Forte Pro Kevlar tires- First impressions
 

Just thought I'd share my first impressions after replacing tires.

I chose the Forte Pro Kevlar (Performance Bike) over a replacement set of Conti Gatorskins. One advantage was that the Forte's are foldable & I could get them home easily on the bike (12 miles). They were also about $5 cheaper apiece. I also fancied a change.

First impressions are very good. The ride is extremely smooth, comparable to the Vittoria Rubino Pro tires on my "best" bike. In comparison to the the Gatorskins (a bit harsh, but very hard wearing) there seems to be noticably less rolling resistance and improved comfort - whether the Fortes can compete in mileage, only time will tell.

Cheers,

Ed

What's the deal with Forte? Who makes them? Are they just somebody else's stuff just re-branded for performance bike?

Gatorskins are also available in a folding version.

I tried the Forte tires once. The softer rubber grips well, but wears out pretty quickly. They might be a good winter tire when grip and puncture resistance are more important.

The Forte products are made by a lot of different companies. I have heard that "made in Japan" tires are from Panaracer (mostly very good quality) and "made in Korea" tires are by Kenda (sometimes mediocre). Manufacturer can vary from year to year, so reviews that are more than a year old may not apply to the current product.

I'd venture a guess that the answer is "yes". Their Forte wheels are rumored to be re-labelled Neuvations, I'm sure their bars/stems/saddles/posts/etc., are all Taiwanese re-branded stuff as well. I've been wanting to try a set of the Forte tires just for kicks myself and probably will when my current Vredesteins wear out.

In truth, had the shop stocked the folding version, I would have chosen them instead - they are the longest lasting tire I have ever used. The Forte's seemed a tad lighter, but I don't expect them to last.

The packaging states the tires are made in Japan - seems unusual. I'm heading out to the bike to check.

Back in a mo..

Ed

The small print, moulded in the tire included "National Tire Co. Ltd" and "Made in Japan". A little net detective work revealed that they are the owners and producers of the Panaracer brand.

Ed

I just installed a set of these tires and the sidewall says Kenda. I don't have an opinion on them yet.

Ha, the plot thickens?

Nevermind, mine are the Forte Pro DC tires.

Yeah, I got some 28's for $14 dollars a few weeks ago. Real smooth feel as compared to my armadillo's.... As the OP said will have to wait to see how durable they really are....

I was just gonna say, "Probably rebadge Panaracers." Not a bad tire, but not the greatest either. Just fine for the average rider who wants a less expensive tire for weekend riding. I wouldn't think the mileage will hold up as well as Gatorskins though.

Calling these products "re-branded" or "re-labelled" is not correct. Those terms would imply that Performance bought products that were made for a certain brand, then switched the labels to "Forte". I think the truth is that Performance hired certain factories to make products specifically for Performance. The Performance products may be slightly or very different from products that these factories made for other brands. The Neuvation wheels may be made at the same factory as the Forte wheels, possibly using some of the same parts and some of the same machinery, but that does not mean they have the same specifications or performance or quality level or value.

Regarding the Performance tires - I have used some of their tires on and off for 10 or 20 years. They are fine for the money. The puncture resistance does seem to work well. However, the tires are not as supple as a Micheline Pro Race and not as long wearing as a Continental Gatorskin. Both of those tires are available cheaply from PBK.

Both the Titans and the Neuvation M28 Aeros bear a striking resemblance (and idential specs) to the Alex A-class ALX320DX wheelset.

http://i2.pinkbike.com/photo/1357/pbpic1357474.jpg

http://www.aclass-wheels.com/images/...s/ALX320DX.jpg

As has been pointed out before here, the Neuvation M28 Aero has slightly different spoke dimensions from the Forte Titan.

Another offbrand wheel with a petal hub is the Maddux Aero Racing F-60 from Pricepoint, but the sub-1600 gram weight and the Sapim CX spokes differ from the ~1750gr Korso, Titan, and M28 Aero:

http://www.pricepoint.com/images/sty...5%20MADF67.jpg


Since Alex is an actual wheel manufacturer, I think it would be more accurate to say, "M28 Aeros and Forte Titans both seem to be made by Alex and are very similar to the ALX320DX." Or just call 'em both rebadged Alex's, even though that's not quite correct.

One interesting thing is that Alex has a pretty crummy reputation, but Neuvation has a good one.

I know this post is way off-topic.

Wow next time, I'm going to order from PBK - I just saw their pricing and it makes me look a fool for going to the bike shop. Not that this is difficult :)