Sunks000

Are kevlar belted and beaded tubes worth the extra money?

And how much roll resistance do kelvar belts really give on your ride, for those who ride them?

dmotoguy

well.. after riding them for about 3 months im going to try something else.. They worked pretty good it seemed.. i normally get a flat a week and right after i got them i didnt get a flat for 3 weeks.. then the luck went away and i got a flat right between the two different tread compounds.. then a few days later i hit a branch i couldnt miss and it gave me a nasty 4mm puncture on my sidewall.. i patched it with a dollar bill between my tube and road the tires with only one flat until yesterday when a shard of glass cut the center of my tire. those were vittoria evo cx's... i think i may try the vittoria evo's they are supposed to flat a lot less.

i couldnt tell that much of a difference riding them compared to my last tires.. specialized mondo's

LóFarkas

I'd say yes on both counts.
The kevlar bead is a simple matter. It's quite a bit lighter and otherwise functionally the same. If the weight difference is worth it for you, then go for it. I'm willing to pay the extra cuz that's the only way to shave off weight from the rim area without compromising performance. It also folds which may come in handy.

The belting... we'll never know what works, roads and riding styles differ so much and chance plays a big role so there will always only be anecdotal evidence. I think I haven't punctured my rubino pro's in the 1500+ miles I've had them.

Dr. Bill

I've had some recent experience with kevlar belted/beaded Panaracer Pasela 700x28's. I put some on my Quickbeam for the brevet season. They do provide some flat resistance--in fact, I never got a flat from any sort of road hazard in probably 2000+ miles of riding. I did, however, notice that the rolling resistance is greater. Average speeds on my normal routes seem to be about 1 mph slower than with 700x32 non-belted wire bead Paselas! Another problem I had was that the front tire would simetimes pry itself off the rim and allow the tube to explode. This happened twice, once while the bike was stationary and a second time when I was rolling along at about 19 mph. Not good!!

I've since gone back to the el cheapo wire-bead non-kevlar belt 700x28 Paselas. They roll better, are pretty tough, and they cost less. Hope this helps.

Dr. Bill