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Which all-round tubs? Conti Competition??

The tubs on my best bike need replacing, and I'd love to hear your experiences / recommendations for all-round tubs (not tubeless).

This bike's only used in town in the dry for hard sprinty rides - keeping up with town traffic and stuff up to 30 miles. No racing.

I'd like to avoid overly fragile or puncture-prone or quick-wearing but have a slight bias towards low rolling resistance.

The bike's a 2013 Oltre XR with FFWD 60mm carbon rims.

Current tubs are Vredestein Fortezza Pro Tricomp which are fab, but not available. Love the cornering precision and supple ride !

How about Conti Competitions? Or what would you recommend?

And what inflation pressure should I use at 61kg?

Many thanks !

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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11 comments

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Richard1982 | 5 years ago
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I like Conti Competitions. They're nothing flash, but they get the job done and are pretty robust. I'd go with those  1

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srchar | 5 years ago
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Veloflex Roubaix.

Or Arenberg, if you don't like tan sidewalls. But who doesn't like tan sidewalls?

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jaysa | 5 years ago
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Many thanks for the guidance.  I must sound like a tool with a nice bike, but all my experience is with clinchers, so just checkin !

The existing Fortezza Pros are 23mm. They measure 22.7mm with calipers at 90psi. The FFWD rims are 22mm outside, so that sounds the right size for aero.

They're marked 130-200psi but I've been running them around 90-100psi. Is this bad for them?

I'm fine with daily pumping and always check for embedded glass & flints.

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Jimmy Ray Will | 5 years ago
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So I've been running Schwalbe this year. Its been nice.

Biggest thing though, is that I have been running them with tyre sealant. Both front and rear have punctured in that time, however I have been able to fix on both occasions with nothing more than a shake and rotation of the wheel.

This pleased me muchly. 

However, I also saw a review / test of the tubs, and they were apparently awful tyres in rolling resistance tests. 

They don't feel as zingy as other tubs I've run.

so bascially I don't know if I'd go there again, but the challenge is finding another good quality tub that uses butyl tubes rather than latex so I can run sealant. I am converted. 

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Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
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Vittoria Corsa G+

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kev-s | 5 years ago
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Used to run Conti's comps then changed to Vittoria Corsa G+

Both sets punctured within a year and they arent cheap to replace

Now run Vittoria Rally's and not had a puncture in a year, also at £12 a tub they are cheap to replace

 

 

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madcarew replied to kev-s | 5 years ago
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kev-s wrote:

Used to run Conti's comps then changed to Vittoria Corsa G+

Both sets punctured within a year and they arent cheap to replace

Now run Vittoria Rally's and not had a puncture in a year, also at £12 a tub they are cheap to replace

Punctures are mostly a lottery. I've not had any punctures on my tubs in 2000 km, but I've had probably ten on my training wheels in the same time. It's really down to how many km you do on what kind of surface, with 80% of it made up by a lottery of blind luck. It'd be a rare tyre indeed for me that doesn't puncture within a year of regular usage.

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kev-s replied to madcarew | 5 years ago
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madcarew wrote:

kev-s wrote:

Used to run Conti's comps then changed to Vittoria Corsa G+

Both sets punctured within a year and they arent cheap to replace

Now run Vittoria Rally's and not had a puncture in a year, also at £12 a tub they are cheap to replace

Punctures are mostly a lottery. I've not had any punctures on my tubs in 2000 km, but I've had probably ten on my training wheels in the same time. It's really down to how many km you do on what kind of surface, with 80% of it made up by a lottery of blind luck. It'd be a rare tyre indeed for me that doesn't puncture within a year of regular usage.

I ride tubs all year round and average 2500 miles a year (used to be more but baby takes up any spare time)

My point is expensive tubs are great till they puncture and you have to ethier learn how to repair them, send them away for repair or throw them in the bin and pay out £60+ for a new one

 

The Vittoria Rally's at £12 each will just be thrown away when punctured, same as when i used to run Clinchers and when i got a puncture the tube went in the nearest bin and a new one fitted

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Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
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Only have recent experience of Contintal Competitions and Vittoria Corsa G+. Personally unable to discern any differences in performance and both have good reviews from people who use a lot more tyres than I do.

Never had any punctures with either but the Continentals did pick up a few splits and tiny embedded sharps. I was generally happy with the Continentals but went with the Vittorias when they needed replacing because of the tan sidewall. I am happy to admit that at my level of performance aesthetic qualities influence purchase decisions.

From memory the Vittorias were easier to fit. They do loose pressure over the space of a few days.

General comment: Tubulars are definitely my favourite choice. They may be a bit of a black art to fit but no worse than tubeless or even a recalcitrant clincher. I run a set of Reynolds assault disc. Aero, rugged and relatively lightweight for what they are. I like the idea that the wheel rim has just 2 functions. Somewhere to glue the tyre to and being aerodynamic.

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madcarew | 5 years ago
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+1 for Conti comps. I race, and I've put in 2000 km of racing on my current comps and they're still going, not one puncture so far, and that's on NZ rural roads which are very rough. If I was going to be picky I'd say athe vittoria corsa cx is a nicer ride, but I probably couldn't pick it in a blind test. I find michelins are stickier in the corners, but slash up way too easily in NZ conditions. The comp is a really good mix of predictable handling, long lasting, and a good ride. They're not bad on RR according to the tests as well.

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BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
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I use a conti comp 25mm on my carbon racer, they aren't the raciest tyre but they are a brilliant all round solid tyre that won't let you down. What were you on the 21s or the 23s?

Pressures are different front and rear, have a check on the Berto pressure chart, this will give you a rough starting point. I used the 55/45 weight distribution and your weight plus a 17lb bike and that's coming out at 72rear and 58front for a 25 but you just use that as a starting point, you might want higher or lower.

As it happens I have a brand new pair of 25mm Conti comps I'm selling as I've gone to Veloflex 27mm though sticking to the conti on the front til it wears and then replacing with the wider tyre.

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