DTSMA68

Has anyone experienced problems with cuts with these tires? I put 5,000 miles on the Aramdillo tires without any flats. Two weeks ago, I decided to upgrade to the Michelin Pro Race 2. The tire is two weeks old and I have to throw it away due to a 1" gash/cut across the tire. The tires are a big difference over the armadillos in the way they handle, but I can't afford to replace one every two weeks or so. I'll buy another and if it doesn't last long, I'll be going back to the armadillos or may try the Continental Gatorskins. I like the different colors of the Michelin tires. The color accents the bike well. If the armadillo came in blue, I would still be riding on the armadillo.

merlinextraligh

A 1" gash across the tire in 2 weeks is bad luck, but you're going to have to expect more flats with Michelin Pro Races and a greater likely hood of a cut destroyng the tire, than you you will have with Armadillos or Gatorskins. ProRace, are just that racing tires, and much lighter than Armadillos. There's a tradeoff in most things in cylcing. Here the tradeoff is speed vs durability.

operator

Yep, a large gash is just bad luck. But they are racing tires.

R900

+1

DTSMA68

?


I figured that it was just bad luck. I guess they don't come with a warranty? They advertise puncture resistent.

ViperZ

It can happen, and as other stated bad luck...

This year on the maiden ride of my new build, I got a flat 3km from my house, it too was a cut in the tire that was about 8-9mm, in a new Deda Giro tire... I could have swore I did not ride over anything. I booted it, patched it, road home and purchased new tires.

Thats the nature of riding. The other day a club ride ran over something that tore the sidewall of his tire. He was running GatorSkins, it was just bad luck....

operator

You know exactly what puncture resistent (sic) means. Warranties don't cover wear and tear. That's just ridiculous.

operator

...

DTSMA68

When I had the Armadillo tires, I had a 2 inch staple go through the corner/edge of the tire without hitting the tube. I rode that tire for another 2000 miles. When I bought my bike last July, I rode 300 miles and got my first flat and it caused me to be late for work. I came here and found a post on Armadillos. Since July 2005 and 5200 miles later, I have only had two flats. Even though the Armadillos are heavier, I just have to work harder.

trekking_TW

I have a 1" cut along the sidewall of my rear Pro Race2 after 900 miles.

It's just bad luck, simply put.

I've switching to Conti GP4000's since I can get them for $25 through our team. Hopefully they are as nice of a handling tire as the Michelin's.

gpelpel

When riding on streets you cannot avoid the occasional sharp object that will destroy a race tire. I have been pretty lucky so far with the ProRace and ProRace2. One day I rode over a metal hook that I saw too late. That was the fatest and noisiest flat I ever experienced. To top it, it was on the front tire. Luckily it was on a flat road and I could stop without crashing. But the tire had a 1/2" cut. I replaced the tube and still used the tires for many more miles. I eventually had to replace it because the tube was starting to pop out through the tire. My other ProRace were retired because of worn thread, most of them with small but external cuts as well.

DTSMA68

Michelin's website also says:
Technical:
-100% Silica Energy rubber mix for excellent grip
-Casing with cross-ply fibers for flexibility, performance and light weight
-Puncture-resistant reinforcement minimizes the effect of tread cuts



And I know the website says "minimizes".

DrPete 

Yeah, my fiancee's Flyte came with a pair of Pro2 Races, and within 30 miles of owning them they took a big cut in the sidewall. Bad luck, sure, but we've since switched to the Krylion Carbon. It's a nice, fast-rolling tire, and the sacrifice in rolling resistance to the Pro2 is worth the added security and flat protection.

DrPete

baiskeli

I think you had a run of bad luck. I've been riding Michelin Pro Race tires on the bad streets of massachusetts since they pretty much came out and have never really had a problem. I do have the baby blue ones in 700x23 and in fall and winter I switch to the grey 700x25 ones.

What pressure do you pump them up to? I pump the 700x23 to 110psi and the 700x25 to 100psi

johnny99

Isn't the Armadillo double the weight of the ProRace? Of course it is going to be sturdier. The Gatorskin is closer in weight to the ProRace, but I suspect that anything that will put a 1 inch gash in a ProRace will ruin a Gatorskin as well.

bigskymacadam

if they're anything like the conti supersonics i use for racing .... they're not supposed to last long.

DTSMA68

110 psi 700x23 ... Since the cut, I was thinking about lowering it to 100-105 psi. I'll be buying another one in about 30 minutes. If I have more bad luck, I'll try the Krylion carbons.

DTSMA68

I had about 200 miles on the tire - about a week's worth of riding. I don't have Bill Gate's wallet.

StanSeven

You're talking two completely different purpose tires here. Aramdillo's are for heavy duty use - touring, commuting, just riding around, etc. Pro Race 2's and Conti's GP4000 are for fast paced training and racing. They handle better, corner faster, and are softer compound material which means they don't last as long. I get maybe 1750 - 2000 miles out of Pro Race 2's.

DTSMA68

I'm not a weight freak. It's all in the legs and the heart.

baiskeli

+1

I do some fast paced training, group rides but no racing. I also use them to commute once in a while (I do most of my commuting on a mountain bike). I just like how the Pro Race 2's handle. I did try the Michelin Axial Carbons and wiped out in a corner because I'm very used to the super-grip of the Pro Race 2's.

I also tried the Vredestein Fortezza (the ones that go up to 145psi) but that felt like riding on iron bars and they were positively suicidal in the rain (for me, of course YMMV).

Dusk

I have no problem with flats with my Michelin Pro Race and Pro Race 2. I can get 6000 miles or more out of a set. I do rotate them about every 1500 miles. I keep them at 120 psi when I ride. I have seen Armadillo cut by glass at 7 miles…so Hey hit glass at 1 mile or 10,000 miles it is going to take the tire out.. Glass or whatever had no consideration for how many miles you have on the tire.

cycle17

They will never be as durable as the Amadillos or Gatorskins. I've ridden 3,000 miles on one bike and 1,100 on the other (both equipped with Pro Race 2 tires) and not even had one flat yet. Tire durablility depends a lot on your roads, ride style etc... too many factors are invovled. But a large gash is gonna compromise or ruin almost any tire.

msheron

I switched to the ProRace2's and have logged about 200 miles on them. No problems yet. I have a friend that has had her's for months now with no incidents to report.

I guess anyone can pick up a sharp object depending on the karma and how your luck holds. I love mine and hope to get at least 1500 miles from them before change.

1955

Do you really believe everything the advertising executives write about everything. It's got something over the innertube...that makes it puncture resistance to the add dept. Get over it.