RHK

Hello, NEED TIRE SUGGESTIONS.....I have a new set of ENVE SES 3.4 wheels but changing flats on the road is virtually impossible. I am currently using Continental GP 5000s 700 x 25.....spoke to ENVE customer support and it seems to be a known issue and they blame the tire manufacturers for not having a standardized size causing the issues. I realize there are tools and tricks to use at home but need an easier tire to get on and off if a flat occurs on a ride. Would love to find a tire the quality of the GP 5000 that is easier to work with....BTW I am looking for a CLINCHER and riding WITH TUBES.......THANKS VERY MUCH IN ADVANCE.

canklecat

I seem to recommend these a lot, so why not again... Continental Grand Prix Classic. These come in 700x25 only. They're handmade retro style skinwalls and really good for around $30-$35 each. Not quite as low rolling resistance as the GP5000s, but less costly, possibly more durable, and I can mount them with my hands. With Conti Ultra Sport II I needed a Kool Stop bead jack, which I've heard some folks needed for the GP4000s too.

Rides4Beer

They blame it on the tire manufacturer, yet I've never had an issue mounting GP5000s on wheelsets from four different brands.

Good luck in your search. I've heard good things about bead jack style tools, but have never used one.

Jimmy Wisdom

Same, except for three different sets of wheels. Haven't even had to use so much as a single tire lever to put GP5000s on any of my wheels. Great tires.

popeye

Many folks cut down the handle of the bead jack to fit the saddle bag.

WhyFi

I'm curious - in what way are they hard to get on and off? You just can't get them over the rim? I've heard that the GP5000 TLs were impossibly tight on some rims, but that the non-TL were much easier.

smashndash

The Pirelli P Zero Velo is comically easy to put on and take off, but I cannot recommend it unless you use relatively narrow rims at fairly high pressures.

The tread is very narrow, so you end up riding on sidewall and losing grip in corners. Feels very sketchy.



The chalk was applied all over the tire. You expect it to be scrubbed off the tread, but a significant amount of chalk has been scrubbed off the slippery sidewall too. This is on very, very wide rims though (25mm tire on 23mm internal width rim)

I enjoyed using these tires on my 17mm rims though.
EDIT: Looks like you’ve got 21mm rims. I would not recommend the P Zeros, sadly.

Ogsarg

The non-tubeless GP5000 I put on my DT Swiss wheels gave me the biggest fight I've ever experienced with a tire. Even with a koolstop jack, it was a major struggle. I'm hoping that stretched it some cause I don't think it would be possible with just levers.

cp88mb1

I have same wheels, run them tubeless. I had GP 5000 TL, which took some work to mount but not impossible. I just put a pair of Schwalbe Pro One TT TLE Addix on. They were a piece of cake to mount, putting a tube in them if I had to on a ride would be easy. Maybe try some Pro Ones?

justonwo

I'm running those exact wheels with Schwalbe Pro One tires, but I'm running them tubeless. They were no harder to get on than any other tubeless tire. It's mostly technique, in my experience. I've had no problem getting GP5000 TL on any of my rims (Enve SES 3.4, Zipp 303 NSW, DT Swiss PRC 1100). You have to get both beads into the dip in the middle of the rim. I've also run Schwalbe Pro One TT, Specialized Turbo Cottons, and Specialized RapidAir S-Works. I really don't think it's the rims. It's the technique getting the tires on.

By the way, if you're going to get the Schwalbe Pro One (and I like them and recommend them for that Enve wheelset), you should really consider running them tubeless. Very much worth it. The 25 mm tires that I got measured 27 mm after a few rides. Great tires. That would be my first recommendation.

Sy Reene

The below is borrowed from Lightbicycle's website for their rims. There does seem to be something about the 25mm width specifically for the GP5k, at least comparatively to the 28mm. So the answer might be that the closest thing to your GP5K worth trying might be the 28mm version of the same tire.