Winter tyres or year round?

[Granville57]

I've been to England and Wales, but never to Scotland—much to my great disappointment.


But that's the only thing I can add to the above dialogue.

 

[King Boonen]

I've been to England and Wales, but never to Scotland—much to my great disappointment.


But that's the only thing I can add to the above dialogue.

Sounds like you need to make a trip then

 

[Hawkwood]

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.

I really like the Krylions in 23mm, I've got four left, all came from a French sports shop chain late last year. I got the Endurances in 25mm, and this is a subjective view, feel they're a little slow.

 

[stutue]

I've got the Endurances (25mm) on deep-rimmed carbon wheels and I'd say they roll no worse (and probably better) than the Krylions.

In fact, I'm getting quite fond of 25mm tyres. Maybe its my age

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Sounds like you need to make a trip then

Been to Scotland 3 times..once to the tourist haven of Edinburgh, then to the much more interesting Inverness and Glasgow(really enjoyed this city...very similar to Milan)...Went in September and the weather was beautiful and not crowded..Do the Brit-Rail gig...easy and fast.

 

[stutue]

If you go again, take the bike, and go up the west coast starting from Arran, all the way round to the top. If you get good weather you'll be stunned by the impossible beauty.

If the weather doesn't play ball, the only thing to do is get very acquainted with the regional variations in whisky (beware: they are subtle and need in depth study)

 

[King Boonen]

I've done most of the islands and west coast, not on a bike, and it really is unbelievable.

Planning John O'Groats to Lands End next year but will be doing the West Coast the year afterwards.

 

[stutue]

I did a JoGLE some years back. We took the Strathnaver road south from Bettyhill to Lairg. Then Loch Ness to Fort William. Then Corranferry and across to Mull. It was here that I found out just how awesome the west coast is.

Went back the next year and did Thurness to Ardrossan. It was August. For two days it rained hail and my hands were so cold I couldn't brake. The rest of the days were 25°C+.

Sometimes visitors are quite surprised by how much the weather can change here

 

[King Boonen]

We're currently discussing the route so any other recommendations are welcome.

Harris is possibly the most amazing place I've been in Scotland. Hushinish bay and the one around the outcrop across from Scarp are awesome.

I think we're planning to do it scenically rather than just hammering it and trying to do as much as possible per day, so maybe I can convince them to take in a Island or two...

 

[stutue]

We did 1000 miles in 10 days on heavy steel bikes with panniers. Stayed in pubs and B&Bs. Tended to start at about 8am and finish about 6pm. Wouldn't recommend doing any greater distance under those circumstances.

Would thoroughly recommend avoiding all main roads and adding more miles. Otherwise its pointless. We met people who had taken A roads all the way, including the A30 from Exeter (its a motorway in all but name).

If you have the time go directly west all thevway round through ullapool, Skye, boat to Mallaig, across ardnamurchan to Lochaline (lochaline hotel is great, and the White house restaurant too). Onto mull, boat to Oban, through Lochgilphead (the corran b&b), down to tarbert, boat to Arran, over to Ardrossan then take minor roads to border (there is a great pub in Lead hills near Moffat that used to do b&b).

Then, head for Dales taking in Ribblehead viaduct. Come out at Skipton. Weave your way between Manchester and Leeds into the Peak district. Take minor roads through Monsalhead etc. Then skirt between Birmingham and Coventry...there are some rural roads. Head for Woodstock, Cirencester into Cotswolds. Then around through Bath and onto Bridgewater. Then off you go skirting around Dartmoor rather than over it.

Cornwall is a bit of a navigational nightmare as the roads run longitudinally. There is a great B road for the last 30 or 40 miles to Penzance that goes diagonally down the middle and avoids the busy coast roads.

Top tip: get a mapping GPS unit (etrex 30) and use the free web based plotting pages like bikehike and mapmyride to create a route for each day...itvsaves hours of map reading and enables you to easily use very minor roads.

 

[King Boonen]

We'll have some guys driving in support (I've suggested hiring a campervan...) so it'll we'll just have to carry the usual stuff, which should mean that we can cover those kind of distances no problem.

Definitely avoiding main roads as much as possible. This will be my main holiday and I'm not wasting it!!

I'll have a look at that route and see what they think. I'm unsure of the other guys level at the moment. I know I can handle 100 miles a day fine, but not sure what the rest are capable of and I don't know them really so it's a hard one to discuss...

I've been to a fair few of those places and would love to go back on a bike. And if I can convince them to hit up The Three Chimneys on Skye all the better!

I may get in touch to discuss in more detail in future. Currently finding out what gear they are all riding on as I'm guessing I may be the mechanic and it would be good not to have to carry 10 spare chains...

 

[winkybiker]

Would thoroughly recommend avoiding all main roads and adding more miles. Otherwise its pointless. We met people who had taken A roads all the way, including the A30 from Exeter (its a motorway in all but name).

This is the secret to excellent cycle touring. Take the most minor roads you can, everywhere you can. Don't be afraid of the gravel, or even of a bit of exploration down a lane that might have you doubling back. That is the stuff adventures are made of. Get a little lost.

(I too have met people who cycle tour on main highways. Pointless and unpleasant in my view.)

 

[Granville57]

I really like the Krylions in 23mm, I've got four left, all came from a French sports shop chain late last year.

