Originally Posted by
Roadies_Rok
I knew which tires I want to use, the Continental Ultra Sport II in size 700 x 25 and I went out today and bought a set. I actually got the Ultra Sport III (slightly different tread pattern) and put them on my bike and went out for a test ride and OMG what a difference!!
I've mostly ridden Conti Ultra Sport II on a couple of road bikes for two years. Outstanding bargain tires. They perform exactly as described on the rolling resistance test site, including remarkably good performance at reduced pressure on chipseal.
They aren't quite as nimble and responsive as the Schwalbe One V-Guards I used to ride, but the Contis are much tougher. The Schwalbes nicked and cut easily. Both were comparable in wet and dry grip for my non-competitive purposes. I usually rode those with Conti's ultra-thin Race 28 Light tubes, never had any problems with punctures. Maybe one puncture flat in almost three years.
I switched one road bike to Conti Grand Prix Classics, their handmade skinwalls, and like 'em. They don't ride significantly better than the Ultra Sport II, but the GP Classic has a much thinner sidewall (translucent through the skinwall), and Black Chili vs Pure Grip rubber compound. They're 700x25 only, and a tight fit on my '89 road bike -- there's barely enough clearance under the rear brake bridge. But paired with latex tubes the ride is really nice. Good tires for a little more money than the Ultra Sport II, although since the pandemic hit the price has increased about $10 per tire.