Tires for Serotta Ottrott??

[BlackTiBob]

Any tire recommendations for my bike?
Last season I had Panaracer tires which worked great until 4 flats in 2 weeks. I love to ride but hate changing tires on a club ride.
I went to a Specialized Roubaix Armadillo Elite on the front with lightweight flat protection and a 25c casing with 23c tread, dual radius tread, kevlar bead, slick tread, 120 TPI - 295 gm. After 12 months it basically looks like new.

On the rear, have a Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elite 23c, kevlar bead, siped tread, - 280 gm which has changed from rounded profile to very flat and I'm overdue to change. I'm going on an out of town ride next weekend and want to replace the rear..
Any suggestions for a high performance tire BUT I really want decent flat protection as we have a lot of debris and holes on our MN roads???

My initial thought is another Roubaix Armadillo Elite on the rear but what are other good options?

Thanks for any suggestions!!

[Birddog]

A nice ride like that needs some nice shoes. Go out and get some Michelin Pro Race 3's. They will give you a damn fine ride, to hell with the flat protection. That's just outhouse luck anyway. Pump em up to no more than 110 in the rear and 100 in front. Best tire I've ever had, bar none. I thought the Pro Race 2's were great, but the 3"s are at least 10% (maybe 20%) better.

Birddog

[Bruce K]

+1 on the Pro 3's.

800+ miles so far on the Ottrott, 800+ miles on the Concours, and 1000 miles on the Meivici with only 1 flat due to broken glass shard.

They roll smooth, corner great, and the colors are on the way if black & gray doesn't do it for you.

The ivory side wall ones are VERY funky looking.

BK

[Ray]

+1 on the Pro 3's.

800+ miles so far on the Ottrott, 800+ miles on the Concours, and 1000 miles on the Meivici with only 1 flat due to broken glass shard.

They roll smooth, corner great, and the colors are on the way if black & gray doesn't do it for you.

The ivory side wall ones are VERY funky looking.

BK
Bruce - have you noticed the difference in size relative to the Pro 2s? One of the things I've loved about Michelins is that they're larger than advertised. A typical 23 was similar to a 25 from most other makers. I've read (here and elsewhere) that the new Pro 3s are up to 2mm narrower. Have you found that and, if so, have you noticed it in the ride?

-Ray

[Bruce K]

I did not really pay attention to a size difference but now that you mention it, they do appear a little smaller.

I actually think they ride better than the Pro 2's. Smoother, faster, and stick better in corners.

They even handled the hard packed dirt and occassional loose stuff on William's Rhode Island Ramble on Saturday without any issues.

I hope that helps.

BK

[Ray]

I did not really pay attention to a size difference but now that you mention it, they do appear a little smaller.

I actually think they ride better than the Pro 2's. Smoother, faster, and stick better in corners.

They even handled the hard packed dirt and occassional loose stuff on William's Rhode Island Ramble on Saturday without any issues.

I hope that helps.

BK
Yeah, it does. Thanks much.

-Ray

[dave thompson]

A very good "sleeper" tire is the Bontrager RaceLite series. Relatively light, 230 grams, true to size, 700x25 is 25MM, offering quite a nice ride and the only flat I've had on them in the last two years was from a massive cut from a large shard of glass that I couldn't miss. My wife hasn't had any flats on her Bontagers in two years. Pretty cheap too at $30 a pop.

[Birddog]

My Pro Race2's measure (on my el cheapo caliper) 22mm maybeeee 23mm at the widest and 22mm or 21mm for height above the rim. The 3's are about 1 maybeeee 2 mm less in both categories. The actual difference is pretty small. I used the 3's for the first time out in Colo a couple weeks ago, and the best way to describe the tires was that they were "confidence inspiring". They really hold in the corners on high speed descents and they provide a nice supple ride. Easily the best tire I've ever been on. A friend that had been bragging on his Conti 4000's said he gave the edge to the 3's as well. BTW, they are supposed to have the 3's in a 25mm size soon.

Birddog

[Cinci Jim]

I have really liked Conti 4000s tires, but I tried some Vittoria Open Corsas that were really nice, but I'm worried about flats & cuts. The Conti 4000s have been quite bullet proof for me.

[tch]

but I just bought the Pro Race 2's based on recommendations here. Incredibly, a notable improvement on the other tires I have used (Veloflex, Hutchinson, Rubinos). I used to think that tires were tires, and that any differences were simply in the rider's mind. Not so. If the 3's are any better than the 2's, then they are really the tire. The 2's are light, fast, notably smooth and silky.

[mule]

I have had great luck with Michelin Krylion Carbons. They are good for all around riding and don't seem to get cuts like the Pro Race tires.

[Ken Robb]

I have had no flats on Ruffy-Tuffys or Conti UltraGatorskins. I tried older Armadillos about 3 years ago and gave them away after a couple of rides. They felt like concrete! The new ones must be better- riding tires.

[bigbill]

Folding Conti Ultra Gatorskins in 23mm are nice tires. I wore a set down to the threads last year while riding in Hawaii, Italy, Montenegro, and the PNW. No flats.

Whatever you do don't put wire bead tires on an Ottrott. I heard somewhere that it will cause the frame to delaminate and burst into flames.

I heard the same thing about using anything other than Dura Ace, Record, or Red.

