Audax which tyres?

[ACS]

I am thinking about having a go at a 100km audax in June as a taster and would like some advice on tyre choice.

At present I have a Tricross with Specialized Borough Sport CX, 700x32c, tyres. Unfortunately, I do not have sufficient knowledge or experience of this kind of event to say if these tyres are suitable or would it prudent to swap them for something more road orientated?

Thank you

Andy

 

[bonj2]

i can highly recommend michelin pro race 3
for audax you might as well go for 25mm, but your choice

 

[Landslide]

Unless rough tracks are specifically mentioned in the event description, you should be safe to assume that the course is suitable for road tyres.
I tend to use 23mm, but as bonj mentions, width is a matter for personal preference.

 

[longers]

I like these in twentyfive mm. Good price and no bother from mine so far. Comfy and quick enough I reckon.

 

[RedBike]

A road orientated tyre would speed the bike up dramatically and make the ride a lot easier.

Although there's several 'buts and exceptions' as rough rule of thumb the narrower the tyre the quicker it is but the more uncomfortable it becomes. Stick with 25+ mm wide tyres (unless you fancy a turn of speed that is!).

Pro3's are a great race tyre. Not that tough by all acounts though (Not had any trouble with mine yet). They're a bit on the costly side espeshially as they wear very quickly / by the sounds of it you're not really going to take advantage of their high end performance.
Ultra Gators are another popular hardwearing high mileage tyre, bit slippy in the wet but pretty puncture proof.

 

[Greenbank]

My choices:-

Expensive option (£27 and last 3000 miles): Conti GP 4 Season in 25mm
Cheap option (£15 and last 6000 miles so far): Panaracer Stradius Elite TG in 26mm

I fit the non-folding Panaracers if I change a tyre at home, and carry a folding GP 4 Season on long rides should I need to replace a tyre out on the road.

 

[P.H]

For a taster I'd stick with what you've got, there'll be plenty of others there on touring bikes with touring size tyres. If you decide to do a few and that the slight increase in speed is important, then the investment in something lighter would be worthwhile. My preference on a bike with clearance for them is the GP 4 Season in 28mm.

 

[vernon]

No need to change your tyres.

Audaxes are completed with just about the full spectrum of bikes ranging from Bromptons through the road based exotica to full suspension mountain bikes and just about all tyre types imaginable.

Unless you want to complete the ride in the fastest time possible, the investment in a set of tyres for Audax events is unnecessary.

FWIW, I use Panaracer Pasela Tourguard tyres. Usually in 28mm width.

 

[GrahamG]

If you're happy with the 32's then just stick with it - nothing wrong with them and it's not worth changing for one 100km ride.

 

[yello]

Conti GP 4 Season in 25mm

Same here. Expensive but oh so worth it.

I made the mistake of doing an audax on GP3000s.... they were ripped to shreds. My mistake entirely, wrong choice of tyre for the course.

 

[jimboalee]

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s121p32

 

[Greenbank]

Same here. Expensive but oh so worth it.

I made the mistake of doing an audax on GP3000s.... they were ripped to shreds. My mistake entirely, wrong choice of tyre for the course.

When GP 4 Seasons go, they go quickly.

My tyre looked ok when I checked it over before a 200.

After the ride I found this: http://www.greenbank.org/misc/reartyre1.jpg

It had done 4700km though, which is about their limit.

 

[yello]

Cheers Greenbank, I'll keep an eye on mine. I would have thought I'm nearing that sort of mileage (if not more!) on them.

 

[ACS]

Many thanks to all for taking the time to give me the benefit of your advice and experience; I will stick with what I have for the time being. I just thought, in my naivety, there may have been a good reason swapping over to a road based tyre. Given the poor state of the some of the training roads I use here in Fife having CX tyres is sometimes a distinct advantage.

Speed is not an issue for me, those days a long gone, it’s more a case of success by means of survival.