Winter tyres.....advice please.

[toeknee]

Hi everyone,

Never really been out in the winter months, bikes on the boring turbo at the moment, and struggling to get myself on it, so I am thinking of getting out in the winter weather for the first time, I currently have stock tyres on my spesh Allez, which I must say have rather bad reviews, regarding puncture resistance and been slippy
In the wet.
So what I am after is a decent/Cheapish tyre that will inspire confidence in the wet, while also offering good
Puncture resistance. I am not a racer , more fitness/ endurance rider, I have had one tyre suggestion from another forum. ( Michelin pro 4. ) £16. Any experience with these anyone .
Well that's it , I will leave it to you good people, with all your cycling knowledge to guide me on this subject.

Thank you.
Tony.

 

[MikeW-71]

Continental GP 4 Seasons.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Pro 4's are a performance tyre, and whilst probably very good are certainly not suited to the kind of debris you get on winter roads, (unless you can afford to replace them often of course).

Continental 4 seasons are probably your best bet, although I stick to Conti Gatorskins purely as I've used them for years without issue*

*some folk report skittish handling with gators in the wet, but I can't say I ever had TBH.

 

[fossyant]

Schwalbe Durano's are at the cheaper end and recommended.

Michelin Pro 4 are race tyres, you need the Pro 4 Endurance for a fast training tyre which are about £20 if you hunt about (some big discounts about). Conti 4 Seasons are very very good, but are a minimum of £30 each

 

[adscrim]

I run Schwalbe Durano Plus on my winterbike/commuter. I've been really impressed with the feel and resiliance of these having moved from Gatroskins. I've also move up from 23s to 25s and don't think I'll be back on 23s - even on the summer bike. They're a bit more than £16 but can be found for under £20 if you shop around.

 

[HLaB]

I put Mitch Lithion 2s on my fixie, good cheap all rounders (The Bikeradar review says they are £22 but i got them for £14), however I think the afore mentioned Mitch Pro 4 Endurance are slightly better, IIRC my last one cost me £22, roadcc's review.

 

[Easytigers]

I also use Lithion 2s and find them fine. Saw them recently for £11.99 - can't remember what site - will get back if I find it

 

[Easytigers]

Acycles - £11.61 or CRC - £12.49

 

[Kestevan]

Lithium2 - £9.99 at Planet X - I use these on my commuter - good balance of grip/protection and they're cheap as chips.
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYMCHL2F/michelin-lithion-2-folding-tyre

The Pro 4 Endurance or Conti 4 Seasons are better, but more money.

 

[Peter Armstrong]

remember to keep your stock tires tho, swap the rear tire when doing turbo sessions.

 

[fossyant]

Lithium 2's are fine. I like them, but they do wear out twice as fast as the Conti 4 Seasons. No big deal as you can get them cheap. They roll very well indeed, very similar to the Pro Race.

 

[mark william]

i would recommend the continental gp 4 seasons a good all round tyre that has got good puncture resistance and has good level of gripp. but if you were looking for a tyre that was almost puncture resistant i would recommend the continental gatorskins but they arnt as grippy as the 4 seasons.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Schwalbe Durano Pluses here. Went with the folding version because they are +150g lighter per tyre than the beaded version and their grip in the wet is really good as well as being pretty fairy resistant. I will be dropping back to the 23c size once the 25c size finally wear out (it is taking a rather long time) simply because of the clearance issues on my bike and the fact I am fed up on constantly have a mud block as a set of front brakes but tyre wise they have been really good - just the 1 fairy visit since they were fitted in October 2012 and I have covered a fair few miles since then

 

[BSRU]

I ride on GP 4 Seasons, a great tyre but in this prolonged very wet weather they have cut up very badly.
@ianrauk suggested specialized all condition armadillos which look better able to handle the recent weather.

 

[ianrauk]

Yup, I would recommend both Spesh All Conditions and Durano Plus' for winter commuting. Both are great tyres. Though the Speshes do last a bit longer, the Durano's roll faster.