Hippy is right Conti tyres suck arse!

My Veloflex's are worn near to death, and I can only remember having to fix the front once. 180g of low tech lovelyness.

top contact's are good

Ha!

top contact's are good

and are the same weight as 2 or 3 Gatorskins. So in theory you could put 3 Gatorskins on at the same time. I would imagine the puncture rate would be low (probably because you wouldn't be able to ride the bike)

Basic stuff but the more rubber the less chance of puncture. How many punctures would you get if the tyre had 3cm of rubber on the tread...

Basic stuff but the more rubber the less chance of puncture. How many punctures would you get if the tyre had 3cm of rubber on the tread...

Tis a far point. I've never punctured my conti nordic spikes.

But even at a resonable 280g, they should be a bit puncture resistant. Even if the side walls are less than solid (first place to save weight, and improve rolling).

all tyres are shit. FACT.

Tyreist.

Might have to revise my view a little- span the rear wheel up when moving off this morning, cue much hilarity.

i m listening to hippy a lot these days just bought Vittoria Open Corsa Evo Tech tyres and have decided to put Ultegra (instead of Athena) on my Colnago build that starts on Saturday :)

Was tempted to start a new thread called Love Cycling, Hate Bikes, as I've had a number of problems with my bike over the last few weeks. However, other than ranting I realised I was going to ask for tyre advice. After a number of punctures (glass, thorns, pinches) in the original tyres (Continentals) and also with a cheap temporary tyre from Halfords, I decided to invest in some Continental Gatorskins. Colleauges here at work swear by them, and they get great reviews on Wiggle, so despite Hippy's view, I went for them. Two new tyres, two new tubes. Fourth time riding in this week and get a flat front this morning.

I need a reliable form of transport to get to work (as we all do, I'm sure), so I cant keep dealing with fixing punctures at 7am. The roads on which i ride aren't particulary smooth (pot holes, cracks, sunk drain covers) and as I couldn't see anything in the tyre i'm wondering whether its another pinch flat (the tyre was pumped up to recommended pressure of 95 psi). Now the dilema...I love cycling in to work, but with 2 to 3 punctures per week (ok, one so far this week, but I still have the ride home to look forward to) it's really not looking like an appropriate way to get to work anymore. So, I have a few options: sell the bike and put the money towards petrol, spend another 40 quid on some other set of "puncture resistant" tyres (which may or may not work) or get another bike/frame that will accept wider tyres (as I'm concerned that the 25mm ones I'm using just aren't enough for poor state the roads are in and I don't think any wider ones will fit in the Mongoose frame).

Anyways, sorry for the long rant but any ideas welcome based on your experiences in the past.

Cheers

tyre psi higher?
i like armadillos. that probably causes mirth with hippy and some others.

Yeah. Maybe I'll try 105 and see how that goes.
Thanks

This might help...

http://www.lfgss.com/thread11540.html

Maxxis re-fuse Mongoose. I haven't had a puncture in over 9 months and I've been on some shit roads and ridden over all sorts of crap. Every now and then I let them down and pick the bits of glass out but only one has ever gone all the way through. Tough as a tyre can be and reasonably comfortable to ride on too.

Although having said that I'm fully expecting a puncture tonight...

Thanks lads. Gives me a few more options.

Gav...fingers crossed it will be a puncture free ride for you tonight!

I'd say 'I told you so' but that would be rubbing salt in the wounds.
Four Seasons are meant to be good but why would I give Conti any money when their other products are not fit for purpose? Vittoria, Schwalbe, Hutchison, Michelin, Vredestein.. you have lots of options..

Dunno if you can get Mr Tuffy here but elGuapo swears by 'em.

Mongoose.

Don't sell up yet old bean. I trundle about on Armadillos and frankly if you want to be bomb proof, these will do it. Scrunch them in your hand in the shop and you'll see they're made of some pretty rigid shit (which I have to admit doesn't fill me with confidence when I'm pushing through a corner in the wet). They're a bit of a sod to get on and off but I haven't punctured since I got them 1500 miles ago. If it's the exasperation you want to avoid I'd go for these.

That said - reading this thread, I'm going to try something which might run a little better so I'm tossing coins between some Maxxi Reuse, some Rubino's (not sure which) and maybe even some Schwalbe Marathon plus (does anyone think they look too tready to improve my ride?)...

In my experience.
Schwalbe Marathon plus > Schwalbe Marathon = vittoria randonneur > specialized armadillos > bontrager hardcase >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> continentals

Hardcases are grippy though and still not bad tyres for puncture protechtion.

I've been using a Schwalbe Marathon Plus on the rear of the Condor (28) and the Kinesis (25).
They are heavy and I don't really like the handling but they are bloody tough. MA3K suggested these for skidders ages ago. I've got a new one under my desk at the moment. I've not used them for a front tyre, I think they might be too squirmy (technical term).

I've been using a Schwalbe Marathon Plus on the rear of the Condor (28) and the Kinesis (25).
They are heavy and I don't really like the handling but they are bloody tough. MA3K suggested these for skidders ages ago. I've got a new one under my desk at the moment. I've not used them for a front tyre, I think they might be too squirmy (technical term).

They must handle better than the plasticky Armadillos though don't they? (I think I know what you're going to say - 'try them out yourself')...

MY scale is mainly measured in terms of puncture protection, I'de agree that Marathon plus are heavy and not the nicest for grip. That's why I'm not too keen armadillos, the puncture protection is ok, but not as good as others and the handling is pretty ropey IME.

Sliks FTW.

They must handle better than the plasticky Armadillos though don't they? (I think I know what you're going to say - 'try them out yourself')...

I'd say they are about the same but with better puncture protection.

They must handle better than the plasticky Armadillos though don't they? (I think I know what you're going to say - 'try them out yourself')...

No. I'm not talking about grip (or lack of) in the wet which is what I think you're getting at with the Armadillos, I'm talking about the large, thick tread moving about more than I like when cornering. It's also quite noticeable when riding on little ridges like those formed by white lane marking lines. It's not a big deal but something I definitely notice when moving from plain ol' Rubino Pros.

That's me sorted then. I'm going to bench the Armadillos and try some Maxxis for a bit - see how I get on. Nice advice lads cheers.