Best (durable vs. racy) “real” 25c or 24c clincher

[mass_biker]

Rebuilding the Parlee. Not much clearance in back. Likely the old Ardennes SL FR SL clinchers (rim brake - natch) as the chassis for this warhorse.

I think I am honing in on 24c or 25c (not super “max” 25c) tires as what is likely to be the logical fit.

Durability is paramount as these rides are usually in the back of beyond.

It would be great if these aren’t boat anchors, but top-of-the-pops for rolling resistance is not the highest priority.

My initial research has turned up:

- Specialized Turbos et al. - they run in 24c
- Pirellis - ditto the above
- Some (ex Michelin, ex Conti) 25c tires that actually run true to size
- Panaracer Gravelking Slick/Pasela (maybe?)

Any recommended 24c or “true to size” 25c would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
MB

[rnhood]

The Specialized Turbos are great tires, as are Conti GP5000. Don't waste your time with tubeless, stick a latex tube in a Conti 5000 and nothing will be faster. A great tire...as are the Specialized tires. Their turbo cotton in 24 will ride effortlessly. Though neither one are the most durable tire. You have to decide, speed and traction, or durability.

[quacker2000]

Don't sleep on challenge tires, especially if you can get a good deal. Roll beautifully and look great.

[Spaghetti Legs]

Vittoria Open Pave

[CAAD]

Veloflex corsa Evo is my go to training tire. I get good mileage out of them and also have proven to be durable. Pair them with latex tubes for a plush ride.

[.RJ]

S-works turbo are great tires, I used them for years before switching to the new Vittorias. The s-works tires are definitely a bit tougher and I never ever had a problem with them and very rarely flatted.

Conti GP5k would also fit the bill, or the fancy Schwalbe road tires.

Originally Posted by Spaghetti Legs

Vittoria Open Pave

Werent those 27mm and also not made in 10 years?

[mass_biker]

Great suggestions all. And good point on the “plumping” of a 23 to a wider width on HED rims. Granted, these HEDs are not the new gen “+” but the first gen slightly wider. I recall Michelin 23c plumped out to 25+ so I should audition a few of what I have right now (Michelin 23c, Pirelli 24c) to see what works best. In any case, having something not-too-fragile (ideally, something like a Panaracer GK slick which seems to be tough enough and with enough tread for slightly sloppy stuff) would be the goal.

[thwart]

Originally Posted by mass_biker

Great suggestions all. And good point on the “plumping” of a 23 to a wider width on HED rims. Granted, these HEDs are not the new gen “+” but the first gen slightly wider. I recall Michelin 23c plumped out to 25+ so I should audition a few of what I have right now (Michelin 23c, Pirelli 24c) to see what works best. In any case, having something not-too-fragile (ideally, something like a Panaracer GK slick which seems to be tough enough and with enough tread for slightly sloppy stuff) would be the goal.

Not to be a dinosaur, but if you can find some ‘leftover’ Vittoria Paves (as others have mentioned above), they should be added to your list. Durable and grippy yet reasonably light and fast. Great road feel too.

The 27’s measure approximately 26.5 mm wide on Hed C2’s and are not as tall as many other tires; the 25’s are closer to 24 mm (if memory serves).

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by quacker2000

Don't sleep on challenge tires, especially if you can get a good deal. Roll beautifully and look great.

When I first took delivery of my Sachs it came shod in Challenge tire, and I liked them so much I swore that's all I would ever put on that bike.

But two things happened:
- 1) They seemed so susceptible to flats that I could no longer tolerate the constant roadside drama; and
- 2) after changing over to Conti GP4000 or GP5000 I realized that a lot of what I was enjoying was just the bike, regardless of what rubber was on its wheels.

[benb]

Originally Posted by rnhood

The Specialized Turbos are great tires, as are Conti GP5000. Don't waste your time with tubeless, stick a latex tube in a Conti 5000 and nothing will be faster. A great tire...as are the Specialized tires. Their turbo cotton in 24 will ride effortlessly. Though neither one are the most durable tire. You have to decide, speed and traction, or durability.

The non-cotton turbo might be an even better match for this case.

I never actually ran the 24c but I went through 3 sets of the 26c without a single flat before switching to the 28c this year.

The Turbos are just awesome tires.

[Wunder]

Originally Posted by benb

The non-cotton turbo might be an even better match for this case.

I never actually ran the 24c but I went through 3 sets of the 26c without a single flat before switching to the 28c this year.

The Turbos are just awesome tires.

Haven't run them personally but was emailed yesterday. Excel has the 24mm Turbo Pro and S-Works Turbo on clearance right now at $15-20 per tire. So certainly an option. Conti 4-season or even 4000/5000 or Open Pave (long gone but I still have a few in 27) are also all good and durable enough.

https://www.excelsports.com/speciali...urbo-road-tire

https://www.excelsports.com/speciali...-pro-road-tire

And do you need a MEASURED 24 or 25mm tire? Because on a HED Ardennes (plus?) even a labeled 23 will likely plump up to 26mm.

[benb]

I think that's the previous model tire so that's why the price is so good.

They split the tire into multiple tires in the last year or so:

S-Works Turbo T2/T5 - this is the new one for running with tubes
S-Works Turbo 2BR - this is the new tubeless version
S-Works Turbo Rapid Air - this is the new race tire (more fragile)

$20 for the old model is pretty amazing.

The other thing I got before was sometimes they have the dealers run BOGO on these tires. That's also a great deal.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by benb

The non-cotton turbo might be an even better match for this case.

I never actually ran the 24c but I went through 3 sets of the 26c without a single flat before switching to the 28c this year.

The Turbos are just awesome tires.

These get a nod from me.

I got some 303s off Clean39T that had these in 26mm. Before I picked them up I figured fav 28s be going on 1st thing.

Tires still on there, and I found a matching same like new tire in my stash, so these will be on for the duration. They feel way better than I thought possible, like the 28s on the wheels I pulled for these wheels pretty much to my surprise.

And googling reviews mirrors @benb summation regarding flats.

[mass_biker]

Can be bought where - and is this what is known as: “S Works Turbo Pro”?

MB

[hernium]

Echoing what others have mentioned, the GP5000 clinchers are a very good bet - I use thicker 36g TPU tubes with mine and have no issues unless a great big piece of metal slices through the sidewall, but what's stopping that?