Fastest & Grippiest Tires?

[PJN]

Originally Posted by PJN

Was going to post a link to this.

Lots of good info and relative ratings. I love me some spider charts too.

Their view of the best for road tires:
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...oad-bike-tires

The rabbit hole welcomes you.

[yinzerniner]

Originally Posted by jimmy-moots

There's no evidence of tread improving traction because it doesn't improve traction, it just results in less grip across all conditions.

Due to the pressure we run and speed we ride at, bike tyres do not aquaplane and because of this tread is not required.

(More here: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html and here https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/slicks.html, Jan Heine, of course, disagrees)

The fact some tyres are said to have fantastic dry weather grip but poor wet weather grip is curious to me, I can't wrap my head around it. The reason I say that is what's responsible for a fantastic dry weather tyre (soft/supple, thin casing) is the same as what's responsible for a fantastic wet weather tyre. Perhaps it is that some tyres deform less at lower pressures you would use in wet weather, I don't know.

In the question of dry vs wet grip/traction, think it has more to do with the makeup of the rubber compound vs the casing. Just as automobile tire compounds work better at certain temps, can see bicycle tires also acting the same. Certain treads have better or worse grip at differing operating temps, and same that they might have different wear characteristics as well.

[Pastashop]

Originally Posted by yinzerniner

In the question of dry vs wet grip/traction, think it has more to do with the makeup of the rubber compound vs the casing. Just as automobile tire compounds work better at certain temps, can see bicycle tires also acting the same. Certain treads have better or worse grip at differing operating temps, and same that they might have different wear characteristics as well.

I was about to say that things can depend quite substantially on temperature. It's possible that dry vs. wet road condition also becomes a hot vs. cold temperature condition.

At any rate, presumably there could be variations in the rubber compounds' viscoelastic parameters across different bicycle tire brands and models, just like there are for car tires:

[callmeishmael]

I think it’s very hard to beat GP5000s for speed and grip, something BRR seems to validate. Corsas seem very similar, and offer you a better ride feel into the deal, but the trade off is less puncture protection.

[mcteague]

I've still been using Michelin Pro4 SC as they seem to work well for me and are relatively cheap. I keep reading how the GP5000s have lower rolling resistance but less puncture protection than the Michelins. I'm not sure gaining 5-6 watts is worth that but I may try them at some point. I'm liking that the Pro4s in 25mm actually measure a bit over 29mm on my rims. So, 70psi feels great. Maybe I'll try the GP5000 in 32 when I run out of my current stock of tires.

Tim

[weisan]

Vittoria CG Pave 27mm
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/.../rp-prod165070

[oldpotatoe]

BUT, doesn't tubeless or not effect the tire's performance? A tubed tire vs a tubeless tire run as tubeless?

I'm impressed that such a thread here does not quickly devolve into individual tire brand preferences,

HA

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

BUT, doesn't tubeless or not effect the tire's performance? A tubed tire vs a tubeless tire run as tubeless?

Not as much as Big Tubeless would have you believe. Sealant adds rolling resistance (this has been measured), and more than one test has shown that the same tire with a latex tube has the same rolling resistance as it does when run tubeless with sealant. There's little weight difference between a lightweight tube and sealant + tubeless stem. There's little data on tire traction, but it's hard to believe that there's much traction difference between a tire with a lightweight tube and the same tire with sealant.

[jimoots]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

Not as much as Big Tubeless would have you believe. Sealant adds rolling resistance (this has been measured), and more than one test has shown that the same tire with a latex tube has the same rolling resistance as it does when run tubeless with sealant. There's little weight difference between a lightweight tube and sealant + tubeless stem. There's little data on tire traction, but it's hard to believe that there's much traction difference between a tire with a lightweight tube and the same tire with sealant.

He was trolling

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by jimmy-moots

He was trolling

Nope, I wasn't..and I'm glad mark answered. There were 20-something responses and no mention off tubed or tubeless.

[Dlevy05]

The tubed vs tubeless discussion is a good one to add to the mix, too. I've never ridden tubeless so I'm still learning there... but - what about TT tires? I've read that those tend to be quite highly rated for speed and rolling resistance simultaneously.

If one doesn't care so much about longevity found with other road tires and only about performance, is there a consensus that TT tires are best?

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by Dlevy05

The tubed vs tubeless discussion is a good one to add to the mix, too. I've never ridden tubeless so I'm still learning there... but - what about TT tires? I've read that those tend to be quite highly rated for speed and rolling resistance simultaneously.

If one doesn't care so much about longevity found with other road tires and only about performance, is there a consensus that TT tires are best?

Many TT tires are near the top of Bicycle Rolling Resistance's list: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...d-bike-reviews

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by Dlevy05

If one doesn't care so much about longevity found with other road tires and only about performance, is there a consensus that TT tires are best?

That's the reason TT tires exist.

[KonaSS]

Originally Posted by Dlevy05

If one doesn't care so much about longevity found with other road tires and only about performance, is there a consensus that TT tires are best?

Originally Posted by prototoast

Many TT tires are near the top of Bicycle Rolling Resistance's list: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...d-bike-reviews

If you look at the list, there are lots of TT (tube type) tires near the top, but TLR (tubeless) dominate the top 15. Especially if you consider that there are many more TT tires on the market today compared to TLR, I come to the conclusion that TLR tires are best in regards to rolling resistance, not TT.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by KonaSS

If you look at the list, there are lots of TT (tube type) tires near the top, but TLR (tubeless) dominate the top 15. Especially if you consider that there are many more TT tires on the market today compared to TLR, I come to the conclusion that TLR tires are best in regards to rolling resistance, not TT.

You'd reach a different conclusion if you examined the Bicycle Rolling Resistance testing methodology. The Bicycle Rolling Resistance test is biased towards tubeless tires, and biased against tube type tires, and don't test under typical real world usage. Specifically:

All tube type tires are tested with the same standard weight butyl tubes, regardless of tire type. Inner tubes add rolling resistance, and the type and thickness of the tube affect the amount of rolling resistance added. Lightweight butyl tubes have less rolling resistance than a standard weight tube, and latex tubes have the least of all. Someone interested in using a tube type TT tire and minimizing rolling resistance would use be using latex tubes, not standard weight butyl tubes.

Sealant also adds rolling resistance, and rolling resistance increases with the amount of sealant used. The Bicycle Rolling Resistance test uses an exceptionally small amount of sealant. The test uses only 20ml of sealant for a 700c tire, whereas tire manufacturers typically recommend 2 to 3 times as much.

Bicycle Rolling Resistance has occassionally tested tires with different types of tubes and different amounts of sealant for their "Special Articles", but this test data is not included in their comparitive lists of tire rolling resistance. However, if you examine the data in the "Special Articles", you'll see that the same tubeless ready tire tested with a latex tube has the same rolling resistance as when using a standard amount of sealant. AeroCoach and Silca have also tested tires with either latex tubes or sealant, and also found that there is no difference in rolling resistance.

If tubeless ready tires typically have less rolling resistance than tube type tires, it most likely because tubeless ready tires use more up-to-date materials and designs. But tests have shown that they will not be any slower if used with (latex) tubes.