Which Tyres?

well i'm sold

.

I had early iterations of Kojak slicks in 700x32c that if I remember correctly lasted as long as thick slicks. Came on a bike that I bought new

I'd get Continental Contact Urbans instead.

I’ve just convinced the F24 eRace car team at work to go for Conti Contacts so they better be good or I’m going to look very silly.

Theres Sport Contact, Contact Speed and probably a few others.. I hope you mean the Contact Urbans.

Yep they’re the ones. TBH whatever I suggested would be better than the Marathon+ they’ve been using! They only have a 250w motor and I bet the M+ use a 1/3 of that on their own.

I'm certain they will notice an improvement in RR, rotational mass and probably wet grip as well.
I just googled F24 racing and it looks exciting to be a part of.

Continental Contact Urbans

I'm surprised these get recommended so much given they're wire bead, or does that not matter as much any more? In my head they should be heavy/slow because of it

In my head they should be heavy/slow because of it

I think they are. Nowhere near as folding Supremes. RIP :(

They're fast in my experience but also heavy. Not noticeable until you hit a hill IMO.

Main issue with the wire bead for me was they're not supple.

I went from 40mm Contact Urbans to 35mm GP Urbans and find the GP Urbans a bit faster and also more comfortable.

I think some people may be confusing them up with Continental Grand Prix Urbans which are folding and indeed amazing.

Granted, they are not supple road tyres - but compared to most other commuter/touring tyres they are generally much lighter, the wet grip is outstanding and puncture resistance is very good ime. Also e-bike rated for 50km/h, and with a rated load between 85-135 kg/tyre, which means they work for cargo and tandem applications as well.

Grand Prix Urbans are excellent tyres as well - but does only come in 622x35mm

tl;dr - as an every day cyclist (not training, nor racing) I have yet to find a better tyre.
(though I would like a lugged winter version that comes in 406x50 and 559x50)

Not noticeable until you hit a hill IMO.

I genuinely can't believe that a human being on a bike would notice 100g or so of weight on a hill from a bead in a tyre.

Typical bike or 13kg, typical human adult of 70kg, bottles etc 3kg, total of say 86,000 grams, and 100g is going to make any noticeable difference?

Fwiw I think they're good town bike tyres, but I took them off my tourer as I kept getting punctures on them.

I genuinely can't believe that a human being on a bike would notice 100g

Welcome to cycling

I think I worked it out at closer to 400g difference as I'm on a bike and not a unicycle 😉

Also as the only contact point between this 86kg mass and the road, I do find it makes a difference.

Ooh ooh

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Smooth Gravel sounds like a Bruno Brookes inspired playlist.

100g is HUGE diff for tyres, plus its rotational weight, personally I would never skimp on tyres

those contact urbans are appropriately priced 😂 you get what you pay for

I'm sorry but 0.06% (I think?) of total weight is not going to make any difference of feel to anything. Rotational or not. (Remember we're talking wire bead bs Kevlar bead).

Maybe over 100 miles of mixed terrain might add 1 second, which I'll accept if Amey is short for Pogacar.

The aerodynamics/drag of turning your head sideways to look at a nice tree will have a bigger effect than that tyre difference.

Edit, not suggesting cheaping out, just other variables probably more important than bead, like sidewall / thread suppleness etc etc

We ain’t got time to sightsee!

Always ride the best tires you can afford. No point to be fretting about every small detail to slap 15 quid hybrid tyres with thick butyl tubes.

Main issue with the wire bead for me was they're not supple.

It's surely not the bead material that is affecting the supple-ness of the tyre? More like casing construction. After all, the bead doesn't move during riding (or if it does, it's undesirable).

Or do you mean that wire bead tyres tend to have less supple casing construction in general...

Wet season is here, i'm in need of advices for some news tires for 70/30 road/muddy forest track.
I'm currently running marathon almotion 700x42. Good rolling on the road, rather confortable and durable.
I had wtb resolute which I found very good albeit not so durable.
I saw the 700x44 rene herse but seems a bit high price wise ...
What are the hive mind recommandations around 700x42 ?

As long as it doesn't get too muddy then 44mm Vittoria Mezcals would be my shout. They roll well on the road and seem to be pretty durable as well.