Looks like the economy has been hitting us all pretty hard. It has been a long while since I have bought any new tires... so I have been forced to make old wheels last as long as possible. I won't claim to have tried tons of different tires, but I do ride every other day on the streets of LA. What does this mean? Well in short it means that on a daily basis I throw all there is to throw at a good tire... glass, potholes, crack littered streets, gutter debris, dirt roads, and skid breaking.
With that said I am going to summarize my opinion of the tires I have used in the past and their performance. First up and definitely my favorite set tires I have ever used are the Continental Attack Force combo. I got these guys sometime in '07 and I'm still using the front tire. This is a really tough set and I only got one flat while running these on my rig. This of course is just luck, but I highly recommend this setup to anyone that is looking for good performance and durability... at least in terms of LA Streets. Plus, this is a high end tire that you can grab off Ebay for $65... and that's for the set. Do not be fooled by the retail price from your LBS, at $120. Although I am giving these tires big props, they still get mad cuts. IF YOU RIDE ON SHITTY STREETS YOU WILL GET CUTS IN YOUR TIRES... it is inevitable. However, they are still great performers, and have a good enough casing to really perform on the descents. The tires are front and rear specific giving it some nice added flare and handling. It's a 22 for the front and the classic 23 on the rear. Multi colors available... if you get a set you will not be disappointed and they will last a good while.
With that said I am going to summarize my opinion of the tires I have used in the past and their performance. First up and definitely my favorite set tires I have ever used are the Continental Attack Force combo. I got these guys sometime in '07 and I'm still using the front tire. This is a really tough set and I only got one flat while running these on my rig. This of course is just luck, but I highly recommend this setup to anyone that is looking for good performance and durability... at least in terms of LA Streets. Plus, this is a high end tire that you can grab off Ebay for $65... and that's for the set. Do not be fooled by the retail price from your LBS, at $120. Although I am giving these tires big props, they still get mad cuts. IF YOU RIDE ON SHITTY STREETS YOU WILL GET CUTS IN YOUR TIRES... it is inevitable. However, they are still great performers, and have a good enough casing to really perform on the descents. The tires are front and rear specific giving it some nice added flare and handling. It's a 22 for the front and the classic 23 on the rear. Multi colors available... if you get a set you will not be disappointed and they will last a good while.I now compare tires simply by how long I can ride on a set with the cuts not causing any flats, and cornering ability. My experience is best with the Continentals. The second is definitely cost. I always recommend going cheap, for your daily commutes and weekend rides.
Next tire up is the Schwable Ultremo. This is by far the best performance tire I have ever ridden. The quality here can be felt for sure. It also inflates round, similar to the shape of a tubular, which gives it the handling performance. On technical descents this tire grabs extremely well and gives you that glued to the ground confidence. I love these tires whole heartedly but sadly, I am barred from there use. Why? Well these tires puncture like balloons that's why. I have read pro reviews and reviews from the company claiming the tire as indestructible and puncture proof. I am here to say that my experience is quite the opposite. This tire is extremely light @195 grams and can be felt in how thin the rubber is. I have yet to ride a better quality clincher, but I had to ditch these after a 5 flats in 2 weeks. It was a pure nightmare, flatting on almost every commute for those couple weeks. I still continued to race on them and take these out for big group rides, the traction is worth it in a race scenario. HOWEVER, if you live in Orange County or any where with buttery smooth roads, then these would be perfect.
Vittoria Rubino's... great tire and super cheap. A set will cost you $30 on Ebay... also check the links to chainreactionscycles.com and the wiggle bike shoppe. British bike shops, with great discounts, especially with the exchange rate in our favor. There is a reason you see these on single speeds all around LA. Actually it is probably related more to color options, but also these tires are pretty damn durable. The quality is so so, but will be just fine for training rides, and even big descents. Just don't expect to ride as far out on the limit. What you gain is a tire that will last you a pretty long time, despite the number of cuts you get. I have sported these on all of my bikes, including my fixie... yes the red ones are cool (I sold out to the trend). There are a couple other tires that are cheap, that I would place in this same category... Vittoria Zaffiro's and Vredestein Fortezza's... all about the same price.