Two questions:

1) Do they say, "Made in France"?

2) How much do you want for them?

 

[avanti]

..........................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.

.........................

Looking briefly on the internet it appears that Krylions are still available at least in the USA (unless suppliers websites are way out of date). See here for performance for example
http://www.performancebike.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10052_10551_1168108_-1___

 

[Granville57]

Looking briefly on the internet it appears that Krylions are still available at least in the USA (unless suppliers websites are way out of date). See here for performance for example
http://www.performancebike.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10052_10551_1168108_-1___

Thanks for that. The video promo seems current, because the guy mentions the Pro 4. He also says that they Krylions are available "exclusively" at Performance Bike. So maybe they bought up a lot of old stock?

The thing is though, they are likely the latter version of the Krylions, and not the longer-lasting (possibly Made-in-France ones) that I original became such a fan of (you may have to read my previously-linked thread for more clarification on that).

Thanks again. I will probably give them a call!

 

[Granville57]

Oh hell. Now this thread has been all carved up because stutue has been banned and, apparently, all his posts deleted.

(Of course he was a returning sock puppet, no surprise there, but his contributions on the tech side of things were worthwhile).

Ah, the internet...

 

[Hawkwood]

Two questions:

1) Do they say, "Made in France"?

2) How much do you want for them?

They don't have Made in France on them, so looks like they're the later version. Thank you for the offer, but as they're one of the few tyres that seem to survive wet flints on Kent roads I think I'd better keep hold of them.

Have you tried Michelin Lithion 2 tyres? The reviews seem okay, and they're cheap.

 

[hiero2]

Oh hell. Now this thread has been all carved up because stutue has been banned and, apparently, all his posts deleted.

(Of course he was a returning sock puppet, no surprise there, but his contributions on the tech side of things were worthwhile).

Ah, the internet...

I agree that he made good contributions in this thread. And the mods apparently have listened to poster requests that his posts in this thread be restored, as I see quite a few from him in the thread as of today.

At least when it came to riding in the wet and cold - and tire choice - he actually knew something about what he was talking about! I checked out the thread to see what was said - as I might have been able to contribute - but the conversation was good - and more current on tire offerings on the market than I could comment on. But I thought we might want to note that apparently the content of the thread had been restored.

 

[King Boonen]

Yeah, I'm glad to see the posts returned as it was a very useful discussion and he really did seem to actually know and care about riding bikes, which can be a refreshing change around here!

Unfortunately I won't be able to get advice on my JoGLE plans but I suppose that's how it goes.


To follow up on this, I plan to run the Grandsports until I don't like the feel anymore/next spring and then swap to some GP4000S II's or Michelin Pro4 Service course for the build up to the JoGLE.

 

[Archibald]

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?

for winter, 4seasons over the 4000s. 4000s puncture too often and not nearly robust enough... Used 4seasons for a time and even raced on them one winter with no issues until I moved to Rubino Pros. They were far better, but I then upgraded to Corsa Evo's and haven't looked back [for racing].

Gatoskins are just too slippery for the wet. I spent years commuting in London and have spent the past few years in Sydney - which seems to rain more than London!! Sh1ttier roads too.
Have had the most success in both cities, year-round, with the Rubino Pro Tech. And that's after using Ultra Sports, Gatorskins and regular Rubino Pros.
Have been recommended the Duranos, but have no need or desire to get rid of the Techs - currently just under 7,000kms and still going fine.
As for the michelin pro race, I know one person who tried them and they got rid of them after a couple of months

 

[avanti]

Winter tires - the choice depends on the climate where you live. Where I live it snows during the winter but the snow dries up in 24 hours (except for shaded areas). My problem is that the roads get a coating of sand over the snow which is left behind when the snow dries up and makes the road slippery, especially on corners. I recently bought Maxxis Re-Fuse tires (700x 25) to try them out for the coming winter based on thread and weight.

 

[Bexon30]

Winter tires - the choice depends on the climate where you live. Where I live it snows during the winter but the snow dries up in 24 hours (except for shaded areas). My problem is that the roads get a coating of sand over the snow which is left behind when the snow dries up and makes the road slippery, especially on corners. I recently bought Maxxis Re-Fuse tires (700x 25) to try them out for the coming winter based on thread and weight.

Last winter I was in Andalusia so tyres were not really an issue. This year I'm in the Derbyshire region and head into the dales a lot. This will include small country roads with hedgerow debris, gravel and alike. I'm not sure which winter tyre to go with. Durano's, Gator skins, or Rubino pro tech. I'm put off by the Gators because I'm after as much grip as possible. Any advice would be more than helpful.

 

[winkybiker]

for winter, 4seasons over the 4000s. 4000s puncture too often and not nearly robust enough...

Not in my experience. I find them to be very durable.

 

[dougvdh]

I'm a big fan of CX tires at ~25psi pressure. They roll relatively well where it's hard packed, but don't sink in too much where it get chewed up. But if you get off the beaten path, it's still game over. However, that said, by the sounds of others' tire recommendations, I'm dealing with a bit more 'winter'.

 

[Archibald]

Not in my experience. I find them to be very durable.

can't speak for myself, but a mate in Melbourne was puncturing regularly on them - I've stayed away from them for that reason.
He switched to Rubinos and had no issues...