[Colin Peyresourde]

I don’t think I am going to get a definitive answer on this, but here goes: I am going to get some new tyres. My old ones were the Continental 4000s. I have seen a good deal for the 4 season tyres, but are these better for me? I will likely ride through the (English) winter here. I tend to do club riding between 40-60 miles on average, but will happily do 100 miles+. I like to ride fast, but don’t actually race, but am thinking of doing so in the next season.

I am planning on doing the London Triathlon next year, and also the Club Cingles de Mont Ventoux in June. Which tyre suits best?

Also, I just realised and was surprised (like a donut) to find that my 4000s are 700×20. They sure look sleek and have enjoyed riding them. But I am debating whether to get 700×23 this time. I’ve heard that 23s are actually faster. What is the deal? Which is correct when it comes to wheel thickness? Any recommendations? Is there anyone out there that rides 20s?

Topic

[drfabulous0]

Riding Gatorskins is also
Riding Gatorskins is also like riding on ice all the time, 4 Seasons are like a proper race tyre but with Durability and pucture resistance thrown in, totally different to Gatorskins. I would go with 4 Seasons over 4000S because they last a lot longer, I do lots of miles and I hardly ever race.

[Raleigh]

Riding Gatorskins is like
Riding Gatorskins is like riding GP4000s on an extra 0.6% gradient ALL THE TIME.

Can only expect its more for the 4 seasons…

[Cycle_Jim]

25s for winter steed, much
25s for winter steed, much comfier more grip and like others have said lower pressure. The only reason the road bike doesn’t take 25’s is the clearance otherwise I’d opt for 25s on that too!

[Rodney79]

Done nearly 9,000 miles this
Done nearly 9,000 miles this year so far all on GP 4 seasons. Ridden plenty of lanes with poor surfaces. Zero punctures. Big thumbs up for them.

As above and especially for winter, why not fit 25s, can run them at slightly lower pressure for comfort and grip.

[Mart]

By the end of the day the
By the end of the day the rubber was paper thin, and I think that was the results of small flat spots. The last day of climbing just killed what was left of the rubber. Ascents and descents were both hard on them.

[Colin Peyresourde]

That’s a pretty knarly wheel
That’s a pretty knarly wheel there. How has the rubber been removed? It looks like your wheel has scabies.

[edster99]

I’ve used the attack/force
I’ve used the attack/force all summer – about 2000 miles. One pinch puncture on the first ride (probably bad install by me) and nothing else. Still lots of tread, no cuts, been absolutely great. They are the 2224 version. Grippy and fast. For me, anyway.

[Mart]

I’ve been sticking to 4
I’ve been sticking to 4 season’s for over a year now. 23 front 25 rear.
The attack force I was using before were unusable within 3 weeks with multiple punctures and a major dangerous cut. Annoying at the best of times, maddening when doing a triathlon. The 0.5 – 1 kmph av speed loss was more than made up for the reliability and the rarity of punctures for me, I also use it for commuting and might get a flat every 800+ km on average.
I road the last set of 4 season’s literary into the ground before the new set arrived.

[timbola]

Colin, for what it is worth,
Colin, for what it is worth, I have been riding 4-Seasons for several years now. My carbon fibre Wilier is shod with 23mm 4-Seasons and my winter 531-DB Ken Bird is shod with 25mm 4-Seasons. I wish I could say I have tried the 4000s, but I cannot lie. I did use the Attack/Force 20/22 combo a few summers ago. They were great but the front punctured too frequently and they wore out way too quickly. Nice ride, though and they do a wider combo now. 4-Seasons are pretty fast enough for me … great in the wet, (almost) indestructible and last ages. Even at my age, I still manage a few KOMs on Strava, so 4-Seasons are certainly fast enough, although some are on my Forme Longcliffe 1 which actually has (surprisingly) good bottom-of-their-range Schwalbes … not lasting as well as the 4-Seasons, but quite impressive nonetheless.
Sounds like I could be less of a lazy so-and-so in the summer and go faster with the 4000s, perhaps … next year ???

[Colin Peyresourde]

Cool. Well I think the 4000s
Cool. Well I think the 4000s are more me in that respect. You’ll probably find me in a skinless heap at the bottom of a hill come mid-December, but the Strava segments will be right up there.

[sm]

+10 Bedfordshire Clanger. I
+10 Bedfordshire Clanger. I have exactly the same set up. Nowt more to say on either tyre type or size.

[Bedfordshire Clanger]

I run 4000s and 4Seasons. The
I run 4000s and 4Seasons. The 4Seasons are better in the wet and have better puncture protection if you need it. I run 4Seasons on the winter bike/commuter and 4000s on the fair weather bike. The 4000s are quicker and grippier in dry conditions. There has been a move to wider tyres in recent years on the basis that they have a little less rolling resistance. Some pros are even riding 25s. I run 25 4Seasons and 23 4000s. It works for me. If you want performance go for GP4000s and if you want durability and winter reliabilty go for 4Seasons. You may want to have a look at Conti’s Attack/Force tyre set for winter performance. Kristian House rode Attack/Force tubs in the Tour of Britain.

[Author]

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