Training/rando tire

[stuckey]

I was wondering what experiences/recommendations you all have towards tires? I am currently using Grand Bois 700x30mm but I am not going to pay the new price for how they wear. I am trying to decide between Panaracer Stradius Sport 26mm non tour guard, Panaracer Pasela 28mm non tour guard, and Michelin Krylion 25mm. I am just wondering how they handle in the rain, roll, and wear, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[sw3759]

I am big fan of the Panaracer Pasela 28mm non tour guard tires they are fairly inexspensive,wear like iron,ride nice at 70-80 psi for my 145lbs and are my favorite winter tire.i.e flats really suck in cold and rain.the Michelin Krylion 25mm i have not used but guess its like the Michilen Carbon from a few years ago which i liked but didn't anything better the Pasela just cost more.it's probably lighter though.YMMV
never used the Panaracer Stradius Sport 26mm


Scott

[RudAwkning]

I am big fan of the Panaracer Pasela 28mm non tour guard tires they are fairly inexspensive,wear like iron,ride nice at 70-80 psi for my 145lbs and are my favorite winter tire.i.e flats really suck in cold and rain.the Michelin Krylion 25mm i have not used but guess its like the Michilen Carbon from a few years ago which i liked but didn't anything better the Pasela just cost more.it's probably lighter though.YMMV
never used the Panaracer Stradius Sport 26mm


Scott

Tires are a lot like cell phone carriers. They all suck, depending on who you ask :D

My experiences with the Panaracer Pasela have been kind of the opposite. Had a sidewall blowout which sucked. And on my club's annual 120 mile Pacifica to Monterey ride, I ended up with 5 flats. This may have been due to the rainy conditions (tires tend to pick up a lot more crap in the rain) but it was enough to turn me away from this tire.

Have also had 2 sidewall failures with Panaracer Extreme Duro tires.

Never had any issues with Roly Polys or Ruffy Tuffys but they're a bit on chubby side.

Riding Krylion 25s on my fixie and have used the 23 width in the past on my road bikes. They're pretty puncture resistant and roll nicely.

Rode my last 300k brevet using Continental Grand Prix 28s without issue. I really liked the way this tire felt/handled. Rolled more like a 25. Zero flats. My friend gave them to me for free, as I typically wouldn't pay as much as Conti's sell for. If shopping for a 28, I'd probably buy another set of these....until I have a failure or streak of flats. Then I'll be telling you how awful they are ;)

[palincss]

Never had any issues with Roly Polys or Ruffy Tuffys but they're a bit on chubby side.


Not compared with a Grand Bois 700x30, which measures a true 31-32mm, they aren't. The RP/RTs measure 27-28mm.

So far, every tire mentioned in this discussion has been significantly, even dramatically, narrower than the Grand Bois. I can understand wanting an inexpensive, long-wearing alternative to an event tire like the GB, especially for winter use. Is there anything out there that measures a true 32mm that is worthy of consideration?

How about the Vittoria Randonneur Pro?

[markie]

Never had any issues with Roly Polys or Ruffy Tuffys but they're a bit on chubby side.



These have the same carcass as the pasela and are made by pananracer.

I have a lot of miles on paselas and no problems. A flat every 5000 miles or so. And this is in an area where I flat every 100 miles or so with skinny race 23mm vittorias.

[GregL]

This is a timely thread. I am looking for an alternative to Panaracer Pasela TGs, size 700 x 28. I use them on my cross-dirt road bike in the summer and on a tandem. I have rarely had a Pasela TG make it to the end of its service life. They have almost all failed with lots of tread remaining, either with a sidewall cut or a deep cut in the tread through the casing. I ride Michelin Krylions on the same roads with far fewer problems. I replaced a Pasela TG yesterday because it had developed a bulge on the sidewall for no apparant reason. When I removed the tire and looked inside, the casing was simply pulling apart due to poor design/manufacturing.

Recommendations for a solid touring or tandem tire in a "real" 700 x 28 size would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Greg

[markie]

I use them on my cross-dirt road bike in the summer and on a tandem.

Have you tried the 32mm version?

Otherwise the continental top contact is beefier and might hold up better to that kind of abuse. There is also the Schwalbe maratho, which I have not tried...

[RudAwkning]

These have the same carcass as the pasela and are made by pananracer.

