Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

A recent puncture has exposed the dire state of the tyres on my road bike, with a number of full-depth nicks in them leaving them as more of a liability than I'd like.

I am still running Shimano 11 speed Ultegra rim brakes, so I *think* 28mm road tyres is likely the largest I can fit? I currently have Conti GP4000s on there, which have served me well but are now due to be retyred.

While ideally I'll be replacing both the road bike and my CX with a more dual-purpose bikepacking/road rig in due course, for the meantime I still want to ride it to work - and when it's time to sell it, I don't want to put the next owner at risk.

So then, what is the go-to for 700c tyres at the moment? Is there a preferred option for general fast road/group riding that isn't racing, all-weather without being a puncture-resistant boat anchor?

Maxxis Re-fuse

P!N20 wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 26, 2024 9:51 pm

Maxxis Re-fuse

I would not recommend the Re-Fuse. The indepedent testing done on Bicycle Rolling Resistance concluded that they are the slowest testing tyre they've ever tested by a decent margin.

Most of the modern race tyres have improved somewhat for puncture protection - the Continental GP5000 is still a great choice, and the Pirelli P Zero Race TLR (and RS version) are also very good. My experience with both has been excellent.

If your bike is the Merida Scultura 5000 you've got listed in the profile, then 28mm may fit, but 25mm definitely will.

The Re-Fuse are indeed sluggish. I am also a fan of Pirelli P Zero - have these on my roadie.

nezumi wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 26, 2024 7:50 pm

A recent puncture has exposed the dire state of the tyres on my road bike, with a number of full-depth nicks in them leaving them as more of a liability than I'd like.

I am still running Shimano 11 speed Ultegra rim brakes, so I *think* 28mm road tyres is likely the largest I can fit? I currently have Conti GP4000s on there, which have served me well but are now due to be retyred.

While ideally I'll be replacing both the road bike and my CX with a more dual-purpose bikepacking/road rig in due course, for the meantime I still want to ride it to work - and when it's time to sell it, I don't want to put the next owner at risk.

So then, what is the go-to for 700c tyres at the moment? Is there a preferred option for general fast road/group riding that isn't racing, all-weather without being a puncture-resistant boat anchor?

I like Pirelli P-Zero - I have been using those for a long time and I am happy. Currently using the 26mm version (yes, that is what they have now).

Making any tyre choices is inevitably making a trade off between Price, Durability, Weight, Rolling resistance, Width and Grip !

There are probably almost as many impressions and different recommendations as there are commentators

It also depends on how much stock is surplus and other marketing factors I suppose.
And some bike shops only carry certain brands - for various reasons.

So what is my favourite choice of tyres ?
Well I’m not going to buy anything that costs more than 70 dollars.

But generally my experience is that Specialized are a good choice. Also Michelin, and some Maxxis and some Vittoria !

Pirelli ?
Haven’t tried them so I can’t comment !

elantra wrote: Well I’m not going to buy anything that costs more than 70 dollars.

My thoughts too.
$50.00 is more within my acceptable price range.
I've been riding on Schwalbe One's (Not Pro One) at about 50 smackas and they are very good. Can't tell any difference between them and the old Conti GP4000. I get about 7000km on the rear but I'm not heavy on my gear.
The Pirelli P Zero (Road not Race) 26mm tyres are available from Bikes Online for a little over $50.00. I might try a pair.
https://bikesonline.com.au/products/pir ... gJgTvD_BwE

Correction; The Pirellis are out of stock. Bugger.

Tim wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 27, 2024 9:21 am

Correction; The Pirellis are out of stock. Bugger.

I usually just get Pirelli tyres from 99 bikes. I don't buy anything else from them other than tyres.

https://www.99bikes.com.au/tyre-pirelli ... -26c-black
or
https://www.99bikes.com.au/tyre-pirelli ... x26c-black

Both of those are good tyres.

Both are more than $50 so excluded from your selection criteria.

Tim wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 27, 2024 9:21 am

elantra wrote: Well I’m not going to buy anything that costs more than 70 dollars.

