Comfortable road bike tires

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I posted this in the general topics forum and was directed here.

I've got a specialized allez sport road bike with a set of the Mondo tires on it. I've got a 545 mile bike ride coming up in June and will be riding between 80 and 112 miles a day through all kinds of different road conditions. IT could be hot and sunny or even cold and raining cats and dogs.

With that in mind I was hoping someone could recommend a good all around tire that blanaces LRR with good grip and decent cornering/handling.

If I have to sacrifice, I'd take more Rolling resistance for better grip and handling/cornering. It's less of a race and more about endurance.

I know thats a tall order for any tire, much less a bicycle tire but I have faith y'all can point me in the right direction. Below are the description and specs for the tire on there now.


The Mondo road tire was carefully engineered to be the fastest, best handling race tire in the world. Combines extremely low rolling resistance, puncture resistance and light weight, plus increased contact surface and traction while cornering via our proprietary Dual Radius Tread design.


Tire Use Road
Tire Type Clincher
Diameter 700c
Width 23
Bead Folding
PSI 115-125
Weight 230 grams
TPI 127
Compound Center: 70a / Shoulder: 60a
 
How much do you weigh?
I weigh 180-190lbs & used to run 700x23C tires at 120psi. I got tired of getting beaten up by them on anything other than smooth new pavement (hard to find around here) and switched to running 700x25c at 95psi. HUGE difference, both in comfort, grip, and feel especially in turns with no noticeable trade-off in rolling resistance
There have been a few recent studies showing that for clinchers narrow tires at high pressure will give the lowest rolling resistance on a smooth surface but as soon as the surface gets bumpy (think most roads in the real world) wider tires at a lower pressure will give you lower rolling resistance because they roll over the bumps instead of bouncing off them.
Science and Bicycles 1: Tires and Pressure

Obviously the wider the tires the heavier they are and the more aero drag they are going to have but if you weigh over around 160lbs might be better off with 25C tires & if you're over 200-220lbs you might want to try 28C if your frame has clearance for them.

Depending on your budget there have been some really positive reports on the new tubeless clincher road tires vis-a-vis their ability to run at lower pressures with less rolling resistance & more comfort but they take special rims and the tire choice is a bit limited right now.

Good luck on your ride, keep the rubber side and have fun!
 
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I weigh 160-165lbs depending upon my little debbies splurging. I read the article about the proper pressure for 15% wheel drop and all that fun business. My tires say max 115psi, but according to the charts on there, I should be running in the 150psi range.

I'll do my best to keep the rubber side and have fun
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: toyotapriusguy
I weigh 160-165lbs depending upon my little debbies splurging. I read the article about the proper pressure for 15% wheel drop and all that fun business. My tires say max 115psi, but according to the charts on there, I should be running in the 150psi range.

I'll do my best to keep the rubber side and have fun
wink.gif



I thought the pressures were high when reading the charts too, but I realized it was based on the weight on the wheel so if you have 50/50 weight distribution you'd be looking at the pressure for half your weight.

As with the 1st article I posted, I do find the pressures on the chart to be a bit low for road-bike tires.
 
Surestick "hit the nail on the head" with the tire size recommendations. I'd use at least a 25, but would vastly prefer a 28, if it fits your frame and fork. I don't recall what the clearances are on the Allez, but I'd be surprised if a 28 wouldn't fit.

As for tire pressures, keep in mind that most weight distributions are closer to 40/60 front-to-rear. Too much weight on the front can have an adverse effect on handling. There's no need to be overly obsessive about what the actual numbers are, though. I'd just take your weight, add about 30lbs for the bike and a few basics, and use the 40% and 60% numbers to set the tire pressures. Take a few test rides and fine-tune them based on what you feel.
 
I'll take it down to bike attack and see if they have some of the 25 or 28 that'll fit on my bike and give them a run around Santa Monica.

Thanks for all the help.
 
700x25 will work, however, will require a slight adjustment of the brakes to allow them to pass through.

28 is too large for the brakes.

While you're at it, I would recommend getting a tire with increased puncture protection. I put Bontrager Race All Weather Hardcase on my Secteur Elite (the more comfy counterpart to the Allez).

From Specialized, get something with Armadillo technology (Flak Jacket is useless).

I have heard Michelin Krylion is a good tire as well as Maxxis Re-Fuse & Continental Gatorskin

...the less time changing flats, the better
 
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I have 25mm Specialized Armadillos on the Specialized Tri-Cross I use as a commuter, and find they ride like bricks. To their credit, they get me to work on time and puncture-free, so I suppose that's something.

On my Allez Sport, I run 23mm Specialized Mondos, but I would probably go to something like a Continental Gatorskin for a longer trek where puncture resistance is a factor. I believe they have a "hardshell" version for further improved puncture resistance. I haven't used them myself, but I spend a lot of time on roadbike review dot com, and the contis are well reviewed there.
 
