Continental Supersonic clinchers - any experience with them?

[dd74]

I was at a local LBS today, getting a new tire, when the mechanic showed me a Continental Supersonic clincher. He said it's a pure race tire that can be inflated up to 150 psi. Meanwhile my Michelin Pro 4 can only go up to 110 psi.

My question is what will 40 more psi get me (other than a harder ride), and if it's worth it to try these Supersonic tires out. Are they durable? Does anyone have any experience with a high psi clincher like the Supersonic?

Thanks.

[palincss]

I was at a local LBS today, getting a new tire, when the mechanic showed me a Continental Supersonic clincher. He said it's a pure race tire that can be inflated up to 150 psi. Meanwhile my Michelin Pro 4 can only go up to 110 psi.

My question is what will 40 more psi get me (other than a harder ride), and if it's worth it to try these Supersonic tires out. Are they durable? Does anyone have any experience with a high psi clincher like the Supersonic?


Do you weigh over 250 lb? If not, why would you want to inflate your tires that high? (And if you do weigh over 250 lb, perhaps you should consider using a wider tire.)

[dd74]

Do you weigh over 250 lb? If not, why would you want to inflate your tires that high? (And if you do weigh over 250 lb, perhaps you should consider using a wider tire.)
No, I don't way over 250, but rather much less, which is why I'm asking this question.

Maybe what I should ask is whether or not there is an advantage for a person of about 160 lbs or less to run tires between 140 and 150 psi.

[AngryScientist]

No, I don't way over 250, but rather much less, which is why I'm asking this question.

Maybe what I should ask is whether or not there is an advantage for a person of about 160 lbs or less to run tires between 140 and 150 psi.

Definitely not for the road.

[weiwentg]

:fight:No, I don't way over 250, but rather much less, which is why I'm asking this question.

Maybe what I should ask is whether or not there is an advantage for a person of about 160 lbs or less to run tires between 140 and 150 psi.

no advantage. Supersonics are light, and that's about it. they puncture easily. their rolling resistance isn't that low, even at 150psi. forget them. and for the record, I've gone through my weight weenie/rolling resistance weenie/aero weenie phase.

[cmg]

the supersonics are a good tire as a front tire for most road condition. as rear tire unless you're a light weight you'll go through the thread pretty quickly. on the front you may get 1200 miles off them, on the rear about 200-300 if you're over 150lbs. use as a front tire with performance lunar lights.

[maunahaole]

If you weight 160, the only thing you will get from 150psi in your tires bad ride quality. More importantly, that sort of pressure really plays hell with your rims, as the rim has to deal with all that air as well. Many really are not designed to handle that and it will lead to earlier rim failures as a result. You could probably run it at 90 and it will work great. Aside from that, I cannot speak to this tire.

[smead]

the supersonics are a good tire as a front tire for most road condition. as rear tire unless you're a light weight you'll go through the thread pretty quickly. on the front you may get 1200 miles off them, on the rear about 200-300 if you're over 150lbs. use as a front tire with performance lunar lights.

I'm 150 lbs and have gotten a few more miles out of them, but this is inline with my experience. I would not, however, recommend perf lunar light tubes (now that we're on the subject of reliability). These tubes are garbage. Go with another 20 grams and run michelin aircomp ultralight. I tried the 50 gram lunar lights and they fail incredibly easy, after 1 year in plastic bags stored, I had two pretty much disintigrate during inflation - paper thin junk!

I ran conti SS's for about 2 years for ultra distance races. I did have some flats ...., I don't have any scientific data on rolling resistance, but my seat of the pants impressions were that they roll very nice and are fast clinchers. Running the 23s at 130 psi on a smooth road feels sublime - 330 TPI will do that .... Anything over 130 psi seems nuts .. I eventually switched to PR3s and flat a lot less often. I still do, however, miss the sound the rock hard SSs make humming along 20+ on smooth roads .. IMHO, for short road races/crits on good pavement, the SS's don't seem like a bad clincher choice.

[stusf]

the supersonics are a good tire as a front tire for most road condition. as rear tire unless you're a light weight you'll go through the thread pretty quickly. on the front you may get 1200 miles off them, on the rear about 200-300 if you're over 150lbs. use as a front tire with performance lunar lights.

No real puncture protection but they work OK as a road tire, but I second that they won't last long. I'm 180lbs and the rear lasted about 700 miles, but was wearing through to the casing at that point.
Would make a good event tire, but gets very expensive for training.

[11.4]

You really asked two questions, one about the tire, one about the pressure.

Everyone is right about the pressure. I use them at times on the track and there only use 140 psi on smooth concrete. You should be looking at something in the very low 100's. At that pressure, they are very fast rolling, very smooth, very nice clinchers. Better thread count and suppleness than almost anything else short of a Veloflex Record clincher.

As for the tire itself, we've measured performance on the track where we're looking at good rolling performance at various pressures. As just mentioned, the only tire that ever beat it out was the Veloflex Record clincher. And the Supersonic outlasted it and was substantially more puncture and cut resistant. I wouldn't consider it at all a daily use tire. It's for an event and that's it. But for a time trial or a triathlon or any special event, it's a superb tire.

[ultraman6970]

140 to 160 psi is way too much pressure in the tires. These are not car tires you know, that the sidewalls say that the maximum pressure is like 200 psi doesnt mean you have to put those numbers in you know.

As more pressure the harder will get, faster?? yes (wheel depends on the clincher too) but the issue is that they will get like a darn balloon, a tiny sharp peebble and boom! There you have it, 100+ bucks to the trash.

The other thing over 120 the ride quality gets bad with clinchers, the ride gets too hard and cornering in general no matter how much air you put in, it wont be the same than a tubular at less pressure.

Never used those continental but so far the schwalbe ultremo are pretty fast and cost less money than continental. In general and a friend, that the store guy tells you that as more air the better, the guy is wrong... there are limits for everything.

If you want something faster and maybe even cheaper just put expensive tubulars at 100 psi

[jr59]

I'm 265!

They wouldn't make the end of my driveway! :banana:

[rustychisel]

You really asked two questions, one about the tire, one about the pressure.

.... the Veloflex Record clincher. And the Supersonic outlasted it and was substantially more puncture and cut resistant.


agree with all that's said here, but this surprises me. I've always had excellent wear and durability out of Veloflex, but recall a mate who took a Supersonic down to the threads with one intemperate skid on smooth concrete.

[oldpotatoe]

I was at a local LBS today, getting a new tire, when the mechanic showed me a Continental Supersonic clincher. He said it's a pure race tire that can be inflated up to 150 psi. Meanwhile my Michelin Pro 4 can only go up to 110 psi.

My question is what will 40 more psi get me (other than a harder ride), and if it's worth it to try these Supersonic tires out. Are they durable? Does anyone have any experience with a high psi clincher like the Supersonic?

Thanks.

Gone from the marketplace what 10 years ago? Fragile but light. NO need to pump any bicycle tire to the max on the side. Higher rolling resistance, rides like crappola, explodes with small holes...

[torquer]

As for the tire itself, we've measured performance on the track where we're looking at good rolling performance at various pressures. As just mentioned, the only tire that ever beat it out was the Veloflex Record clincher.

I'm curious: what was your testing protocol, and what was the optimum pressure for the various tires tested?

[christian]

I found them to be about 740 mph short of their advertised speed.