Flats..Arrrggghhh!

Balderick

Has anyone got any good recommendations for Conti's, perhaps Gatorskins? [/QUOTE]
You may have read my posts above. Since then I had many many punctures on the Conti Force/Attack tyres. I then tried Rubino Pros (about AU$22 from Pro Bike Kit at the time) and they were great until 50% worn, then cut up and punctured. I then purchased Pro 2 Race Service Course, which performed, in terms of cornering grip and rolling resistance, even better than the Conti Force/Attack combo - but they cut up and punctured in the wet.

Having received what I thought was more than my fair share of punctures, I purchased 2 Conti Ultra Gatorskins. They have much less grip (so I would not race on them in a crit or a significant road race) than the Service Course of Force/Attack tyres, and feel a little bit "dead", but I have only had two punctures in the 6 or so weeks I have had them on, and one of those was a needle that would have gone through any tyre and the other was a clear piece of glass I could not avoid that would have punctured a car tyre. The two punctures were both in the rear tyre. I weigh 106 kg so that is perhaps not a surprise.

The front tyre still has the little molding knobs on it, but the rear tyres has flatened out a bit but seems to be wearing fairly well - I guess I have done about 2000k on it if I estimate my limited time spent on the trainer.


So I think they (Gatorskins) are good from less-puncture perspective, and they are not expensive on Pro Bike Kit or similar sites.

chrispatoz

John

I am using Conti Ultra Gatorskins 700 x 28 that have 700 kms on them at the moment and nil punctures so far (touch wood). My previous tyres were sport contacts and about 6 punctures in 2000km. I am heavier than you at 118kg and use 120 psi and would highly recommend them. From memory the Gatorskins were about $45 each from bikeforce. The other option is the plastic sheilds between tube and tyre but even they wont stand up agains the likes of nails which you can avoid in daylight but at least half of my riding is done at night where even with reasonable lighting you can sometimes miss small things.
Hope that helps

__________________
Chris
2006 Orbea Araia
2001 Mongoose Pro 5.5 Rx
My Bike Journal

Dave80

Another recommendation for Gatorskins:
Since i've swapped to Gatorskins I haven't had a single puncture. I weigh about 95kg and normally have the tyres pumped to110psi. I ride on inner city and semi-industrial areas and have been constantly impressed with how bullerproof these tyres have been. eg glass all over road and no room to go around (due to a large truck) and no flat (wouldn't want to try it again).

dan4923

Any reccomendations on the Conti GP 3000 for training? I've also seen some Michelin "Speediums" on ebay pretty cheap. Also, using sites like Pro bike kit or total cycling, what is the shipping costs for items to Victoria? Is it worth using these for a pair of tyres or is the discount going to be wiped by delivery costs?

xxamr_corpxx

For a more indepth look at sites like Probike kit, read my other thread "Cheap folding tyre".

I'm in the same boat as you dan. Shipping to NZ was $20NZ, should be around the same for Ozzie. I calculated even after shipping, it would be cheaper than my LBS (who sells gatorskins for $60 when I bought them
from pro-bike kit for $37 ea.) It's best to buy 4 or more tyres at a time.

Also, comparing with Torpedo 7, they have a much larger range, more recognised brands and the postage isn't that much extra.

I'll get back to you on those Michelin Speediums. I bought a pair of those as well.

__________________
2004 Trek 1000
2005 Giant Elwood
ACE Folding Bicycle