Having demonstrated the repercussions of being blasé about a ‘C’ race and getting several punctures at the Tour de Yorkshire Sportive, today was the day to get proper tyres on the bike.
I’ve previously given my opinion on the best bike tyre for triathlon but my opinion for a good all-rounder for the summer that will also behave sensibly over longer rides would be the Continental Grand Prix GP4000S II. I’d go for the 700×23 for the same width wheel rim (700×25 for wider rim) but would also deflect conversation away from the topic of optimal tyre widths by pointing out that the GP4000 has Conti’s BLACK CHILLI compound. That means it’s fast, basically.
Interesting: Rolling resistance of the GP4000 over different tyre widths
Many of you seasoned riders will, no doubt, not be that impressed by this revelation of a recommendation as LOTS of people use this tyre.
Summary: It’s one of the best all-rounders. You might find something that is better in one characteristic but which would then be worse in another ie rolling resistance, durability, puncture resistance, etc.. It’s a ‘Can’t go wrong‘ kind of choice. If you know better, then you won’t be reading this article! I WILL use different tyres for tri/TT races.
I’ve got to say that although I love these tyres they are made of some kind of soft cheese. After a few rides there will be chunks of rubber missing, which is rather alarming!
yeah i have a similar thing with s-works gripton compound. my old fave was the schwalbe ultremo zx (not sold now AFAIK)
More at the budget end of the scale (£30/pair) I’ve recently bought some Vittoria Rubino Pro 3. 2.3W worse @ 80PSI than the GP4000, which I can live with.
those watts and grams add up.
someone should coin a phrase for it
or 2.3W better for training depending on your viewpoint 🙂