Can bike tyres be harsh

[Smokin Joe]

I will never again use Michelin tyres after the experience of the last ones. I

Fit a pair of Michelin Pro Race tyres and you'll soon change your mind. All manufacturers have tyres from the budget brand aimed at round the block plodders who couldn't care less, up to top class race tyres which ride like silk.

Bike factories often keep their prices down by fitting low end finishing kit like tyres and saddles to otherwise good quality machines.

 

[cyberknight]

Fit a pair of Michelin Pro Race tyres and you'll soon change your mind. All manufacturers have tyres from the budget brand aimed at round the block plodders who couldn't care less, up to top class race tyres which ride like silk.

Bike factories often keep their prices down by fitting low end finishing kit like tyres and saddles to otherwise good quality machines.

I have been using michelin pro 3 service course for a while , very happy with them .

 

[Levo-Lon]

I changed from luganos to Michelin pro race 3s ..i find the new tyres miles more comfy than the lugs.
But as said the side walls are much thinner.
And this makes all the difference.
Lugs are 330g and the Mich are 200g so all that weight is for durability and good @#$/^#$ protection..which I'm not bothered about..well the durability anyway

 

[Tom B]

Interestingly, I bought some Luganos a while back and regretted it. The rolling resistance on them was awful, like riding over sticky treacle.

I have a theory that new tyres are always slower than worn in tyres.

Which leads me to wonder if the pro teams do fit worn in parts to their race bikes. Stuff like chains, bearings etc that have had the newness taken off.

 

[Ajax Bay]

I have been using michelin pro 3 service course for a while , very happy with them .

Plus one for me - the Pro4 SC versions which are nominally 25-622 come up as over 26mm wide on a 15mm inner rim width. I've just replaced both rear and front like for like - before doing Mille Pennines last weekend. I had 4700km from the rear and 5400km from the front so endurance is good, and price is OK getting them on offer as and when. Frankly the latter didn't NEED replacing but I thought it prudent for 1000km and they'll be 'worn in' for London-Edinbugh-London at the end of the month. The replaced front went in the drop bag (and will do for LEL too). On Mavic Open Pro rims I can take these off and put them back on by hand. Much easier than Conti GP4Seasons (the Michelins have only marginally less puncture resistance rating). Grip? Descent of Hardknott, Wrynose, down into Rosedale (NYM), Sutton Bank: tick. Ascent of first three - no rear tyre slip under handlebar-wrenching stress (nor on the other North York Moors climbs) - grip: tick.

tyres. They give difference acoustic feedack. Some sound thin and whiney, others fat and sloppy. I'm [talking] sound only.

Very noticeable on the Michelin Pro4 SC - the difference in sound between GP4s and Pro4SC, that is - though not sure what "sloppy" sounds like, or indeed "fat".

 

[froze]

Also the smoothness of a tire is based on the TPI (threads per inch) the more TPI the more supple the ride. The Schwalbe you have use 50 TPI whereas the Michelin used only 30, better tires will have more than 50 like Vittoria's Rubino Pro tires have 150. Normally the more TPI the more expensive the tire but the Vittoria Rubino Pro can be found at Wiggles for just $20. The max TPI that I've seen was 320. Anyway the next time you buy tires try the Rubino Pro tires.

While latex tubes do provide a more supple ride than butyl they are problematic, they lose about 20% of it's PSI in a 24 hour period, they flat easier, they're easier to get pinched between the tire and the tube, they don't last as long, and they cost more. If all you want is a more supple ride I suggest going to the largest size tire that will fit your bike and run less air pressure.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Very noticeable on the Michelin Pro4 SC - the difference in sound between GP4s and Pro4SC, that is - though not sure what "sloppy" sounds like, or indeed "fat".

Schlllrlllrlllsllrsch

 

[Racing roadkill]

Some compounds are designed more for speed / grip, over durability / wear rate, and some are designed more for durability / wear rare over speed / grip characteristics, the ones designed more for speed / grip tend to feel less 'harsh' on a given surface at a given pressure, in given prevailing conditions ( generally speaking ). For example I find GP4000sII to be superb as far as comfort / grip / speed is concerned, but I don't use them too often, because I find they aren't as durable as a Schwalbe Durano plus ( for example), which are 'harsher' but are far more durable, in my experience. The 'harshness ' or lack thereof, is down to construction of the tyre, and compound of rubber used, at a given pressure, on a given surface, in given conditions.

 

[cyberknight]

I changed from luganos to Michelin pro race 3s ..i find the new tyres miles more comfy than the lugs.
But as said the side walls are much thinner.
And this makes all the difference.
Lugs are 330g and the Mich are 200g so all that weight is for durability and good @#$/^#$ protection..which I'm not bothered about..well the durability anyway

I think i have had 2 punctures on them over a couple of years, last one on sunday but we did ride on pretty much a single lane rutted farm track .

 

[fossyant]

Michelin Pro Race with latex tyres make a lovely noise... but it's best bike stuff not your daily commuter.

 

[johnnyb47]

I've been out tonight and got another 30 miles on the luganos and can hand on heart say that they are so much more comfortable than the Michelin's. At the beginning I was feeling a little reserved thinking it may be just the placebo effect. I was though a bit harsh on saying I would never buy Michelin's again.
I think I should of said more in the line of, I would never buy a cheap budget tyre again what ever the brand may be.

 

[dan_bo]

As Raleighnut said, the bead has nothing to do with it.
If you flex the sidewalls of the two tyres by hand (off the wheel obviously) and they don't show noticeable difference in stiffness and, if the tread area has more or less the same thickness of rubber, then the tyres will feel very similar on the road. There is nothing else in there that can make a difference.

The one thing is quite strange with tyres. They give difference acoustic feedack. Some sound thin and whiney, others fat and sloppy. I'm taking sound only. Riders then project that perception to physical characteristics. In other words, some tyres sound fast and others sound slow. See if you can convince yourself that what you hear is not what you feel.

sorry YS but thats not very scientific is it. try again 67 time and come back with your findings.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

sorry YS but thats not very scientific is it. try again 67 time and come back with your findings.

I have introduced two concepts in that statement. Which of the two do you find objectionable and why?

 

[dan_bo]

I have introduced two concepts in that statement. Which of the two do you find objectionable and why?

Just kiddin.