I have a lot of miles on paselas and no problems. A flat every 5000 miles or so. And this is in an area where I flat every 100 miles or so with skinny race 23mm vittorias.

I think they may have a slightly more durable casing though. The tire feels more pliable in my hands.

I'm by no means knocking Panaracer tires. In fact I applaud them for their many variations and sizes :banana:

One tire I forgot to mention that's definitely worth looking at for training and rando rides is the Panaracer TServ. Comes in 25, 28, 32, 35 and maybe even 38? Great tire. Super durable. Can be taken to a pretty high PSI for it's width. Mild tread pattern (similar to Paselas). Relatively inexpensive. Worth a look anyway.

[pdbrye]

You might want to try the Michelin Pro2 race in a 700x25. I know you said training /Rando but these measure closer to a 700x27. I've ridden them on many crappy roads and my experience is they ride great, are durable and wear very well. These tires have a lot of fans on this forum.

[palincss]

You might want to try the Michelin Pro2 race in a 700x25. I know you said training /Rando but these measure closer to a 700x27. I've ridden them on many crappy roads and my experience is they ride great, are durable and wear very well. These tires have a lot of fans on this forum.

Perhaps on a narrow rim they may measure over 25mm, but on a medium rim they're pretty much true to stated width. The original poster was looking for a less expensive, longer wearing alternative to a 700x30 tire whose true width on most rims is actually 32mm. On a medium width rim, going to a 25mm Michelin would be going down 7 mm in size. That's pretty dramatic, I think.

Also, it's not like the Pro2Race is a particularly cheap tire. There may be some bargains I missed, but right now the best I could turn up on froogle.google.com was $39.99 each.

What sort of longevity are folks getting from the Pro2Race in 700x25? I saw one forum posting (not here) that claimed over 5,000 miles per tire, but frankly I find that rather hard to credit.

[RudAwkning]

Perhaps on a narrow rim they may measure over 25mm, but on a medium rim they're pretty much true to stated width. The original poster was looking for a less expensive, longer wearing alternative to a 700x30 tire whose true width on most rims is actually 32mm. On a medium width rim, going to a 25mm Michelin would be going down 7 mm in size. That's pretty dramatic, I think.

Also, it's not like the Pro2Race is a particularly cheap tire. There may be some bargains I missed, but right now the best I could turn up on froogle.google.com was $39.99 each.

What sort of longevity are folks getting from the Pro2Race in 700x25? I saw one forum posting (not here) that claimed over 5,000 miles per tire, but frankly I find that rather hard to credit.

Maybe the OP can chime in. From the tires he was investigating, it seemed like he was looking to "downsize" at the same time. I'll look at my issue of Bicycle Quarterly with the PBP summary and see if they did any stats on tire preferences. Perhaps some of the forum veterans have a little more insight.

[MarleyMon]

Here is a recent thread w/ lots of responses:

http://serotta.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41879

[stuckey]

Thanks for all of the responses so far.
Yes I am looking to downsize the 30mm or 32mm as it measures is a touch big on my bike it takes up every last mm I have. I ended up grinding down the heads of the bolts that attach the fenders to the crown and the rear brake bridge.
What I am looking for was something I between 25 and 28mm that wears relatively decent and rides okay. I was interested in the above mentioned tires because of the tests in BQ and Tour magazine. Is the Pro Race 3 that much better then the Pro Race 2?

[pdbrye]

Well, the OP didn't mention rim width and stated he was looking at 26-28mm tires as an alternative to the Gran Bois, hence the suggestion to look at the Pro2 Race. I think cost is a relative term. If an inexpensive tire rides and/or wears poorly then its not much of a bargain. Personally, I have about 1500 miles on mine and they are in great shape, no flats to date and have lots of miles left. At 40 bucks I think they are a good value and an excellent tire. Just my 2 cents...

Perhaps on a narrow rim they may measure over 25mm, but on a medium rim they're pretty much true to stated width. The original poster was looking for a less expensive, longer wearing alternative to a 700x30 tire whose true width on most rims is actually 32mm. On a medium width rim, going to a 25mm Michelin would be going down 7 mm in size. That's pretty dramatic, I think.

Also, it's not like the Pro2Race is a particularly cheap tire. There may be some bargains I missed, but right now the best I could turn up on froogle.google.com was $39.99 each.

