Winter tyres or year round?

[King Boonen]

Hi all,

Currently running Continental Grandsport Race, they have been fine so far but it's getting wet and cold here (well, wetter and colder, it is Scotland after all!) and I'm thinking of moving to Continental 4 Seasons. Is there any point in me running different tyres in the dry? I'm not racing, just out for fun but I'm happy to change if it's worthwhile. I used black chilli compound tyres on my MTB and like them so looking to something in the Continental range but happy to look elsewhere.

There's so much choice it's making my head spin!


So, what should I do? Any suggestions for winter or all year tyres?

 

[stutue]

Year round tyres are a compromise. If you ride beefy tyres, you won't be plagued by punctures in the winter but ride quality will be poor. If you ride light tyres like the Michelin Pro 3 you will have lovely supple tyres that feel almost like tubs, but you'll get punctures, especially if its wet. Not to mention how quickly they cut up.

Its one thing to have a puncture on a warm sunny day, but it is quite another on a cold winters day when your fingers won't work and you get very cold (and wet).

For commuting duties I use Schwalbe Durango Plus. Very very durable, and much better traction than the Conti equivalent (Gatorskins), but the ride is lumpy.

An excellent compromise used to be Michelin Krylion Carbon, but they stopped making them (probably because they were so good and lasted so long). The supposed equivalent, Pro 3 Endurance, is not as durable. (I use them from about April until October)

 

[Hawkwood]

An excellent compromise used to be Michelin Krylion Carbon, but they stopped making them (probably because they were so good and lasted so long). The supposed equivalent, Pro 3 Endurance, is not as durable. (I use them from about April until October)

Do you mean the Pro 4 Endurance, I think it's the Krylion replacement? I picked up four Krylion tyres in a Decathlon shop in France last year, this was after they'd stopped making them, so there might be more available out there. The Krylions do seem fast and tough, and they do a good job of fending off punctures from flints on my local roads. I do pick the embedded flints out of the rubber every so often.

 

[stutue]

Yes Pro 4, sorry.

Yep Krylions were amazing

 

[simo1733]

Hi all,

Currently running Continental Grandsport Race, they have been fine so far but it's getting wet and cold here (well, wetter and colder, it is Scotland after all!) and I'm thinking of moving to Continental 4 Seasons. Is there any point in me running different tyres in the dry? I'm not racing, just out for fun but I'm happy to change if it's worthwhile. I used black chilli compound tyres on my MTB and like them so looking to something in the Continental range but happy to look elsewhere.

There's so much choice it's making my head spin!


So, what should I do? Any suggestions for winter or all year tyres?

I reccomend Conti Supersport for winter tyres.Excellent puncture resistence.I have used them for years.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Hi all,

Currently running Continental Grandsport Race, they have been fine so far but it's getting wet and cold here (well, wetter and colder, it is Scotland after all!) and I'm thinking of moving to Continental 4 Seasons. Is there any point in me running different tyres in the dry? I'm not racing, just out for fun but I'm happy to change if it's worthwhile. I used black chilli compound tyres on my MTB and like them so looking to something in the Continental range but happy to look elsewhere.

There's so much choice it's making my head spin!


So, what should I do? Any suggestions for winter or all year tyres?

Where in Scotland? I have some family(distant but still) in Inverness.

Scottish independence? I know OT but curious about how one in the trenches feels about it.

Tyres..look at Vittoria Paves..I use 'em year round here in the republic..

 

[King Boonen]

Thanks guys,

I've asked locally as well and continental gatorskins seem to come out on top for commuters, GP4000S 2's for road riders or four seasons. I will check out the options here too, most people I asked said I'd be fine on whatever as long as I was sensible.

Bustedknuckle, I'm English living in Scotland, so for me I just want what is best for Scotland. The SNP have made their campaign very emotional, that's fine for those voting with their heart, but many people are also using their heads. There are a very large number of questions left unanswered and a large amount of uncertainty. Alex Salmond has also been reveiled to be a bit of a joke politically when he comes up against someone more politically astute.

