Is this REALLY a bargain ??????

[vickster]

Personally I found those tyres very slippery on my Whyte, had to run lower pressure to have any sort of confidence I hem, especially on wet roads. Slow and heavy too. Never had a similar issue with other tyres, including 23s. As above, ymmv but I'd never use them again

Never had a puncture though!

 

[Oldbloke]

It's cheap for a reason. like most "bargains"

I made the mistake of buying the model above the Comp, hated it after 250 miles, wished I'd bought the Sirrus instead.

 

[Truth]

What surfaces are you riding on? 28mm aren't skinny if riding on roads . Might be able to get 32s, but might affect your ability to fit full mudguards. ask the guy at Halfords

If riding off road, the other bike may be better

Its going to be PURELY road now as decided to keep my old Kona for when I go on the canals with my daughter.
The Zaffiro Vittoria tyres just look too thin for my liking , after using Schwalbe Land Cruisers for so long , and peoples opinions on the puncture resistance of them varies a lot.
With regards to mud guards I am using the Crud Catchers I have got so that won't create a problem should I get wider tyres.

 

[vickster]

Vitoria zaffiro aren't very good

Rubinos better

You need to check the rim size

I personally find 28s too slow on roads, all my bikes are on 23s

 

[Truth]

It's cheap for a reason. like most "bargains"

I made the mistake of buying the model above the Comp, hated it after 250 miles, wished I'd bought the Sirrus instead.

I got it for almost half the price of the Specialized Sirrus in the end. I was never in a position to be spending £600 on a bike and be comfortable with it in all honesty.....

 

[vickster]

I hated the two Sirrus bikes I had, 2011/2012 models. Dull as ditchwater!

 

[jefmcg]

It's cheap for a reason. like most "bargains"

I made the mistake of buying the model above the Comp, hated it after 250 miles, wished I'd bought the Sirrus instead.

I've just read the specs of the comp, and I am mystified by this. I can understand you bought a bike that didn't suit you, wrong size geometry etc, but I can't see that it's cheapness could be the reason you hated it. The components are all decent, and I assume the frame was properly welded and didn't have rough edges or fall apart.

So what did you hate about it that you put down to it being cheap?

 

[MrGrumpy]

Personally I found those tyres very slippery on my Whyte, had to run lower pressure to have any sort of confidence I hem, especially on wet roads. Slow and heavy too. Never had a similar issue with other tyres, including 23s. As above, ymmv but I'd never use them again

Never had a puncture though!

ditto here, very sketchy handling and no feel.

 

[Truth]

ditto here, very sketchy handling and no feel.

Sorry are we talking the Schwalbe Land Crusiers I mentioned here or the Zaffiro Vittoria ? I HOPE its the Schwalbe but I doubt it .....

 

[MrGrumpy]

I ride 700x28c Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres and they will take you over everything without punctures. They are not MTB tyres but they are good for everything else.

I have used them on every surface you can think of and they are excellent.

these, very puncture proof but dead in every other way.

Sorry are we talking the Schwalbe Land Crusiers I mentioned here or the Zaffiro Vittoria ? I HOPE its the Schwalbe but I doubt it .....

 

[Truth]

Oh good , I have got the Zaffiro Vittoria on the new one

 

[jefmcg]

Oh good , I have got the Zaffiro Vittoria on the new one

They're not great tyres either. Good brand, but cheapest tyre they make.

No need to worry, when they start wearing out and you are getting frequent punctures, then it's time to upgrade. I recommend Rubinos, that are only a couple of pounds more than the zaffiros.

 

[Truth]

I have read they are not the best in fairness

 

[NorthernDave]

I've got Zaffiros on my Boardman Road Comp (700c x 25) and I've been quite happy with them over the thousand plus miles they've done.
I was quite happy with the Schwable Tyragos on my Boardman MX Sport until the rear one mysteriously exploded...I replaced it with a Schwable Marathon but it's a bit slow / heavy and lacking in grip (oddly Halfords don't sell Tyragos despite selling bikes fitted with them as standard).

 

[jefmcg]

Nearly all bikes come with the cheapest tyres. My £800 road bike came with tyres that lasted about 1/2 the length of time that the £10 replacements last. They didn't fail catastrophically, but when I got 3 punctures in a week I knew it was time to replace them.

It makes sense for them to put cheap tyres on a new bike. Some people won't care, and for them you'll get more sales by keeping the tyres cheap and the price low. Those that do care will have preferences, so would prefer cheap tyres that aren't their favourites, rather than expensive tyres that aren't their favourite.

Though as they become worn, you might want to give them a regular visual check. Apparently they can sometimes go like this https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-have-i-done-wrong-this-time.191406/