Is this normal?! / Tire recommendations
 

Hey everyone,

My bike (2006 Fuji Track Pro) came stock with Vittoria Diamante Pro Ultralight tires... I've had the bike for a couple weeks (bought the bike new.. despite the fact it's an 06 model) and last night I finally got to take it on it's first REAL ride more than just a couple miles.. In addition to sliding every time there was a turn with painted white lines on the road, on the way back into Brooklyn all of a sudden my rear tire is completely flat and there's a tiny puncture going through both tire and tube.

Is this normal?

For city riding are slicks a bad choice?

What recommendations would you have for replacement tires? I just put Continental GP4000s' on my road bike which have been great so far.. I was wondering if these would also be good on my Track Pro or if I should go with something different.

Thanks

White lines are slick when damp.
Eveyone gets flats.
Learn how to fix them.

You got a flat. Painted line markes are slippery when wet.

Whoop-dee-doo.

Next irrelevant SSFG thread please.

slicks are great for just about everything
you need to learn what not to ride over when wet. aka man hole covers
flats happen at random times, sometimes they are ******s and happen right after you put your new tires and tubes on. you also have to be careful with what you ride over.

i dont want to start a new thread, for fear of being flamed. Whats a good way to keep your pants legs from getting wet when riding in the rain?

^ seems pretty inevitable...

this makes me sad

aw, i didn't mean to make you sad. plastic bags and duct tape?

I hear those aren't in style right now. I'm thinking of hitting up a skate/snow store and buying some new snowboarding pants. you know, the thinner ones without a warmth layer.

That's good. Then you can have a pair of wet new pants!

they're on their way back.

ah but her in lies the technology. These new water resistant pants will keep the rain from getting to my pants. Also, in being water resistant, I can go to the nearest bathroom and shake off the rain and place them into my backpack without much moisture sticking to them pants.

I 've been using Conti GP 4-season in cold and damp weather, and I am really impressed. They have a lot more grip than the 4000s and add a negligible amount of weight compared to the 4000s.

diamante ultralights are 150g tires that aren't ideal rears on a street bike. however, i've had no issues with one as a front, and have been using the same tire for 11 months. i run a gatorskin out back that's fixin' to be replaced with a GP4S or a GP4000 when it gives up the ghost completely.

If you don't mind the cost GP400s are awesome. I've also been extremely impressed with Michelin Krylion Carbons. I have one of my road bike's hand me down Krylions on the rear of my fixie now and it's holding up waaaay better than I expected! I think they are very underrated tires.

http://two-wheels.michelin.com/2w/fr...=2092004115340

Cost quickly becomes and issue in these matters.

For those on a budget, but who don't want a flat, I recommend a Specialized Armadillo in back and whatever in front.

If one has the money, I recommend a Conti 4 Seasons in front and a Conti Gatorskin in back.

If one has too much money, I recommend Schwalbe Ultremos in front and back.

I've never (never say never) had a flat in front, but I have had a front tire go out from underneath me on slippery pavement (pain).

Both the Conti 4 Seasons and the Schwalbe Ultremo perform very well on wet and otherwise slippery surfaces.
No tire, in my experience, does well on wet steel or wet white paint.

The Armadillo, Gator Skin and Ultremo have all done well in back, as far as resisiting flats.

The Armadillo resists cuts the best, and costs the least, but it also weighs the most.

The Gatorskin represents a good all around compromise in cost, weight and cut resistance.

The Ultremo has the best handling and ride, weighs the least, resists flats as well as the Armadillo and Gatorskin, but seems to get cut a little easier than the two heavier tires...and it costs more.

I presently ride with Ultremos front and rear, for the exquisite handling and speed they provide, but I also like the Conti 4 Seasons in front and the Gatorskin in back.

OP- your bike came with track tires since it was a track bike. They weren't meant for the road and you got a flat. Get new tires.

hadn't tried the ultremo yet. i'm a bit surprised they fit a vectran belt in there for 250g— i did read your (ken's) comments on schwalbe NA about it.

They weigh 195g.

When I first handled them, while mounting them on my wheels, they seemed so flimsy I couldn't imagine them getting me around the block.

I put 2000 miles on one of them, without a flat (actually, one overnight and unexplained flat), and eventually retired it as it developed a little bubble between the casing and the rubber.

The other tire went 3000 miles without a flat, and I replaced it only because I couldn't believe it went 3000 miles without a failure of any kind.

No one has asked but on all my tires, for the past few years, I have used Salsa Ultralite tubes.
The Salsa's weigh about two thirds of what conventional tubes weigh, and they perform well.