Tyres and the P-word... (winter / road)

[Will Spin]

You still need to carry a repair kit and spare tubes if you're using tubeless tyres. It's just that you're less likely to need them. A big chunk of glass could still make a hole the sealant can't cope with. That's my understanding from reading anyway, I've never used tubeless.

I run Durano Plus year round and only get about one puncture per 5,000 km* so I'm generally just a casual observer of these threads.

*Rough guess

Yes, that's my experience with tubeless. I've taken them off my bikes and now trying Durano Plus.

 

[si_c]

I've had great success with both Vittoria Zaffiro Pro and Bontrager AW series tyres through winter - both have excellent puncture protection, grip really well and last a good distance before requiring replacement. The Vittorias have the added advantage that they are really well priced.

The tyres you have fitted currently will be a bit quicker and a bit more comfortable than both of these due to their construction (higher TPI generally means more comfort and slightly faster) and whilst they will have a puncture protection belt, they are likely to wear a bit quicker than the two mentioned above.

My suggestion would be to find a replacement tyre for winter (cheaper, better puncture protection and longer life), so look at Schwalbe Durano, Vittoria Zaffiro/Rubino and the Bontrager AW2/3. Get a tyre with a folding bead (which is the bit that grips the rim of the wheel) as this will make fixing punctures much easier if you do happen to get one.

The upside to a winter tyre is that when you swap your nice tyre back on for summer, it will feel much nicer!

 

[Mo1959]

My other advice would be to try to avoid riding on the shoot that motorists leave on wet roads by pounding their heavy vehicles through puddles and breaking up the surfaces. The sharpest shoot often congregates along the centres and edges of lanes. I wince when I hear the sound of bike tyres crunching along the rubbish in the middle of a lane.

Second this advice.................I try and mostly cycle roughly where vehicles nearside tyres would be and have usually thrown any rubbish to the side.

I've had good success with Vittoria Rubino Pros but maybe it's just luck.

 

[kingrollo]

Pro 4 endurance for winter. Major downside is getting the things on and off - very tough.

My new favourite tyre is the Pirelli P Zero.

 

[si_c]

That's interesting. I don't know anything about folding tyres and I always just assumed that they were just for people who went on big tours and needed to get their tyres into their luggage. I didn't realise that people bought them for their own benefits, like fit-ability and weight (and anything else? ...)

I'm still not convinced that my next set of tyres should be folding, but I'm beginning to wonder.

The bead is a softer kevlar rather than the usual wire bead. A lot of tyres are now folding bead tyres, and they are easier to fit than the older kind. For example I use the Zaffiro Pro tyres on my commuter, they have a folding bead, and I don't need a tyre lever to get them on or off and the rims are fairly average width (18mm), this makes roadside punctures far less of a concern as I don't even need to take my gloves off.

 

[mjr]

I've had great success with both Vittoria Zaffiro Pro [...] Vittoria Zaffiro/ [...]

Buyer Beware! Vittoria have copied Schwalbe and confusingly sell very different tyres under similar names. While the Zaffiro Pro seems OK (although I think the Rubino Pro is better), the plain Zaffiro Slick seems about as puncture-resistant as, well, fairly thin rubber.

 

[mjr]

If mail-ordering, folding tyres less often arrive with the bead kinked or broken, of course. Also avoids wearing them as bandoliers home from the shop or having a very wide or tall thing on the luggage rack.

 

[si_c]

Buyer Beware! Vittoria have copied Schwalbe and confusingly sell very different tyres under similar names. While the Zaffiro Pro seems OK (although I think the Rubino Pro is better), the plain Zaffiro Slick seems about as puncture-resistant as, well, fairly thin rubber.

Yeah, there are a lot of confusing models, my understanding of the slick is that it is very similar to the base Zaffiro, just with no tread. Not that the tread is particularly thick or does a huge amount anyway, so it should have the same puncture protection belt.