Next tire up is the Schwable Ultremo. This is by far the best performance tire I have ever ridden. The quality here can be felt for sure. It also inflates round, similar to the shape of a tubular, which gives it the handling performance. On technical descents this tire grabs extremely well and gives you that glued to the ground confidence. I love these tires whole heartedly but sadly, I am barred from there use. Why? Well these tires puncture like balloons that's why. I have read pro reviews and reviews from the company claiming the tire as indestructible and puncture proof. I am here to say that my experience is quite the opposite. This tire is extremely light @195 grams and can be felt in how thin the rubber is. I have yet to ride a better quality clincher, but I had to ditch these after a 5 flats in 2 weeks. It was a pure nightmare, flatting on almost every commute for those couple weeks. I still continued to race on them and take these out for big group rides, the traction is worth it in a race scenario. HOWEVER, if you live in Orange County or any where with buttery smooth roads, then these would be perfect.Vittoria Rubino's... great tire and super cheap. A set will cost you $30 on Ebay... also check the links to chainreactionscycles.com and the wiggle bike shoppe. British bike shops, with great discounts, especially with the exchange rate in our favor. There is a reason you see these on single speeds all around LA. Actually it is probably related more to color options, but also these tires are pretty damn durable. The quality is so so, but will be just fine for training rides, and even big descents. Just don't expect to ride as far out on the limit. What you gain is a tire that will last you a pretty long time, despite the number of cuts you get. I have sported these on all of my bikes, including my fixie... yes the red ones are cool (I sold out to the trend). There are a couple other tires that are cheap, that I would place in this same category... Vittoria Zaffiro's and Vredestein Fortezza's... all about the same price.So what have we learned here... honestly, probably not a whole lot except one thing. Everyone has their own preferred tires and what works for one person will not necessarily work for others. So far, this is a small outline of what has worked and has not worked for me. Hopefully in some small way this helps some of you.
Now I will leave you with a couple tips for fixing flats on punctured tires. This may sound sketchy to some of you but has worked wonders for me. First and foremost, always ride with some extra electrical tape on your bike. You can wrap some around the seat post or put on extra around that handle bar tape. Next time you flat and the tire gets punctured, take a few layers of electrical tape and place that like a patch on the inside of the tire. This will make sure the tube does not blow out and will restore the tire good as before. I think it's a great permanent fix on new tires that were prematurely punctured. The same spot flat is only as likely as it is to ride over another piece of sharp debris in that exact spot. It may sound a bit ghetto but it works and can save you a good amount of coin. One of my back wheels has 3 spots with tape in it and works perfectly.
Final Thought
Race on - SCHWABLE ULTREMO
Group/Weekend Ride on - CONTINENTAL ATTACK/FORCE
Daily/Commute on - VITTORIA RUBINO PRO
Posts
2 comments:
BEWARE of the Continental attack/force tire as they are the worst tire humanly imaginable. The front tire exploded on my first group ride causing me to lose control and slam into my boy riding next to me. The exploding tire also sent out metal shrapnel which injured nearby riders and pedestrians alike. It was a horrific scene. I called Continental tires and explained what happened and was assured that this was an isolated incident, but two days later the back tire surprisingly caught fire while I on a descent on Mt. Kangchenjunga. My whole bike was engulfed in flames and I suffered fourth degree burns on my ass which have caused me excruciating pain. Now I am suing Continental and their shitty ass attack/force tires.
I too have a sad tale to tell - but with the crappy Vittoria Rubino Pro tire. My daily commute to hell is what it was when I used this tire. Weaving for my life in traffic is not something I would like to do on a daily basis. Avoid believing this fool's reviews!
Post a Comment