Choosing Tyres

we are all riding crossplies !!! i have tried the Vittoria radials on special early dec from planet x, a tenner each delivered,now 16ish.. i can only offer high praise at the moment, my usual rubber is michelin pro 3 and pro 4, paves, gators, have been on good stuff these past 12 years, less than 10 punctures on the road in that time!!! these radials are not sensitive to pressure imo.. i have run them as low as 48 in the front and 60ish rear and it feels like a pro3/4 at 80/90 psi no dead steering ,no visible bulge at the contact point on the tarmac, last outing i ran them at 75 front and 85 rear checked with a good presta guage, and they felt like pros at max pressure and handled rough stuff superbly.. as its wet and greasy and frosty at present i haven't had them at high speed cornering yet but now when the mould release has worn off next dry day i will see what they are made of..

I'm also a big fan of Specialized tires. Having run Gatorskins in the winter and GP4000s in the summer for the past few seasons, I've been on Spec Roubaix Pros (not the armadillo kind though) for the past few months and am quite happy with them. A little more supple than the Armadillo (or Gatorskins) but plenty durable, and very well priced.

Can I put a word in for Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elites? Thousands of miles of p****ure free riding including a lot of inner-city glass-strewn streets, flinty lanes, the lot. Grip well, too, when run in.

Conti 4000s II all the way for me. They inspire total confidence and roll really well too. They are quite expensive, but worth every penny.

I'd already clocked up a 100 miles on them so they should have been "run in" as such

New tyres are always 'less grippy', some are worse than others for this.

Another vote for GP4000'S here and a cautionary tale to boot.
having just picked up a new commuter in the sales, I thought i'd run the shop fitted schwalbe luganos and wait to fit my usual gp4000's. The end result was a heavy "off" on a right turn on my usual route when the conditions were dry and I wasn't pushing it. The front wheel just slid away from me on commencing the turn. I'm afraid the difference in grip is night and day and I won't make that mistake again.

I've been using Conti GP 4 Seasons 28mm (actual size only 26mm) for the last 3 months and although they're badged as puncture resistant I've had 5 punctures in the last 3 weeks!

Also, they are soooo tight to get on and off the rim it's a nightmare when they go out on the road as you literally have to wrestle the tyres off and back on.

Bought 4 of them as they were on special, one is already in the bin due to an excessive number of cuts and I'm looking forward to trying something else!

Schwalbe Durano 25 mm. Cracking tyre for high mileages.

Special occasions get Schwalbe Ultremo ZX 25mm. Fantastic tyres, but don't expect more than 1800-2000 miles out of a pair. I've never punctured one in over 10000 miles of riding them.

I put 2500km into my first set of 25mm GP 4000SII's without a flat (knock on wood) and I ride almost 1/2 the time on gravel or rough paved roads. They seem to be wearing better than the original 4000S's so I think I'll get another 1000km out of them. I'll definitely be buying these again.

If durability is your main concern, I'd be very wary of the Vittoria Open Corsa CX. I went through 3 of them each with less than 1000km on them. They all were cut by glass or debris. They ride better than the Conti's but I can't trust them -- even though I can buy them for $20 less than the 4000SII's.

I've had GP 4000SII tyres, they roll really well but can be damaged by little flints and stones easily in wet weather. I have found very little difference in speed between the 4000sII and the Grand Prix GT tyres which is a slightly tougher 25mm only tyre.

Personally I would be looking at the GTs or Michelin Pro 4 Endurance

I have GP4000sIIs on my bike, and I also have a pair of Continental Supersonic extra light jobbies for TTs or whatever. I have never used the Supersonics. When the time comes to change over I just think, is there really any point?

I have ridden Vredstein, Vittoria, Michelin and Continental. The smoothest rolling tires were both the Vittoria and Michelin, but they didn't last too long. The Vredstein and Continental are a little slower, but they last longer. Personally, I use the Continental GP 4000S II. Buy them when they go on sale. They grip the road well, roll reasonably well and last a long time.

I have ran gatorskins for a few years now, and find them very good in all weathers so far, I changed to 25's two years ago and will never go back to 23's.

On long rides, it's so much comfier and i feel less shattered, rides on bad roads are so much better. I also have 32c Duranos on my CX which i use as a commuter, they are fantastic and I have done some fairly long rides on them as well, including crappy roads over Exmoor. 28's will be my next tyre of choice!

GP4000s are overrated, crap grip, rigid body etc and just feel rubbish.
Stump up for some Vittorias with the 320tpi casings.
I use Open Corsa CX on the fast bike and Open Pavé on the winter bike.
The grip and ride feel is much better, tyre is more compliant to the road and is the closest you'll get to a tub on clinchers.
You can get a pair of open corsa CX or SC on ribble at the moment for £46, £14 cheaper than a pair of GP4000s and a better tyre!

I think it's luck a lot of the time I put a set of gp4000S on at the beginning of last season (25mm) at got a split and puncture from An unseen small piece of glass in 100 feet. I was slightly pissed off! I repaired it and then did 3000 miles without another puncture including a 100 mile sportive in the pouring rain whilst everyone around was puncturing multiple times hopeing to get home. So from the first 100 feet I,d say gp4000s are utter rubbish but from the other 3000mile I'd say they are great infact I've got a new set on order.

As for width I'm in the wider camp I have a set of 23mm gators but find them hard riding and unnerving when it gets a bit wet.

I'm running Fulcrum Quattros with 25mm Conti GP 4 Seasons, absolutely loving them, roll much better than I thought they would, wear well, and very good protection. I dont mind paying £30 for a tyre if it runs well and these really do. Seen far too many GP4000S' go bang for my own comfort and wellbeing!

Go with the Gp4000s in 25mm. You won't regret it.

I would go with the Continental Grand Prix 4000 S2 over the Gatorskin. A faster, lighter, racier tyre, good grip and less rolling resistance.
I use them nearly all the time.
http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti_GP4000SII.shtml

The vredesteins are slower than michelin pro 4 service course and GP 4000s, but grip as well as them and are made to be tougher and to endure longer.

The most comparable tyre would be the GP 4 seasons, which have fine grip and puncture resistance, but i find the ride quite poor (28mm at 95psi) and the price eye watering.

The crowd i ride with rides a century every fortnight of the year and we've all tried different tyres and tyre widths too achieve comfort,reliability and value..the vredesteins have become my choice for the 4/5 ? winter months and pro 4 service course in 25mm for the rest of the year.

The vredesteins in 28mm (on my old Caad CX9) ran 116 miles on new years day faultlessly, personally i find 25 and 28 widths (assuming your bike can take them) more forgiving than 23's, i doubt i'd bother up to 60 miles, over that i'd look to tyres with more volume..those last 30 miles can be hellish and anything that improves comfort is welcome