not very much mileage. It's a shame because I really liked the ride feel of them. So I've gone back to running Pirelli Cinturatos, which appear to be far more durable. Their ride feel is not quite as supple, but it's still pretty good and grip is excellent in wet or dry conditions. I will just stick with these for now as I think they will last for a long time.

WhyFi

Only a short, 25 mile ride this morning, but first impressions of the P-Zeros TLR:

At the same pressure, they ride a little harsher than the Michelin Power Road (which were a little harsher than the Pro One Addix TLE). It's weird, though - I can't say exactly why, but I get the feeling that the casing is less supple but the compound is softer. Cracks and bumps come across as a muted thump. The slightly higher casing stiffness is something that I noted in-hand yesterday, too, when installing them. In fairness, though, the tires that I just rode two days ago were getting towards EOL, with 5k and 2k miles on the F and R, respectively; with a fair amount of rubber worn away, they were probably more supple than they were out of the box. I'm going to try dropping them a few PSI for the next ride and see how they get on.

Speaking of the compound - Grippy. As. Stink. The Power Roads and Pro Ones never left me wanting, in terms of grip, but these damn things feel like they're glued on to the road.

They seem to roll pretty nicely. If I had to make a WAG, I'd say that they're a hair slower than the PR and PO, but they're certainly not slow.

jaxgtr

Yep, I found the same with my Pirelli's, they stick to the road quite well in dry and wet. I also dropped my pressure about 3 to 5 lbs in each tire and it is a glorious ride. . I found I really like the 30's better than the 28's, and plan to transfer he 30's from my Pro 3V's to the Bonty Pro 51's when they come in.

WhyFi

Just a heads-up on a really good deal - Excel in CO is selling OE two-packs of Hutchison Fusion 5 Performance 11Storm tires for $50. These weren't my favorite tires in the world, but they're a good, all-around performance road tire. Given the current price and availability of good tubeless tires, this is a really, really attractive deal, even if only to have on the shelf as a backup while waiting for your favorite tires to come back in stock (if they were hookless compatible, I'd certainly buy a set or three).

biglmbass

I realize this is an old thread, but the supply of tan wall 28s is still in relatively short supply, especially ones suitable for hookless wheels. That said, Excel currenly has the Schwalbe Pro One T'less tan wall 28s in stock. I've thus far resisted the urge at $75/each & will likely hold out 'til a better sale price comes along. Hope I'm wrong but the days of steep discounts on t'less may be behind us.

Based on good recommendations here, my experience w' road tubeless began a few weeks ago w' Michelin Power Road TLRs in 700x28. Mounted fairly easily w' out levers & floor pump only on Enve 4.5AR SES disc brake wheels. Based on my weight of 165# I'm running 55 psi F & R. Have only a few miles on this set-up, but I think I'm going to like it.

phrantic09

I saw those, really pleased with my S works 28s so far and have some 32 pro ones coming for a mixed dirt road / paved road race next weekend

biglmbass

I'd be interested to try those (S Works Rapidair) sometime. Do you use them w' Specialized's own sealant?

phrantic09

No, just regular Orange Seal.

WhyFi

I've never ordered from them, but Bike24.com has some really good pricing and availability right now.

28mm tubeless has been hard to come across at a decent price, but they're showing Power Roads at ~$45, Pro One Evos at ~$40, Veloflex Corsa Evo ~$45, etc.

The prices on 25mm tires is a little lower than that of the 28s and they've got even more SKUs available, most notably the GP5kS TR at ~$60.

Shipping to the US seems to be a flat ~$20, so as long as you're ordering more than one tire, these are some pretty good all-in prices.

kingston 

I just placed another large order from bike24 yesterday. Great prices, fast delivery, and the dollar is strong against the euro right now making it an even better deal.

Miles2go

Wow it's been a while since I posted here. Busy being the president of an awesome cycling club for senior riders here in Tucson, and lots of other fun stuff.
That said, this is a thread I certainly need to follow.
My data: 5'10" 153lbs. Fast and strong 55+ rider, doing some racing but mainly training to see just how strong I can get.
The conditions we ride in here are some of the hardest a tire can see. Always arid, super hot in the summer, rough roads and often debris-covered.
Also ride the epic Mount Lemmon many times a year, and you need excellent grip for that descent.

I mostly ran Michelins before switching to tubeless a couple of seasons ago. From that time, until just a few days ago, I only ran the Conti 5000TL. This tire served me very well, and a number of the stronger riders in our club use them. Unfortunately though, they are insanely difficult to mount on my wheels and it's this reason that I just switched to the Pirelli P Zero Race TLR.
The P Zero Race TLR is much more comfortable in the same size and at the same pressure. It also feels much more lively than the 5000TL.
We'll see how long they last here in Tucson, and if they don't work out I'll be watching to see how the 5000s does for others, how easily it mounts on difficult wheel fitments, etc.

Miles, smiles & tailwinds!

Miles2go

Additional thoughts on this thread is that it would be useful to know what is important to those speaking of their "favorite road tubeless tires".

Here's a rough breakdown for me, on road tire priority:
1: Fast.
2: Top tier puncture resistance.
3: Somewhat easy to mount (in my case on Campy Bora WTO 45 wheels).
4: Long wearing.
5: Lightweight.

Conti 5000TL fails on 3 and 5, and thus far, it's the only tubeless tire I've tested long-term.

PeteHski

"Fast" and "Top tier puncture resistance" are unfortunately fairly mutually exclusive. So if you put "Fast" as your number 1 priority, then by default "Puncture resistance" needs to move further down your priority list.
For example Pirelli Cinturato Velos score very high on puncture resistance, but they're not exactly fast. I don't think there is a truly fast tyre that has top tier puncture resistance. Would be great if there was and they would sell fast!

Miles2go

Sure, but I take all of the fastest training tires, pick the one with the best of the other aspects in my criteria. Some riders posting here don't have fast as their first priority, and that's my base point.

For example, you might recommend the Pirelli Cinturato, but this is a puncture resistance first tire, and no one in my regular club pacelines would be running them. Someone might rate the P Zero Race as having poor puncture resistance by comparison, but I wouldn't compare the two, and would only compare the tire to others in the same road race training category and weight range.

PeteHski

Okay so to put it another way, do any "fast" race tyres have "top tier puncture resistance"?

I'm sort of playing Devil's advocate here, but other than listing your top priority the rest are not very meaningful. The category of tyre quoted pretty much dictates the top priority anyway.

FWIW my top priority in a road tyre is grip level, especially in the wet. I am also willing to trade-off rolling resistance vs puncture protection to some degree.

Interestingly I've run both Pirelli Cinturato and P Zero Race tubeless and could hardly tell any difference in real world rolling resistance. But the former are definitely more puncture resistant! Both have very decent grip levels, while the P Zeros are a little more supple, but I gave up with them after getting a number of bad cuts that I'd never experienced on other tyres. Myabe I was just unlucky, but they seemed fragile. The Cinturatos appear to be bombproof and don't appear to have any adverse affect on my speed. I'm sure there is a small penalty, but it's completely lost in the noise of our rough local roads and turbulent weather. I'm also running the new Conti GP5000S TR on my Canyon and so far I've been really impressed with these. I was worried they might suffer the same fate as my P-Zeros, but they are holding up well just coming up to 1000 km. No cuts or punctures. Exceelent grip levels, reasonably supple (30 mm version).