DannoXYZ 

Ride was actually very good and supple. It has that ripping-fabric roar of high TPI tyres. Much, much better than heavy training tubies. They used to have them in 200, 240, 300gm versions with slick or treaded versions. Selections are limited now, but I still like them better than anything else I've tried. Just having the security of the kevlar belt really lowers the nag in the background about flats. Glass will still penetrate, but takes a lot longer and lets you have time to catch it and pick out the bits.

KendallF

All of the bad experiences with the Vittoria Rally here are weird..I've run them quite a bit and gotten tons of miles with very few flats. Not like our roads in North FL are the cleanest either.

You ask about the Gatorskin...they ride like a clincher Gatorskin. If you can stand that, they'll be OK. Ironically, I bought a couple of tubular Gatorskins and sliced on on a piece of glass on the very first ride..didn't even make it 20 miles.

The Vittoria Corsa CR is often on sale very cheap at PBK and Ribble in the UK. They ride nicely (as well as the more expensive Corsa Evo CX, IMO), they're round, and they have removable valve stem cores. I think I paid $25 apiece for them the last time.

carpediemracing 

Glued tread is key. Not vulcanized.

https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...ular-tire.html

I am a huge fan of the Vittoria CX, in both "renditions" (Italy and Thailand). I'm also a fan of the Michelin Krylion, in both renditions (France and Thailand, the latter in the same factory as Vittoria). I'm also a fan of the Bontrager tubular (22 mm) which is, guess what, made in Thailand (and I've yet to try the 23 mm Bontrager - I have a pair to glue - and I'll be racing them next since I'll remove the 21mm CXs due to wheel width). Same place as the Specialized tubular. If you see a Michelin branded tubular... yep.

Bontragers are $79/89 full retail each.

Panaracer Kevlar tires (forget the name of it) were so puncture resistant I'd use them in races like the old Harlem crit, before they swept everything. I'd move up in the 2 feet of glass and crap on the side of the road. No one else would use that "lane" so I could move up at will. Of course I wasn't very strong so I had to move up all the time, but still, I could ride over a lot of broken glass.

CXs aren't quite as good but I don't worry about puncturing in a race.

To put things in perspective, I think Pro Race 2s are the most fragile tires in the world. The Vittoria Diamantes? I gave them away because I knew they'd flat immediately (and they did, withing 200 miles, under a reasonably meticulous rider). I like the Krylions by Michelin, and I'm currently finishing up most of a season on my first set of Bontrager Race X Lite AC tires (I think that's what they are - they have half the tread color, half the tread black).

I hate Conti tubulars. Handmade, fine, but lumpy as heck. I glued new Vittorias onto some HEDs in about 15-20 min each, and that's using my own extensive minimum requirements for gluing a tubular (I like my face the way it is now, don't need to scar it up more):
https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...e-tubular.html
Vittoria, Bontrager, Hutchinson, Gommatalia, Clement, Wolber, all those tires glued up nice and round. The Contis? Forget it, it's like you put a quarter in the slot next to the bed if you ride Contis on rollers. Now, I may glue tires totally wrong, but for the life of me I could never get the Contis smooth, straight, and round. Your mileage may vary. Having said that, the Contis are durable. I removed them before puncturing them so I'll probably do something somewhat idiotic like glue up a NOS pair of box section wheels and go do some power slides through dirt until the tires are done.


cdr

KendallF

My experience w/the Contis matches yours, CDR. Bumpa bumpa bumpass...

orcanova

CDR, that's the second recommendation for the Panaracer Kevlars. Thanks for the input, sounds like you recommend steering away from the Conti Gatorskins.