What tires would you choose? Vittoria Rubino Pro OR Vredestein Fortezza SE ? Considering there both cheap in price whats an overall better tire to choose? What would be a better performance tire, what lasts longer, and also what tires are good to roll around in the city streets. Tell me why? aint nothing but a heart break. tell me why. i never wanted you to say, I want it that way-

Continental avenue, 700x40.

I had heard that Rubino Pros were great for brakeless riding from adamkell on here, and then I bought a set. When they came in, adam said that they were different (perhaps newer) than the ones that he had used. I've had them on for about a month now, and I don't do a terrible amount of skidding or skipping, and I'm down to the threads already. I would go with the Vredesteins just because I am extremely unsatisfied with the Rubinos. They're a real pain to mount and dismount on the rims too.

Great Backstreet Boys reference, by the way.

vredesteins all the way. i LOVE them

Dolface. Do you know where I can get them in the city? I know Performancebike.com has them on sale for $26.99, but if they have them cheap in the city, i would rather get em here than online.

yah, seconded....+1.

thanks a lot btw dollface. these things are sweet!


they make a funny zipper sound when you skip too. feels all futuristic. i almost expect to look up after skipping and see the terminator on fetish frame giving me the thumbs up. cool.

Depends on what you call cheap. I prefer Vredesteins myself. I have the Fortezza on my road bike and Monte Carlo on my mountain bike. Haven't used the Rubino, but other Vittorias I have seen are not as good as the Vredesteins.

i have teh SE's, dont know if they're good or not yet...

i don't i'm sorry (unless the performance store in soma has 'em?)

another +1 for the vredesteins

i have the rubino pros...i find them pretty easy to mount and unmount, but i started to see the threads (just a couple small spots) on the rear after about 2 weeks (i skid more than i should)...anyways i rotated the tires, and i'm trying to take it easy on the skidding...i'll see how long i can make them last...if it weren't for the durability issue though, i guess they're okay, they're lighter, and seem grippier than my last tires (performance gt2/k)...but i think my next tires will be something else

I have the regular Vredestein Fortezzas (not SE) and I really like them. No problems with flats (crossing fingers) and I like their grippiness on the road. They corner really well too. They're often on sale for $29.99 at Performance. No experience with the Rubinos, sorry.

the fortezzas are my favorite clincher by a mile. great feel, good in the wet, and not overly tough on the wallet.

A Rubino in the front and conti gator in the back has been my standard setup for a while on a brakeless bike. I can usually get a season out of the Rubinos, and while they aren't flat proof or anything, front flats come less often for me than rears.

I can usually find Bontrager Race Lite Hardcases for pretty cheap around here ($25), and they hold up well flat/skid-wear wise. About half a season on a hardworking brakeless bike, which isn't too bad in my opinion.

As far as Rubinos in the rear? No idea. I always spring for a little more expense for a rear tire.

Had no luck with the performance blue vredesteins, flats flats flats. Finally gave up on it. If you want to try it you can have it for a beer.

Have been riding rubinos for a while (not the pros just the standard ones) and they have always worked very well. A nice compromise between speed and durability. At 23 bux they are hard to beat.

Right now I am riding this Bontrager hard case tire in the rear and so far I have been impressed. Rubino is still holding up well in the front.

i've been riding a set of rubino pros brakeless since january and i skid/skip a lot and i still don't see threads. i am running 48x17 though so i got mad skid patches.

Dolface recommended the Vrederstein SE's (which I think are exclusive to Bike Nashbar) in a number of threads so I picked up a pair. I was a little put off because they are a bit heavy (345 grams) but they feel great. They are the best riding tire I've ridden. And they were like $16 from Nashbar on sale so I got a set for what you usually pay for one kevlar folding tire. Don't dig the grey sidewall so much but I can live with it for $16. Not sure how they compare to the Fortezza's that Performance sells other than that they are cheaper and have a grey stripe instead of a blue one. Might want to give them a shot.

Another vote for the Vredesteins. I had both on my geared road bike. The bike got V'Steins because the Rubino's had a catastrauphic failure. Luckily the tire didn't grab the brakes and throw me off the bike, but it could have been ugly. Vredesteins also can go up to 145 PSI.

https://www.vredesteinusa.com/contents/en-us/d15.html

i've ridden the volante se's on my conversion a good 5-6 months and i can't complain. had one flat, but i think it was because i didn't check the tire pressure (locked up, came back in morning and tire was flat). they are a very nice, cheap, and durable tire. i have the rubino's on my road bike but cant really equate that to fixed riding. they have held up pretty well to abuse but the bike isn't ridden every day. and gatorskins on the track bike, which i like.

i used a set of fortezza se's for a while.. i loved the feel and the look, but felt that they wore down too quickly with the small/moderate amount of skidding that i do. i switched the rear out to a rubino pro and it lasted easily twice as long. i didn't like the feel as much, however.

i just swapped those out for a set of vredestein volante se's about a week ago.... we'll see how they hold up. i'm still looking for my perfect tire.

i've been wondering what that is for portland. armadillos are nice, but the traction on streets that are normally wet is a little less than it could be.

i have been riding rubino pros for the past 3 years with nothing but success..right now im running the same one that i put on in january and i got a flat spot on it after a chain mishap and i have been trying to run it down to the threads so i can justify changing the tire and still havent been able to do it

heh, give it to me, i seem to have a knack for that (just today i exposed a couple inches worth of threads on the tire i've been using as my rear for less than a week)

i mean seriously, is there something i'm doing wrong here?...i'm pretty sure it's not the gearing(46x17)...should i be doing intermittent skips instead of long, sustained skids? is it the roads i'm skidding on? is it my weight distribution? something else?

long skids will do it, wouldnt you know

I just got one of the Soma Xpress tires for my bike and so far I love em. They're a little pricey, but they make the same weird noise when you skid and they seem to hold up really well.