The main difference between the Zaffiro and Rubino is that the former is classed as a "training" tyre and the Rubino is endurance, the difference being the durability of the latter is improved, whereas the Zaffiro is grippier and easier rolling. I've run both, and in practice they seem to be very similar. Both last a decent amount of time for the price (I get about 5000mi out of a front and 3000mi from the rear) and don't puncture very often, once or twice a year with them is the norm for me at the moment.

 

[mjr]

Yeah, there are a lot of confusing models, my understanding of the slick is that it is very similar to the base Zaffiro, just with no tread. Not that the tread is particularly thick or does a huge amount anyway, so it should have the same puncture protection belt.

I'm not sure. At the least, I think there have been more "new" versions of the Pro (at least 7 now, with the G+) than the base (4 or 5 so far?), but at least they seem to be the same basic construction, unlike the various Voyagers where even the tpi varies.

 

[Pale Rider]

I think I’m going to swap to a more wintry tyre and go tubeless at the same time. As I use this bike quite a lot, hopefully it will be worth it.

The OP is going tubeless so time to summon @Sea of vapours who has experience of what works in a tubeless roadie set-up.

I could comment on my 2.4" Schwalbe Moto-X tyres which I run tubeless, but 40psi in a balloon tyre is a different consideration to 80+ psi in a narrow road tyre.

 

[Sea of vapours]

40psi in a balloon tyre is a different consideration to 80+ psi in a narrow road tyre

It certainly is very different. I run 70psi rear and 55psi front though, in 28mm Hutchinson Secteurs, so it's not 'normal / tubed' road pressures, arguably, though much narrower than your tyres.

I second, or maybe third, the comment about still carrying a spare tube and a (slightly different) puncture repair kit when running tubeless, however. That said, in nearly 30,000km of tubeless usage, I've never actually used either, despite a couple of glass cuts and a few smaller punctures.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I tried road tubeless last year. There was a very marginal advantage, mostly in the rolling mass, and lack of tube meaning I could run a lower pressure without pinch flat risk, which increased comfort. However, they don’t do a very good job of preventing punctures, in my experience, and the worst thing you can get ( on a road tubeless set up ) is a partial loss of pressure as a p* seals. It’s fine if it happens going up a hill, or a low(ish) speed straight flat bit, but if that happens going downhill, or on a fast twisty bit, it gets ‘interesting’. I love the tubeless on my MTBs, I can’t see any advantage to use them on the road bikes. I had to use a tube to get me home on more than one occasion, which was messy, and then made the choice of tubeless a pointless one.

 

[capricapers]

I've had great success with both Vittoria Zaffiro Pro and Bontrager AW series tyres through winter - both have excellent puncture protection, grip really well and last a good distance before requiring replacement. The Vittorias have the added advantage that they are really well priced.

The tyres you have fitted currently will be a bit quicker and a bit more comfortable than both of these due to their construction (higher TPI generally means more comfort and slightly faster) and whilst they will have a puncture protection belt, they are likely to wear a bit quicker than the two mentioned above.

My suggestion would be to find a replacement tyre for winter (cheaper, better puncture protection and longer life), so look at Schwalbe Durano, Vittoria Zaffiro/Rubino and the Bontrager AW2/3. Get a tyre with a folding bead (which is the bit that grips the rim of the wheel) as this will make fixing punctures much easier if you do happen to get one.

The upside to a winter tyre is that when you swap your nice tyre back on for summer, it will feel much nicer!

That’s such a wonderful, thoughtful and incisive answer. Thank you!

 

[simongt]

There are a number of us who run Marathon Plus tyres and are happy with their puncture resistance and longevity.

Agree. I've been running said tyres now for about five years on a 25 mile round daily commute and had three punctures in that time. Yes, they have their downsides, but for me, the reasonable peace of mind they give more than compensates for having to fix a puncture at 23.30h on a dark rural road - !
Although it may be stating the obvious, I also ensure that I steer away from any road debris that is likely to cause a puncture.

 

[jay clock]

Winter Conti Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons . I would happily keep on all year but summer bike has slightly faster 4000s