What sort of longevity are folks getting from the Pro2Race in 700x25? I saw one forum posting (not here) that claimed over 5,000 miles per tire, but frankly I find that rather hard to credit.

[jcmuellner]

I've had good luck with the Gran Bois 700x30, rode most of the season on them, club rides, 300, 400, 600 km brevets, "training" (whatever that is), gravel road trips and PBP. Had 4 flats in all that time, 2 for thorns in Eastern WA in April and two on PBP in the last 25km.

I think they have a good amount of life yet. I've also had very good luck with Pro2Race 700x25 and Paselas in various widths. The Paselas are the least expensive and I usually use the TG version in 28 -they have a nice feel but I'm pretty happy with the GBs.

[dauwhe]

I've had good luck with the Pro2Race... measures just under 27mm on Velocity Aeroheads. Seemed very resistant to flats, too, although I forget the stats...

Dave

[stuckey]

I've had good luck with the Pro2Race... measures just under 27mm on Velocity Aeroheads. Seemed very resistant to flats, too, although I forget the stats...

Dave

Thanks for the width measurement on aeroheads. I love those rims all 3 wheelsets I have for this bike are different variations around aeroheads... I think I just may give Pro2race or the 3 version a try since they can be found for a decent price and locally.

[Der_Kruscher]

As was previously noted, you'll find a vocal detractor for any tire and in this case it's me with the Michelin Pro2Race. Granted I expose tires to some fairly extreme conditions in that I regularly ride though crappy parts of San Francisco but I found that the Michelins cut and puncture easily. I got about 500 miles out of a set before I got fed up and swapped them out. The Krylions don't ride as nicely but they're waaay more durable - a lot heavier too. I loved the way that they Panaracer Stradiu Pros rode but the sidewalls were garbage. Anyway, that's my not so helpful 2 cents.

[sw3759]

"I think I just may give Pro2race or the 3 version a try since they can be found for a decent price and locally."

from what i seen the pro race 3 is only available in size 23 and that 23 is more narrow than the pro 2 race 23.looks like thinner tread too,i guess thats how they got it lighter.not sure if or when it will be available as 25.hopefully they won't downsize that one like the 23.the 700x25 pro2race is a terrific tire.

[Vancouverdave]

I've been using some Vittoria Zaffiro 28c (measure 25.5mm wide on an MA 40)
folding tires, smooth ride, seem pretty cut resistant, and some IRC Tandem Duro skinwalls which measure 30mm wide on a Velocity Dyad rim. This particular IRC model is sort of a "secret Pasela." I am using them on our tandem because the last batch of Paselas I brought in were scary-loose on the Dyad rims. The ride and durability of the IRC's have been a really pleasant surprise and I'll both sell them and use them myself more in the future. Both of these tires should have under a $30 retail price.

[stuckey]

"I think I just may give Pro2race or the 3 version a try since they can be found for a decent price and locally."

from what i seen the pro race 3 is only available in size 23 and that 23 is more narrow than the pro 2 race 23.looks like thinner tread too,i guess thats how they got it lighter.not sure if or when it will be available as 25.hopefully they won't downsize that one like the 23.the 700x25 pro2race is a terrific tire.

http://worldclasscycles.com/clincher_tires_free_cart.htm They say they have Pro Race 3 in 25mm, I have not called to confirm it though. Who has the best deal on Pro Race 2 right now?

[Orin]

I was wondering what experiences/recommendations you all have towards tires? I am currently using Grand Bois 700x30mm but I am not going to pay the new price for how they wear. I am trying to decide between Panaracer Stradius Sport 26mm non tour guard, Panaracer Pasela 28mm non tour guard, and Michelin Krylion 25mm. I am just wondering how they handle in the rain, roll, and wear, any help would be greatly appreciated.

The Stradius, if like other Panaracer mad 26s (including the Grand Bois 26), is likely to measure a little under 25mm. Not much different to a Michelin 23.

Orin.

[mschol17]

http://worldclasscycles.com/clincher_tires_free_cart.htm They say they have Pro Race 3 in 25mm, I have not called to confirm it though. Who has the best deal on Pro Race 2 right now?

Probikekit.com generally has the best tire deals, in my experience.

[palincss]

Probikekit.com generally has the best tire deals, in my experience.

That was certainly true last year: 2 Pro2Race for around $44 and free shipping. Hardly seemed possible it could be true. But the free shipping's essential.