B!@*#y Tyres! It's my own fault but how unfit for purpose can a tyre be?

[Bollo]

Vienna?

This means nothing to me.

 

[I like Skol]

I wouldn't put a worn tyre on the front to get more mileage out of it. A front blowout is more likely throw you off than one on the rear .

I would (and have done many times). What are these mysterious blowouts that people talk about so often? I have punctures and I get flat tyres. I am not interesting or dramatic enough to have a tyre unexpectedly and catastrophically explode on me!

 

[I like Skol]

Punctured inner tube repaired and sensible tyres back on. Blackpool here I come.......

 

[Welsh wheels]

I would (and have done many times). What are these mysterious blowouts that people talk about so often? I have punctures and I get flat tyres. I am not interesting or dramatic enough to have a tyre unexpectedly and catastrophically explode on me!

You're lucky then. I had one, fortunately going uphill so I wasn't going fast. There was a loud bang, the tyre went flat instantly and there was a big rip in the tyre.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I agree with you about the conti sport tyre, no puncture protection at all but actually quite grippy on the road.

What makes you think they are grippy?

 

[bikingdad90]

It's the compound of the tyre. It is a quite soft compared to others at the same price range.

I found doing the same route with other tyres on the same bike and same conditions that some tyres sometimes seemed skittish when cornering but others not so.

It is probably a perception thing more than anything but the rubber felt softer on the Conti Sports to the Michelin City and Rubinos I was using before.

I would happily go back to a Vitorria Rubino, a schwalbe Lugano or even a Michelin Lithian.

My choice to switch to gatorskins was based on my reliability needs.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

It's the compound of the tyre. It is a quite soft compared to others at the same price range.

I found doing the same route with other tyres on the same bike and same conditions that some tyres sometimes seemed skittish when cornering but others not so.

It is probably a perception thing more than anything but the rubber felt softer on the Conti Sports to the Michelin City and Rubinos I was using before.

I would happily go back to a Vitorria Rubino, a schwalbe Lugano or even a Michelin Lithian.

My choice to switch to gatorskins was based on my reliability needs.

I've highlighted the reason for you. Skittishness has nothing to do with it. Bicycle tyres operate in a binary mode. Either they grip or they don't. Break-away is sudden and precipitous, so the only way you can say whether one tyre has more grip than another is to repeatedly slide out at a known angle on the same bit of track and then carefully reduce the angle with each subsequent slide until you don't slide anymore. Then you repeat the experiment, average out the findings and make comparisons with other tyres undergoing the same experiment.

I doubt you did that.

Judgement of road bike tyre grip is psychological and not effective.

 

[hoopdriver]

In Formula One driver input and perception is very much taken into consideration in evaluating the 'grip' of a tyre. I don't see why the same would not apply to a bicycle tyre and rider.

 

[gbb]

Innit funny how two different folk have completely different experiences with the same thing (Contis in general).
I've run multiple pairs of Gators on several different bikes....yeah of course you get the odd puncture...maybe one or two a year...yeah I did have one slit 6mm when it was nearly new, but I still ran it for a couple years with a boot...im now running GP4000s and quite impressed although I did have a puncture the ride before last.

I suspect the myriad of circumstances out on the road, flint, hedge cutting, terrain type, road position on the bike etc etc etc....and just plain good luck/ bad luck have a lot to do with it.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

In Formula One driver input and perception is very much taken into consideration in evaluating the 'grip' of a tyre. I don't see why the same would not apply to a bicycle tyre and rider.

I thought I explained that bit. But I now see you have difficulty distinguishing between a four-wheeler that can drift and a bicycle that can't.
I also understand that you don't understand telemetrics.

 

[hoopdriver]

I thought I explained that bit. But I now see you have difficulty distinguishing between a four-wheeler that can drift and a bicycle that can't.
I also understand that you don't understand telemetrics.

My, what a high opinion you hold of yourself.

I'm afraid I don't share it..

 

[Kestevan]

Can't say I agree with @I like Skol on this one. I've run the same model of tyre, on the same bike for about 2k miles - total number of punctures = 0. They struck me as a perfectly adequate tyre, reasonably puncture proof and not too sluggish.

Admittedly they've now been replaced with Challenge Gravel Grinders, but that's more to do with using the Grade more as an off road plaything over the summer. Suspect they'll go back on in the Autumn along with the mudguards as it resumes duty as a winter commuter.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I love a Conti Gatorskin Hardshell, me, my go to tyre of choice for real life. But they don't have neat green stripes like my Vittoria Open Pave's do.

Shallow? Me?

 

[I like Skol]

Can't say I agree with @I like Skol on this one. I've run the same model of tyre, on the same bike for about 2k miles - total number of punctures = 0. They struck me as a perfectly adequate tyre, reasonably puncture proof and not too sluggish.

Admittedly they've now been replaced with Challenge Gravel Grinders, but that's more to do with using the Grade more as an off road plaything over the summer. Suspect they'll go back on in the Autumn along with the mudguards as it resumes duty as a winter commuter.

You're just being awkward, Pennine dwelling bumpkin!

 

[Tynan]

after much experimentation the Conti Super Sport plus is my tyre of choice, goes on for ever and half the price of the Gators (the latest commuter model is a good tyre admittedly)