[frogpirate]

I ran Michelin ProRace 2's on both bikes for 1000's of miles. Great feel, got good mileage out of them and they were relativly bullet proof. We got some Conti 3000's through team sponsorship and if anything they are more bullet proof, but not as supple of a ride (IMHO). I also think the ProRace tires had a little better feel through corners.

I just put Conti 4000's in 25mm on the new Co-Motion and the next set of tires on the Giant TCR0 will be ProRace 3. I'm looking forward to checking out the new generation of tires.

Finally, I run Specilized All Condition's on my IRO for training (25mm) and while they are tough as nails, ride quality suffers. They are good training tires for here in the NorthWet, but not tires I am likely to buy again. If I can ever wear these out, I'll go to Conti 4000's on that bike as well.

[Pete Serotta]

:bike: :D

A nice ride like that needs some nice shoes. Go out and get some Michelin Pro Race 3's. They will give you a damn fine ride, to hell with the flat protection. That's just outhouse luck anyway. Pump em up to no more than 110 in the rear and 100 in front. Best tire I've ever had, bar none. I thought the Pro Race 2's were great, but the 3"s are at least 10% (maybe 20%) better.

Birddog

[sloji]

I did a century ride on Saturday and put on the new michelin pro race 3's and set pressure at 100/110 and what an incredibly smooth ride! I also experimented changing out the bar stem lowering my position 1/2" and enlongating my torso and what a difference. I did not realize after riding recumbents for so long just how much bar height and fit can effect handling on the Ottrott; much less road buzz through the bars, much smoother, and more confident descending. I think I was too bunched up on the bike and taking a lot of the vibration straight through the bars the way I had them. The few changes made me understand even more why folks love the smoothness of this bike. I'm one happy Serotta owner.

[93legendti]

I did not really pay attention to a size difference but now that you mention it, they do appear a little smaller.

I actually think they ride better than the Pro 2's. Smoother, faster, and stick better in corners.

They even handled the hard packed dirt and occassional loose stuff on William's Rhode Island Ramble on Saturday without any issues.

I hope that helps.

BK

I agree. The Pro 3's are very different than the Pro 2's in a very good way. I have P3's on my Ottrott's wheels.

[Climb01742]

wow. i must be the only person who didn't like pro2s. vittoria's have the best ride for me. trying a pair of conti black chili tires and so far, so good.

[93legendti]

wow. i must be the only person who didn't like pro2s. vittoria's have the best ride for me. trying a pair of conti black chili tires and so far, so good.

No, you're not. I did not like the Pro2's either. I love the Pro 3's...like a super version of the Veloflex Pave.

[mbrtool]

I have 1200 miles on my Pro3's. I replaced the front tire after a sidewall blowout at 400 miles. The back tire had two flats, a tack and a sharp stone. They handle corners very well. Ninety percent of my rides are on the freshly paved Chicago North Branch. I'll see if they hit 3000 miles before I will judge them.

[Sandy]

No, you're not. I did not like the Pro2's either. I love the Pro 3's...like a super version of the Veloflex Pave.

Make it 4 of us. I didn't like them either, nor do I think that Smiley liked them. Have no idea about the Pro3. I have the Continental GP4000 in 700x25 on my Ottrott and on my all steel CDA. Like them much better than the Michilen Pro2 tire. I use 95 f and 105 r and weigh between 190 and 4,000 pds.


Sandy

[Climb01742]

No, you're not. I did not like the Pro2's either. I love the Pro 3's...like a super version of the Veloflex Pave.

adam, for you, how do the pro3's improve upon the pro2's? and what pressure do you run for the 3's? thanks!

[sokyroadie]

I was not enamored with the PR2's and switched to Vittoria Rubino Pro's on all my bikes and am very happy with the ride and durability. Also at around $20.00 a pop at PBK they are a GREAT value, and not too heavy at 220g - 230g for the 23c. I may try the PR3's on my TT bike.

Jeff

[93legendti]

adam, for you, how do the pro3's improve upon the pro2's? and what pressure do you run for the 3's? thanks!

They are supple - something the PR2's were not. So they absorb road shock better - MUCH better than the PR2's. They feel more sure footed in turns - like turning on a good racing, snow ski. They feel lighter as well - maybe they aren't, but they seem to roll with less efort than the PR2's. I didn't like the PR2's at all. On the road, I found them to be harsh. On packed trails, they were better, but not great.

I run the PR3's at 87-90 psi.

[taz-t]

wow. i must be the only person who didn't like pro2s. vittoria's have the best ride for me. trying a pair of conti black chili tires and so far, so good.

+ 1 on the vittoria's.

Haven't ridden the good Michelins (only Axials), but Open Corsas are the only clincher I like to ride. 10,000 miles on on the Vittorias (not one set of course) and everything else feels sluggish. Veloflexs come in second... but I'd like to try a Pro Race 3 in a 25.

[KeithS]

I ride on rural MN (and IA, SD, WI) only flats I have had are on my daily rides here in northern suburbs of St. Paul. First set of Panaracers I had on seem kind of delicate, no flats but all scarred up, I was able to get flats in both front and rear, as someone else said here earlier, just bad luck. One small nail that hit dead center and nailed the tire to the rim, and a couple of encounters with glass. Now that chip seal season is over I am going to replace with with Conti 4000S. Vectran son of Kevlar lined. I bet I can flat them too.