Tyres and the P-word... (winter / road)

[capricapers]

I am in love with my new Specialized Women’s Tarmac Disc Expert and do about 100 miles a week. I bought her in September. I’m running the wheels and tyres that came with her - Roval C38 Disc Carbon wheels and S Works Gripon Turbo 120 TPI 700 x 26mm.
Having heard some horror stories from friends about multiple blow-outs during their rides, I checked my tyres out and found 4 pin-head holes (two front, two rear) in the smooth rubber part of each tyre. Carefully I removed any small fragments and the tyres remain inflated.
My question is: how long is the life of a road bike tyre and is it worth A) going tubeless so you don’t have to carry repair kits and spare inners with you OR
B) is there a more puncture resistant tyre out there, such as a Gatorskin?
What is your strategy for winter road riding?
Thanks!

 

[DCLane]

The SWorks Turbo tyres are fast but don't last long.

For winter riding I use GP4000S / 4Seasons or Durano tyres. Some use Gatorskin but I find them too slippy in the wet. I've been using some Vredestein All Weather tyres which are OK but will be back to the GP4000's when they're done.

 

[MikeG]

There are lots of more puncture resistant tyres, and you should certainly consider having different tyres on your bike for winter and summer riding. The downside is that puncture-resistant tyres are a trade-off between rolling resistance and puncture resistance. Slower winter riding anyway due to leaves, gravel, damp surfaces, and even ice and snow, mean that that trade-off become far less important. In fact, avoiding spending 5 or 10 minutes on the side of the road freezing your bare fingers off mending a flat is way more important in winter than 0.1mph off your average speed. So is staying upright and avoiding roadrash, so for both reasons I would always say have a grippier winter tyre with greater puncture resistance (Gatorskins are good, but there are loads of others, and this winter I've got some Marathons on), and swap to something faster for the summer.

 

[MikeG]

There are people who test such things as puncture resistance and rolling resistance.

 

[nickAKA]

I've been running on gatorskins, duranos & GP4000s all year with no problems in any setup; the road bike has slime tubes on it which will be replaced with a tubeless setup when the GP's have worn out so can't comment on that yet. My main strategy is not to ride right in the gutter, don't take liberties with the traffic but move out an extra foot or two when it's safe to do so.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You also want to look at grip during winter as the roads are somewhat greasier. I run tubeless these days but before that used to run Durano Plus through winter. Another trick is to deflate your tyres, and picks out flints and glass, before each ride. They often do not get through first time but work their way through if left embedded.

 

[capricapers]

There are people who test such things as puncture resistance and rolling resistance.

Thanks Mike. Have copied the link.

 

[Bazzer]

There are a number of us who run Marathon Plus tyres and are happy with their puncture resistance and longevity. There are however downsides to them. They can be hard to fit and personally I find the ride harsher than (say) Gatorskins. The advantage of them is IME, far fewer punctures, (famous last words!) and for commuting in the dark, the reflective bands on the sidewalls.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons winter/ 4000iis summer

 

[Racing roadkill]

Gatorskins = skaterskins, I ( and lots of people I know ) really don’t like them. My personal favourite pneumatic tyres for winter riding are these.

https://m.probikekit.co.uk/bicycle-...endurance-v2-clincher-road-tyre/11090762.html

Very p* resistant, and pretty good performance as well. There are loads of other options, it depends on exactly what you do with them / how hard you ride, and what you value most about a tyre’s properties ( balance of durability and performance, and where you need that balance to lie).

 

[capricapers]

Gatorskins = skaterskins, I ( and lots of people I know ) really don’t like them. My personal favourite pneumatic tyres for winter riding are these.

https://m.probikekit.co.uk/bicycle-...endurance-v2-clincher-road-tyre/11090762.html

Very p* resistant, and pretty good performance as well. There are loads of other options, it depends on exactly what you do with them / how hard you ride, and what you value most about a tyre’s properties ( balance of durability and performance, and where you need that balance to lie).

Very useful thoughts, thanks. I’ll follow up the link. As it’s winter, I’m going for endurance/ surefootedness and am satisfied with a small drop in performance as a trade off for p-proneness.

 

[I like Skol]

Same tyres all year round for me because you can have a cold horrible day in summer and a mild dry sunny day in winter. Currently favouring my Vittoria Randonneur Pro tyres as a great all round tyre that does commuting and sportives with equal aplomb.

 

[Elswick Cotterpin]

Specialized tyres so the two pin holes in each may be wear indicators.

 

[capricapers]

Specialized tyres so the two pin holes in each may be wear indicators.

They could be but because of the random position of the ones on the rear tyre, I am not sure. There was some kind of grit or small fragments embedded in all of the holes. I think I’m going to swap to a more wintry tyre and go tubeless at the same time. As I use this bike quite a lot, hopefully it will be worth it.

 

[mjr]

My other advice would be to try to avoid riding on the shoot that motorists leave on wet roads by pounding their heavy vehicles through puddles and breaking up the surfaces. The sharpest shoot often congregates along the centres and edges of lanes. I wince when I hear the sound of bike tyres crunching along the rubbish in the middle of a lane.