Tyre replacement for Secteur?

[barongreenback]

Just wondering if changing the tyres on my Secteur sport would make any difference to my rides? Currently have the Specialized All Condition Sport that came with the bike but reviews across the net are fairly mediocre and I keep hearing that replacing tyres is a relatively cheap way of getting a little extra out of your set up. Would replacing them be a good idea and if so, what would you recommend? The hybrid gets used for manky weather so mostly dry conditions on ok roads. Thanks.

 

[HLaB]

Better tyres will improve your ride marginally as will the feel good factor; if they are narrower they may increase speed but at the sake of comfort but unless you have a problem with your existing tyres I would wear them out first before upgrading.

 

[guttertrash]

I changed the tyres that came with my Secteur Sport soon after I purchased it as I was getting punctures on almost every ride. I swapped to Conti Gatorskins, which were much better tyres and didn't get a single puncture in the following 10 months. Not sure if there was much in the way of a performance upgrade though.

 

[PaulSecteur]

I have conti gatorskins on mine in 23 mm. They don't seem to effect the comfort, but any performane increase is marginal too. No visits from "her" yet..

 

[Broadside]

I've got a Secteur Sport too and had the All Condition tyres which lasted 1200 miles and then punctured every 15 miles. I've had Gatorskins for the last 3500 miles and had 2 punctures in that time. They felt like they rolled a bit quicker than the Specialized tyres but I suspect this may have been in the mind. The Gatorskins are certainly less grippy in the wet and dry. I wouldnt bother with buying Gatorskins if you want to improve the ride as they won't help - if that is your priority then go the Michelin route with Pro Race 3 or Krylion if you still want some puncture protection. If you do get rid of the stock tyres then I'll have them! - I don't think there is anything wrong with them, they just dont last very long.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

I have a Secteur Sport too, I did 600 miles with the original All Condition tyres and never had a puncture. I replaced the wheels with Mavic Aksium's and Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp 23mm tyres. The wheels were replaced because I found the Alexrim wheels to be shoot, well the rear one anyway always going out of true. The bike appears to be slightly quicker now, it accelerates a touch faster and appears to freewheel for longer. I would guess that this is probably down to the thinner tyres at 120 psi. The downside to this is that I can feel crappy road surfaces much more. So I guess it is a trade-off if you go thinner in the tyre department.

 

[GlasgowGaryH]

I have conti gatorskins on mine in 23 mm. They don't seem to effect the comfort, but any performane increase is marginal too. No visits from "her" yet..

+1

 

[ian turner]

2000+ miles on the original tyres though I'm eyeing up the minimal tread as it seems to be showing some signs of wear. Only one puncture due to low tyre pressure shortly after I bought it. Though this may be due to the rest of you cycling on urban roads with a higher broken bottle count.

Debating the merits of Krylions at the moment.

 

[barongreenback]

Thanks all. Will stick with the supplied tyres and get something more bling when the time comes