I also feel more European than English/British and dislike this idea of fragmenting everything back into fifedoms.

I want the best for Scotland, and we are in a unique position in that we are not oppressed and are not fighting to get out from under a dictator or anything of that ilk. We can make a decision based on what we feel is best for us, but the SNP have so far failed to convince me that independence is best.

 

[stutue]

Seriously don't go for Gators. They are very slippery. Also the sidewalls are weak. The Durano Plus are superior in both respects. I have at least 5 years experience of both. I stopped using Gators after two nasty winter crashes on wet roads. None since, 5 years later on the same roads.

Scotland. It'll be a 'No' I think. I have Scottish family up there and they are adamantly against it and don't know anybody who isn't. Mind you they are all educated.

Salmond has built his career on this, but he is a chancer. He's trying desperately to get a head to head debate with Cameron because he knows Cameron's gammon-faced Etonite elitist manner will play well to Salmonds punters. Problem for Salmond is that he is claiming that Scotland is ruled by a government not chosen by the Scots. What he doesn't remember is that it wasn't chosen by the English either, but at least the Scots have their own parliament. We just have Cameron and his band of caviar-fed ghouls.

At least if Scotland went independent they wouldn't be able to blame their ills on the English anymore, although financially the loss of that hefty subsidy that the Scots benefit from over and above the rest of the UK population might hurt a bit. The fact is, at present, the whole of the UK is largely subsidised by what goes on in the south-east of England. Scotland gets a bigger chunk per head of population than anywhere else. I think quite a few Scots realise this.

There is more to life than money though. And it is up to them.

 

[King Boonen]

I was a bit worried about slippyness, they seem quite hard, that's why I'm leaning more towards the four seasons or gp4000s. How do they compare to duranos?


Bang on about Salmond, he always plays the person and never actually answers the question. He was shown up massively by Alistair Darling in the debate.

 

[stutue]

Different type of tyre, hard to compare. The Durano Plus isn't really a training tyre, its not quick, and has a lumpy feel....but it is tough as hell and not slidey.

GP/4 seasons will ride better but not as tough. For example the Durano can withstand dirt tracks without cutting up.

I suppose it comes down to reliability vs sporty performance. But if it is between Gators and Duranos, the Duranos are way superior.

 

[King Boonen]

I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of durability for performance, I tend to avoid dirt tracks and would probably get something specific for them if I was going to be riding them on my routes with any frequency. I'm a bit fixated on contis because they have worked so well on my mountain bike, especially with the black chilli compound, they just grip everything. Not sure if I really need the tread of the 4 seasons over the 4000s, it's the compound that makes the most difference on road right?

 

[Master50]

As suggested, winter tires often lack performance and I worry they may be harder, hence less traction in the wet. But punctures are far more common in the wet too so I do ride a winter tire with good puncture protection. Vittoria rubino or Shwalbe durano are the tires I current use in winter here.

 

[stutue]

I think KB might get riled with the ride quality of Durango/Gators.

For me, I ride a lot of winter miles, quite long ones too, and the experience of punctures in rain and hail at 0°C, in the dark, with 120+ miles in my legs makes me want a bit of solidity in my tyres.

Its horses for courses. On short rides in the winter sun I'll ride pro4s.

 

[King Boonen]

As suggested, winter tires often lack performance and I worry they may be harder, hence less traction in the wet. But punctures are far more common in the wet too so I do ride a winter tire with good puncture protection. Vittoria rubino or Shwalbe durano are the tires I current use in winter here.

I think KB might get riled with the ride quality of Durango/Gators.

For me, I ride a lot of winter miles, quite long ones too, and the experience of punctures in rain and hail at 0°C, in the dark, with 120+ miles in my legs makes me want a bit of solidity in my tyres.

Its horses for courses. On short rides in the winter sun I'll ride pro4s.

