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I damaged the sidewall on both my Strade Bianca tyres earlier this year and got a huge sharp stone through the tread. Wouldn't buy again but only because of how hard they are to get on.
atz-
I used spring clamps for woodworking as extra hands to try and keep the bead in the rim as I worked around the rim. Didn't work. Also ruined one of their latex tubes in the process. Horrible experience, like the pain of giving birth.
A friend who's been riding tubular and challenge tires since ever, says he doesn't know what I'm on about. He explained something about slow, patience and finesse and they just slide on. For me it was like fitting a square peg in a round hole.
Bob_Thod
After the tire talk I was going to pull the trigger on the Continental GP Urban because I know what I would be getting. Will be about 35mm wide, black chilli, poly x. Familiar puncture protection level. However the mystery of the Panaracer was too strong to resist. That and I'm a rubber junkie.
Strada Bianca:
• Measures about 37mm on a 20mm internal width dt swiss rim.
• Has a thick and dedicated puncture protection layer just under the chevron ribbed tread pattern.
• Sidewall is cloth like.
Gravel King Slick:
• Measures about 38mm on a 20mm internal width dt swiss rim.
• In my opinion it has no dedicated puncture protection layer under the knurled and chevron ribbed tread pattern. There is less rubber/thickness there than other tires I'm familiar with. The Conti Grand Sport, GP4 and 5k have more meat in the middle section than this tire.
• Sidewall is covered in the same grippy rubber (anti flat) coating as the tread area and appears/feels more robust than the Bianca.
After 3000+km on the Bianca, no puncture. So far it never met an object that compromised the sidewall. It’s one of only two tires that never punctured. The other being Conti Contact Travel.
The lack of meat in the middle of the GK Slick leaves me uncertain. Makes me think this tire might be its happiest off road, in an area without thorns, and with sealant inside. The fun factor will be really high though.