My thoughts too.
$50.00 is more within my acceptable price range.
I've been riding on Schwalbe One's (Not Pro One) at about 50 smackas and they are very good. Can't tell any difference between them and the old Conti GP4000. I get about 7000km on the rear but I'm not heavy on my gear.
The Pirelli P Zero (Road not Race) 26mm tyres are available from Bikes Online for a little over $50.00. I might try a pair.
https://bikesonline.com.au/products/pir ... gJgTvD_BwE

Correction; The Pirellis are out of stock. Bugger.

CCache have a bunch of Goodyear Sport on runout down to $33.

https://ccache.cc/collections/road-tyre ... _by=manual

I'd buy a bunch if I were you! Not hugely fast but tough and for that price you can't go wrong.

Thanks for the tips g-boaf and Mr Purple.
Think I'll snap up a few of the Goodyear numbers and maybe even lash out on some Pirellis for my favourite hill-climbing bike.

Reading this thread and the prices, that is the downside of tubeless. Tubed are just much cheaper.
Not going back but it is quite a price difference.
Running Schwalbe Pro One TLRs at the moment and happy.
The Pirelli and Conti equivalent in tubeless are north of $100- which is just ridiculous for a bicycle tyre. People seem happy enough to pay it, so it isn't coming down

Rather than create another thread i thought id just jump in on this one. Currently running panaracer gravel king (slicks in 38mm) on my commuter but getting a lot of punctures lately (last couple of rides in the wet ive punctured so looking for something a bit more durable. Happy for any recommendations in the 28-32mm sizing. Preferable around the $40 per tyre, give or take a few $$.
Thanks

vinski wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 27, 2024 3:45 pm

Rather than create another thread i thought id just jump in on this one. Currently running panaracer gravel king (slicks in 38mm) on my commuter but getting a lot of punctures lately (last couple of rides in the wet ive punctured so looking for something a bit more durable. Happy for any recommendations in the 28-32mm sizing. Preferable around the $40 per tyre, give or take a few $$.
Thanks

I have used them in 35mm but used them tubeless. No punctures. The latex sealant does the job unless something very large has penetrated the tyre or the sealant has been in there for months and dried out.

vinski wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 27, 2024 3:45 pm

Rather than create another thread i thought id just jump in on this one. Currently running panaracer gravel king (slicks in 38mm) on my commuter but getting a lot of punctures lately (last couple of rides in the wet ive punctured so looking for something a bit more durable. Happy for any recommendations in the 28-32mm sizing. Preferable around the $40 per tyre, give or take a few $$.
Thanks

Continental Contact Urbans are supposed to be very good fast grippy and pretty tough, seems you can find them for about $50 each.

Otherwise Schwalbe Marathons are classics for a reason, good luck deciphering all the different versions...

Retrobyte wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 27, 2024 8:13 am

The Re-Fuse are indeed sluggish. I am also a fan of Pirelli P Zero - have these on my roadie.

Maybe that is my problem. I just thought I was slow.

I've tried a few and I liked Marathon Supreme until they stopped making them in 28mm.

Michelins I never liked, lost grip a couple of times on them, but both situations were such that I'm not sure any tyre would have had any grip. Still, it is hard not to be biased against tyres that went from under me.

I have been running the Pirelli P Zero for a while and find them fast and grippy and not prone to punctures.

DS

Going back to the first line of enquiry....

Although others here have been critical of them, I always liked the Continental Gatorskins for finding a balance between durability without being too heavy and dead to ride. When I rode road, I wasn't interested in racing, so super light & fast wasn't a high priority, being able to cover a lot of distance reliably and somewhat efficiently was my big concern, and they do that very well. Wet weather grip isn't as good as more performance-oriented tyres, but that's normal for tyres designed with durability in mind, however they are not as bad as some people have made them out to be. In close to 20 years of using them, I only had one moment in the wet, and given the way my feet were skating around when I picked myself up, I'm sure there was oil on the road, so the tyres can't really be blamed for that.

Part 2 of the first line of enquiry.... Shimano's 11-sp.-series rim brake calipers are shaped so they will fit around 28mm tyres much better than earlier models. Your brakes will fit the tyres, however you'll still need to check if the frame and fork have enough clearance.