Thanks guys. Maybe I'll get annoyed with changing tubes and move to Duranos, stutue, then you'll be able to grin and think I should have listened straight away . I do plan on doing a lot of miles if I can and today I had to get the arm warmers out (still no gloves though...). Thinking if I go for GP4000s II's I can always get some Duranos if I keep getting punctures and use the GP's in the summer. I will ride my Grandsports for now though and see how I get on with them. They were fine today in the wind, rain and hail...

I'm a mountain biker so I do have a tendency to lean into corners and push for grip (although maybe I'm not really, I don't have anything to compare my riding to) which is why I'm looking at the compound more than the protection.

 

[stutue]

No need for Duranos until October down here, can't vouch for Scotland!

 

[King Boonen]

No need for Duranos until October down here, can't vouch for Scotland!

15-20mph winds today (probably more in some places) rain, hail, overcast. I had to buy arm warmers before I set out.

It was awesome

Yeah, I think I have a couple of months yet so will see how the current tyres fair.

 

[stutue]

Which part of Scotland are you in?

 

[Granville57]

Its one thing to have a puncture on a warm sunny day, but it is quite another on a cold winters day when your fingers won't work and you get very cold (and wet).

Amen to that.

An excellent compromise used to be Michelin Krylion Carbon, but they stopped making them (probably because they were so good and lasted so long)

The supposed equivalent, Pro 3 Endurance, is not as durable. (I use them from about April until October)

This is an issue I raised a few years ago:
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=14117&highlight=michelin
Those Krylion were awesome, and I immediately noticed a drop in durability when the switch was made to the Endurance series. Just when I thought I had found my perfect training/endurance tire.

I've been riding the Pro 4 Comp for most of the summer, but just recently had to switch back to the Pro 4 Endurance after multiple rear flats. The Pro 4 feel great, but they are what they are: not as durable as the Endurance. Another point of interest is sizing. I get the impression that most people tend to go for the 25c, believing there is some endurance advantage with a the wider size. But I greatly prefer the 23c for overall handling, and have not noticed any disadvantage to using the narrow size.

The other tire I've had great success with is the Maxxis Detonator.
http://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-254-132-detonator

They run about two thirds the cost of the Michelin, and I found them to be much easier to get on and off the rim. I also found that in extreme rainy conditions, I could drop the pressure quite low and still get very good performance out of them. I plan on switching back to these within a month or so to compare them again.

I'm also curious to try the Maxxis Cormet (for performance, not endurance).
http://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-249-118-cormet
I know that at a few years ago some pro teams were racing on these, even though they are clinchers. UnitedHealthCare was definitely using them.

Curios if anyone else has experience with Maxxis?

 

[King Boonen]

Which part of Scotland are you in?

Glasgow. You'll find me on the Tak-Ma-Doon/Crow Road whenever I get a chance, usually blowing a gasket!

 

[stutue]

Know of it, used to be Robert Millar's training ground. Beautiful.

Don't really know that part of Scotland very well though, usually head north up the west coast but not been up there for oooh 5 years or so. One of the most beautiful parts of the world (when the weather cooperates)

 

[King Boonen]

Know of it, used to be Robert Millar's training ground. Beautiful.

Don't really know that part of Scotland very well though, usually head north up the west coast but not been up there for oooh 5 years or so. One of the most beautiful parts of the world (when the weather cooperates)

Yeah, I do very similar loops to him, obviously not as many! Going to do the Robert Millar Sportive next year. Lovely ride and the fact I can literally start it from work is also a bonus. I'll be out this evening at 5 in fact doing a loop.

If you're up this way give me a shout. You'll be much faster than me so I'll try and hold the wheel as much as possible.

 

[stutue]

Will do, although won't unlikely to be this year, have already maxxed out on free time away from the family. We do go to Stirling from time to time so I'll see what I can do.

 

[King Boonen]

You can drop into Carron Valley from Stirling very easily, probably closer than I am in Glasgow to be honest.

 

[stutue]

Cool, you're on.

 

[King Boonen]

Great, just drop me a message and hopefully the dates line up.