vittoria randonneur 700x25 - any feedback?

[AngryScientist]

i'm recently interested in a tire to put on my geekhouse for rougher roads, but not rough enough for the fatter tires. any feedback on these, look good for the price.:help:

[aaronv]

The "Vittoria Randonneur Hyper" is an excellent tire, but it now called the "Voyager Hyper" and only comes in sizes larger than what you are looking for. The plain "Randonneur" that Vittoria has currently has, does not resemble the old Hyper other than name. The best deal in cycling for this style of tire in a size you are considering is the Panaracer Paselas series.

[KidWok]

The "Vittoria Randonneur Hyper" is an excellent tire, but it now called the "Voyager Hyper" and only comes in sizes larger than what you are looking for. The plain "Randonneur" that Vittoria has currently has, does not resemble the old Hyper other than name. The best deal in cycling for this style of tire in a size you are considering is the Panaracer Paselas series.

I'd take the Pasela over basic Vitt. Rando any day of the week...much softer casing. That said, Pasela's have some seriously hard rubber and I've felt them slide out under me more than a few times. Have a hard time trusting them on wet surfaces these days. Never tried the Rando Hypers, but I hear good things about them. I also don't mind running the Panaracer T-Serv as a back tire on my road bikes even though the casing is a bit harder than Pasela. It's a long-lasting tire good for crunching miles. Front tire is usually something nicer/racier/grippier.

Tai

[happycampyer]

I think that there has always been a difference between the Randonneur Hyper and the Randonneur/Randonneur Pro tire, even before the name change—the Hypers are/were more supple. I rode the Hypers at D2R2, and the ride was fine. I think the basic Randonneur tire is a harder riding tire. The Paselas get good reviews—Christian had them on his Zank, but in a wider version. They're so cheap, there's not a lot of harm trying them. In any case, for rough/gravel roads, I prefer giving up some ride quality for flat protection, although not at the expense of grip.

[AngryScientist]

wow, those paselas are cheap. do i want the "tourgaurd" version, or no?

[christian]

Tourguard is an extra puncture protection belt. I ran 35mm folding Paselas with the Tourguard at D2R2. They were fine for that, but my experience is that the smaller you go, the more harsh puncture-proof tires go. Still I thought they were pretty supple in 35. I'd likely get the Tourguard in 28mm for the rear, but not for the front. Can't be worse than a Ruffy Tuffy and lots of people think those are ok...

[oldpotatoe]

i'm recently interested in a tire to put on my geekhouse for rougher roads, but not rough enough for the fatter tires. any feedback on these, look good for the price.:help:

Use them on my wet weather Moots..nice tire, VERY durable, somewhat 'lethargic', when compared to the more road type tires, like Vittoria Rubino, Diamante or OpenCorsa.

[beercan]

When they repaved a section of the Williamsburg bridge in NYC, I used to always slide out on my pasela's when it was riaing, it became so bad that I knew I was gonna slide out at certain sections of the bridge, thankfully the city caught on that tons of people were slipping at these spots and repaved those areas.

[fiamme red]

wow, those paselas are cheap. do i want the "tourgaurd" version, or no?Non-Tourguard Paselas are only available with a wire bead (i.e., non-folding), not Kevlar -- if that matters to you.

The narrower non-folding Paselas have very thin and supple sidewalls, not the best choice for rough dirt roads.

[KidWok]

wow, those paselas are cheap. do i want the "tourgaurd" version, or no?

Yeah...get TG if you're off roading. My mention of bad grip was solely on pebble finished concrete roads where the pebbles had polished smooth. I have ridden Paselas on dry gravel and they did very well. They are a nice tire for the money.

If money was less of a limiting factor, I'd suggest bumping up to Schwalbe Marathon Supremes. You get proportionally a lot more tire for the money IMHO. Great wet weather grip, much more durable (but still supple) casing, surprisingly long-life compound, all-black looks with a reflective trim as well. After my last slide out on Paselas, I started using these.

Edit: strike that...not available in 25's but still an awesome tire in 28.

Tai

[staggerwing]

A 25 for rougher roads, you must be light as a feather. Color me jealous.

I'm totally in love with the Randonneur Hyper, in a 32 casing, for my everyday city ride. A very supple, lively tire. Not much in the way of flat protection, but with that much air, I can fly over rough sections that would give me pause on a 25. It never makes me wish for something more narrow.

Otherwise, Conti Grand Prix 4 season in 27, which run a smidge narrow, have been good to me. A bit dear though.