I'm pretty happy with my Michelin Lithion.2s. I'm riding 700x25c, a happy compromise between weight and comfort.
 
Originally Posted By: nthach
I'm pretty happy with my Michelin Lithion.2s. I'm riding 700x25c, a happy compromise between weight and comfort.


Got a cut in my Panaracer Extreme Evo 2 yesterday and ordered the Lithion 2's. $37 was too hard to pass up, glad to hear others experience with them. I went for 23's as I like narrower tires.
 
Randonneur bike is a roadbike? So me and the bike combined is 190 lbs, so I split it 45% and 55% on the rear. I get about 110 psi rear and 88psi front? does that sound right?

I forgot what I rode my old tires pressure wise. I think it was about 110psi front and rear. The tires I have now say 100-150 psi on the sidewall. It rides like a covered wagon, so maybe there is validity to the 110 psi rear, and 88 psi front.

The weather is getting to the point where I have gone for a few rides......Spring
happy2.gif
 
Those pressures sound about right for a starting point. Like I said in an earlier post to the OP, you'll need to fine tune them based on feel. You'll know you're in the ballpark, for pressure distribution, when you see that the sidewall bulge is about equal between both tires. Then just keep those distributions equal as you adjust your tire pressure up, or down, for that perfect ride.
 
Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
700x25 will work, however, will require a slight adjustment of the brakes to allow them to pass through.

28 is too large for the brakes.

While you're at it, I would recommend getting a tire with increased puncture protection. I put Bontrager Race All Weather Hardcase on my Secteur Elite (the more comfy counterpart to the Allez).

From Specialized, get something with Armadillo technology (Flak Jacket is useless).

I have heard Michelin Krylion is a good tire as well as Maxxis Re-Fuse & Continental Gatorskin

...the less time changing flats, the better


For the love of all that is good and right in the world, ignore this advice, and learn how to change flats, and change them quickly and efficiently.

I ride the lowest rolling resistance tires I can get, period. If you're doing between 80 and 112 miles a day, that is what you want too. You'll be a lot fresher at the end of the day. And if you get a flat, that'll give you a few minutes rest while you change it.

I've been running Michelin Pro2Race the last few years, but they're out of production now, and I'm almost through my stash. Going to try the Pro3Race next, which is supposed to have even less rolling resistance. They have a Pro3Race Service Course, but you have to be under 180 to use it, and I'm not. Oh and I run them at max sidewall pressure, 8 bar or 116 PSI. I have a steel frame and fork, so the ride seems fine to me
laugh.gif


If you want fatter tires, on my Rivendell I run 700x30 Grand Bois Cypress at about 85-90 PSI and I love them. They also make the Grand Bois in 28 and 26mm. They look so old school, but they roll really nice. Don't handle quite as good as the Michelin racing tires obviously, but I have ridden 600KM on the Grand Bois with a smile, in 33 hours and 2 minutes.
 
Originally Posted By: Brons2
Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
700x25 will work, however, will require a slight adjustment of the brakes to allow them to pass through.

28 is too large for the brakes.

While you're at it, I would recommend getting a tire with increased puncture protection. I put Bontrager Race All Weather Hardcase on my Secteur Elite (the more comfy counterpart to the Allez).

From Specialized, get something with Armadillo technology (Flak Jacket is useless).

I have heard Michelin Krylion is a good tire as well as Maxxis Re-Fuse & Continental Gatorskin

...the less time changing flats, the better


For the love of all that is good and right in the world, ignore this advice, and learn how to change flats, and change them quickly and efficiently.

I ride the lowest rolling resistance tires I can get, period. If you're doing between 80 and 112 miles a day, that is what you want too. You'll be a lot fresher at the end of the day. And if you get a flat, that'll give you a few minutes rest while you change it.

I've been running Michelin Pro2Race the last few years, but they're out of production now, and I'm almost through my stash. Going to try the Pro3Race next, which is supposed to have even less rolling resistance. They have a Pro3Race Service Course, but you have to be under 180 to use it, and I'm not. Oh and I run them at max sidewall pressure, 8 bar or 116 PSI. I have a steel frame and fork, so the ride seems fine to me
laugh.gif


If you want fatter tires, on my Rivendell I run 700x30 Grand Bois Cypress at about 85-90 PSI and I love them. They also make the Grand Bois in 28 and 26mm. They look so old school, but they roll really nice. Don't handle quite as good as the Michelin racing tires obviously, but I have ridden 600KM on the Grand Bois with a smile, in 33 hours and 2 minutes.


Your advice to ignore other posters seems a bit strong.

Rolling resistance isn't everything. Being able to fix flats and wasting time on rides fixing flats because you want to run race tires aren't the same thing.

I gladly trade some rolling efficiency for puncture protection, as I believe most riders do. I'm plenty quick at changing a tube out but also don't feel like bringing multiple spare tubes and patch kits on every ride just so I can improve my rolling efficiency by some small percentage.
 
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