Road tire recommendations sought
 

Building up my first proper road bike in many years. (I think) I’m looking for something in the ~30mm wide range (I like descending and cornering fast) that feels good, rolls and grips well, and looks sick (bronze/brown/tan sidewalls). All my non-commuter bikes are tubeless so (I think) I’d prefer that? But bottom line I know nothing about road bikes or the tires you put on them. So, looking for recommendations and any schooling/resources I should get wise to. Thx

Continental GP5000 S TR is a good place to start. Probably the most popular performance-oriented road tire at the moment. They're available with brown sidewalls. I've used both 30 mm and 28 mm, both are fast and have been trouble-free.

Michelin Power Cup TLR are also great. I've used them in 28 mm and think they feel slightly better. They have a version with a lighter brown than Continental's.

Vittoria Corsa Pro G2.0 are on the to-do list. Sounds like they might be the best-riding tires currently.

All these are around $100 MSRP but can often be had for $80. Biketiresdirect has the Michelins for $75 now.

The best riding road tubeless "training" tire with decent-ish puncture protection:
Veloflex Corsa Evo TLR.

There is no substitute. ;)

But if you want the second best:

Vittoria Corsa 2.0 TLR. This one has better puncture protection than the Veloflex as per my experience.

Veloflex Corsa Evo user here. For the money, they can't be beat. Excellent ride quality, great wear, and decent puncture protection. I did have one get destroyed when I slashed the sidewall, their only weakness is the sidewalls.

Can’t go wrong with the Conti GP5000 or the Vittoria Corsa 2.0, I think both are available both in 28 and 30mm. The Corsa Control has a bit more rubber on the tread and is just wonderfully grippy in the corners, I really like those for extra confidence turning the bike.

In my experience, it's hard to go wrong with any iteration of the GP5000, especially the STRs. If you're interested in some increased grip in the wet, the All Season TRs (ASTRs) are supposedly the most grippy tire in wet conditions, and not much heavier or slower than the normal STR. These are all expensive tires, but you can find solid deals. My go-to sites are biketiresdirect and all4cycling.

I'm a fan of the Pirelli PZero TLR tires - light, durable, good rolling resistance, great grip on wet roads, and easy to mount, especially for tubeless. I use them for tubeless on both hooked and hookless rims. I've stopped using Continentals (sidewall issues, difficult to mount) and Michelins (difficult to mount) as they didn't feel any better IMHO. I use a variety of sizes on different bikes.

The forum sponsor BikeTiresDirect has the Pirellis in tan wall 700x30
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...e?fltr=&sg=500

I hate flat tires so I use Vittoria Corsa Control 28mm on all my road bikes (from clinchers to the new Pro version).

They roll fast, grip incredibly well, and have extra puncture protection so I never have to worry about flats. I am incredibly happy with these tires.

And the new Pro version only comes in tanwall, so you have that box checked as well.

+1 more for the Pirelli
 

Been using various versions of these across my (non tubeless) wheels - roll fast, are super grippy + durable…AND…very easy to put on/take off.

I have been using these in 26/28/30/32mm variants and they're wonderful.

Schwalbe Pro One.

I have been running Vittoria Corsa N.Ext in 700x30 they are great.

+ another for the P Zero Race TLR Speedcore 700x30. Easy to set up tubeless, roll quiet and smooth. Great feel to them. Easy to mount on BTLOS and Belgium + rims.

Ran GP 5000, TL and TR before but I like the P Zero Race more.

have probably purchased more Conti tires than any other brands.

back when I didn't know any better, I ran Gatorskins. once I tried other models, realized how horrid they are. my favorite user review compared them to riding a frozen garden hose. lol

the 4000S IIs were great, good ride, excellent durability. when the 5000s came out was eager to try them. same or better ride quality, but mileage is down considerably. so, not sure I'll continue to buy them.

have tried Schwalbe ONE and Vittoria Rubino Pro, both are quite serviceable.

worst tires I've tried are Michelin...just went thru a set of ProComp 4s and they were seriously disappointing. ride was nothing special, cut like crazy, and were totally worn out in very few miles.

the positive comments here about Pirellis makes me want to check them out.

So interesting to hear what works for different people.

I have pretty much hated every Conti tire I've tried. I like them on my car, not on bikes. I think I hated them on motorycles too. Contis to me wear fast, are a PITA to mount, and aren't as confidence inspiring in handling, especially in wet weather.

I haven't had Michelin in close to 10 years, but always liked them. Excellent in dry and wet. Always always loved Michelin on motorcycles too FWIW.

I absolutely love the Specialized S-Works Turbo non-cotton version. Great in all weather, very fast, excellent handling/grip, and I have probably gone 10k miles on them without a flat. These however are only available in up to 28c.