Mr Haematocrit
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Although I am considered a bit of a Specialized fanboy, which I probably deserve I do believe that specific products lacked quality and durability. Specifically the clothing range prior to 2013 and the tyres which lacked grip and suffered poor wear rates.
Since this time I ran for a while Schwalbe Ultremo ZX Tyre 700x23 which is a tyre I really liked, it was grippy, light and felt fast. The wear rates however were of slight concern to me, they were not great and thread at the side of the tyre at times used to come free and undo.. This never caused structural failure, but looked less than attractive.
I then started reading up more about wider tyres having lower rolling resistance, so tried the Continental GP4000s 700x25c and although these tyres are a little heavier than most they feel almost bullet proof, the amount of glass I have picked out of these tyres without getting a puncture is really impressive, they were also comfortable, had a really good wear rate and felt reasonably fast in all conditions although the width of them was noticeable on an areo bike such as the Venge (they measure a slightly larger 25.7 across the tread) and you could not remove the wheel with them inflated.... These minor complaints aside I was going to stick with the GP4000s going forward.
My local LBS started raving on about the new Specialized S-Works Turbo 24c x 700 and encouraging me to try it and suggesting its the best thing since slice bread. Eventually I decided to find out what the fuss was about. These tyres are incredible, they seem as light, if not lighter than the Ultremo ZX while having incredible levels of grip, I've been riding these on my Tarmac for five months now and have not yet had a puncture, the wear rates seem really really good as well. Imho its a really really great tyre and they now reside on my Venge as well with the width not having a noticeable impact to areo
They seem to be in short supply at this moment, but if your looking for a fast durable tyre, they are imho well worth a look. Im not the only one with this opinion as reviews which are starting to come out appear to be equally as positive and enthusiastic
http://charleysbicyclelab.com/2013/the-s-works-turbo-700x24-an-insanely-good-tire/
Since this time I ran for a while Schwalbe Ultremo ZX Tyre 700x23 which is a tyre I really liked, it was grippy, light and felt fast. The wear rates however were of slight concern to me, they were not great and thread at the side of the tyre at times used to come free and undo.. This never caused structural failure, but looked less than attractive.
I then started reading up more about wider tyres having lower rolling resistance, so tried the Continental GP4000s 700x25c and although these tyres are a little heavier than most they feel almost bullet proof, the amount of glass I have picked out of these tyres without getting a puncture is really impressive, they were also comfortable, had a really good wear rate and felt reasonably fast in all conditions although the width of them was noticeable on an areo bike such as the Venge (they measure a slightly larger 25.7 across the tread) and you could not remove the wheel with them inflated.... These minor complaints aside I was going to stick with the GP4000s going forward.
My local LBS started raving on about the new Specialized S-Works Turbo 24c x 700 and encouraging me to try it and suggesting its the best thing since slice bread. Eventually I decided to find out what the fuss was about. These tyres are incredible, they seem as light, if not lighter than the Ultremo ZX while having incredible levels of grip, I've been riding these on my Tarmac for five months now and have not yet had a puncture, the wear rates seem really really good as well. Imho its a really really great tyre and they now reside on my Venge as well with the width not having a noticeable impact to areo
They seem to be in short supply at this moment, but if your looking for a fast durable tyre, they are imho well worth a look. Im not the only one with this opinion as reviews which are starting to come out appear to be equally as positive and enthusiastic
http://charleysbicyclelab.com/2013/the-s-works-turbo-700x24-an-insanely-good-tire/
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