wet weather tire recommendations?

[vqdriver]

i'm in southern california where obviously it doesn't rain that much. but when it does the whole city goes to hell cuz no one seems ready for it. lots of oil on the roads for a while, stopped storm drains = puddling intersections, and debris washed down hillsides. normally pristine roads turn to junk.

sooo, i'm looking for something 28 to 33 that doesn't weigh a ton.
flat resistance is not a concern. well, no more than it is with my regular tires since i've been riding them without puncture issues so far. i don't need a touring tire's treadlife either.
basically, something to use for when it rains instead of the ultremo 28 that i'm running regularly.
cursory googling leads me to lots of overbuilt touring tires and narrow wet-versions of race tires.

open corsa have been ok for me in the past but max out at 25.
roly poly's any good in the wet?

[palincss]

What problem are you trying to solve?

I admit, I'm an east coast guy and know nothing at all about California rain. However, I'm on several mailing lists with people from Seattle and PDX, and if there's one thing they know out there it's rain -- and none of them uses special rain tires.

Besides - if you live in a place with infrequent rain are you really going to change your tires just because it's rained?

[vqdriver]

i'm not looking for a 'rain' tire per se. the ultremos are completely slick. not a big deal under normal circumstances, even when wet. but they do tend to slip in corners and thru puddles. even the file tread on the open corsas were fine for my purposes. only after moving to slicks did i consider something different for rain.

[godfrey1112000]

Take the day off, the people in cars do not have enough practice on wet roads,

be safe instead of sorry

[Louis]

[97CSI]

Conti 4-Season comes in a 28c.

[Kirk007]

I've yet to use anything that I like better than paves and it rains a lot up here in Oregon. Contact Steve Hampsten - he has a lot of experience with the roly polys, Jack Browns and similar tires.

[Dave Wages]

Have you considered Grand Bois tires? I haven't used them yet, but I'm going to get some 28's, 30's and maybe some 26's for the upcoming season. They have the supple, high thread count casing like the $$$'s Vittoria Corsa's, but they offer them in a 23, 26, 28 and 30c versions. As for tread, they're not slick, kind of a fine file tread. Pretty light too!

http://www.compasscycle.com/Tires.html

Cheers,
Dave

[vpierce1]

Paves are my benchmark but unless you go with tubs you won't get the width. Conti 4 seasons as someone else mentioned are available in a 28 and are extremely durable.

[etu]

If you want really wide and light 700c slicks, you can't beat the green Jack Browns from Rivendell (700x33) if you have the clearance. Gran Bois (700x28 or 30) work well also.
Not sure how practical it would be change tires out based on weather, but you may really like the cushy feel of a JB at 55psi or GB at 75psi and never go back...

[vqdriver]

Thanks for turning me on to grand bois. Wasn't aware of them.

[keevon]

I'll disagree with your assumption that you don't need puncture resistance.

All that debris being washed down the hillside means there's more crap on the road that could potentially puncture your tires. Additionally, when sharp stuff gets wet, it moves through a rubber tire much easier. The water acts as a lubricant to reduce friction between the sharp object and your tire.

With that in mind, I've found Panaracer Pasela TG's to be a good tire in rainy weather. They're cheap, they ride pretty nice, and the puncture strip is pretty effective. They're certainly not an "overbuilt touring tire" either. I think weight for the 700x28 folding version is somewhere between 250-300 grams.

[John M]

The slick tread is not your problem. For good grip in rain, I think a wider, lower pressure tire with softer rubber provides the best grip. Punctures occur more in the rain also. I am using some Schwalbe Stelvio 700x28 (now known as Durano) that have done well commuting on wet Seattle roads.