Tyres

[Nath1983]

I hope this isnt a stupid question but i was looking at buying the following tyres http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/532.html as they are race tyres would they be suitable for riding in the rain?? Is this a daft question?

any advice would be great

 

[HLaB]

I hope this isnt a stupid question but i was looking at buying the following tyres http://www.allterrai...roduct/532.html as they are race tyres would they be suitable for riding in the rain?? Is this a daft question?

any advice would be great

Perfectly fine and no question is a daft question. What a load of people don't realise tread on a road bike is there for fashion/ sellability. You are actually better with more tread in contact with the ground, knobblies only touch the ground in small bits whereas more of a smooth tyre is in contact with the ground. Tread may be seen clear water from your path but before it (aquaplaning) becomes a problem you have to be going something like 200mph+, so on a bike its pretty pointless. IHTH :-)

 

[Nath1983]

Thanks HLaB thats a great technical answer and exactly what i was looking for.

Thanks again

 

[jig-sore]

yes, he's right. i bike tyre will act like a single line of tread on a car tyre and cut through the water.


one more thing to consider, hard compound tyres may last longer and are fine in the dry, but can be a bit skittish in the rain. especially after a dry spell (like our current weather) when the roads are very greasy

 

[festival]

Tyre choice can be a personal thing but Michelin tyres, as good as they are do wear a lot quicker than other similar types.

My choice would be any of the continental range of a similar price for grip, compliance,performance in wet or dry and superior rolling resistance

 

[Andy_R]

Baldy tyres are the way forward. More grip, less rolling resistance. Tread patterns look sexy, but reduce the amount of rubber you put in contact with the road. Skinny road tyres require NO water displacement hooks/channels/cleavage (ooh matron), as they displace water on their own.

 

[Sam Cycling]

Michelin Pro Race 3 is good tires, I used in last period, but I prefer Continental (I used Continental Gp 4000S before of ProRace3), especially for riding with a rain.

 

[Willo]

To echo the technical answers from others, I deffo noticed an ever so slight difference when switching from the totally smooth stock tyres on my road bike to Specialized Armadillos which have a slight tread. The rear just felt ever so slightly less secure in the wet. Have got used to it now and don't tend the notice it now. For what I need, the Armadillos have proved a good balance.