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Road bike tire recommendation please

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Road bike tire recommendation please

Old 03-25-20, 01:48 AM
  #1  
sean.hwy
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Road bike tire recommendation please

I should preface this with I am new to road bikes with skinny little tires. Upon until a few weeks ago I have only owned bmx bikes, mountain bikes, commuter bike with fat 47mm tire.

I ride my road commuter bike every where.
47mm road tires. Took it
mountain biking a few times. No flats ( yet )

My Road bike systemsix I take slow over rail road tracks. Never
been off a curb. Never been in dirt, gravel road etc..
Only had it a few weeks. I get a flat. I should say I got a blow out. I hit something and I heard all the air rushing out. That has never happen to me. I have lots tires have slow leaks, never a blow out that left me stranded.
Walked an hour home. lol

It currently has:
Rims Fulcrum Racing 400 DB, Alloy clincher, 35mm deep
Tires Vittoria Rubino Pro Speed, 700 x 26mm (23c)

Should I take this opportunity to up grade the tires? Go tubeless?
more durable, faster tire?
Or just throw in tube in it and chalk it up to bad luck.
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Old 03-25-20, 03:26 AM
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It sounds like you had a 'snake-bite' or pinch flat which is normally caused by not having sufficient air pressure in the tyre. It's certainly true that going tubeless will stop you having that kind of flat but there's no tubed tyre that would have behaved differently.

Having said that, the Rubino Pro Speed is a very lightweight tyre and you are likely to experience more punctures than average with it. It is very low rolling resistance so the trade off is up to you. My current favourite is the Michelin Pro 4 Endurance which is only a little slower but has very good puncture resistance. The Conti GP 4 Season or Conti Gatorskin are also good, reliable tyres or the Rubino Pro III if you like Vittoria.

No need to get stranded, though. Get yourself a saddle pack and pump, carry a spare inner tube and tyre levers and learn how to change the tube on the road - it's only a ten minute job - less even -once you're used to it. Get yourself a good pump with a pressure gauge for home and make sure you keep the pressure up to 100psi to reduce pinch flats.
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Old 03-25-20, 04:45 AM
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Those are reasonably nice tires, for what it's worth, and it sounds like you got a pinch flat, which really can only be prevented with more careful riding, higher pressure, and/or a wider tire, or switching to tubeless. A better puncture protection layer would probably not have done much in this case. If your rims are road tubeless ready then road tubeless is nice in that it maybe feels a bit better, is a touch faster, and can't pinch flat and seals most small punctures. The downside is more difficult setup and you have to refresh the sealant fairly often. I use road tubeless with few problems, but it's not so clearly superior as it is for offroad bicycles.

Definitely carry a flat kit for any kind of real ride!

There's a number of good tires on the market. My personal choice for tubes would probably be Continental GP5000s which are really fast but have a pretty good puncture protection layer and last pretty long. Continental 4 seasons are nice for a somewhat more durable tire. Vittoria Rubino range is also quite nice. I'm probably going to do tubeless Rubinos when my current tires (some tubeless Bontrager R4s) wear out.
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Old 03-25-20, 05:22 AM
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People do still occasionally get pinch flats running tubeless... Just sayin'.
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Old 03-25-20, 09:34 AM
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Originally Posted by bpcyclist
People do still occasionally get pinch flats running tubeless... Just sayin'.
How does that work then? You hit something so hard it makes a hole in actual tyre?

I'd never had pinch flats for years and then had two quite recently. Since then I've been paying a bit closer attention to the tyre pressures as I realised I was going several weeks between top-ups. That seems to have stopped the issue again. Unfortunately all the local councils around us are really strapped for cash and have allowed some of the roads to get into a truly diabolical state so you really have to keep your wits about you. I was very familiar with my regular commute and knew where all the potholes were. Now that I'm working full time at home (very grateful that I can do that) I've been out on some new rides and I'm really quite shocked at the state of some roads around here. Fortunately the lack of traffic means I'm happy to ride down the centre line the worst ones.

For reference, I pump my front tyre up to 90psi and the rear to 110psi. On 25mm tyres it can make the ride a bit harsh at times.
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Old 03-25-20, 10:15 AM
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It is really bumpy here (sunnyvale). Lot's of road construction. There is no way to avoid it. Even the bike paths here are bumpy but more in wavy way vs the street which is more jarring.

Sounds like I already have decent to good tires and I should just throw a tube in it. Avoid the road that I was on and be more careful.

I took my road bike to Canada road and it was in it's element and a joy to ride. Canada road is where the locals like to take their bike.
for the non locals
https://weekendsherpa.com/stories/bi...cycle-sundays/
https://patch.com/california/sanmate...day-caada-road
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Old 03-25-20, 10:17 AM
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One last noob question. Recommendation for a tube please. Or there all basically the same?
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Old 03-25-20, 10:47 AM
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Any tube, as long as it's the correct valve type and the valve stem is long enough to fit your rims (you mentioned 35mm deep).
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Old 03-25-20, 11:15 AM
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Originally Posted by tFUnK
Any tube, as long as it's the correct valve type and the valve stem is long enough to fit your rims (you mentioned 35mm deep).

I assume this is ok?
Continental Race 28 700x20-25c Bicycle Inner Tubes - 42mm Long Presta Valve - 2 Pack w/ Conti Sticker
https://www.amazon.com/Continental-7...5156015&sr=8-3



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Old 03-25-20, 11:41 AM
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Worth looking at BicycleRollingResistance review. They do get recommended but puncture resistance is quite poor.
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Old 03-25-20, 12:08 PM
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Some good advice above. Important to check your tire pressure EVERY DAY YOU RIDE and keep it in the right range (mine is 100 lbs). I'd do that for a few weeks and see if you still have flats. If so, then yeah, go to a more durable tire. Any good Continental in size 25 -many models are on sale right now- or a Panaracer GK in size 26 will give you good mileage and flat resistance. If you can find Rubino ProIII's grab a pair, but they have been out of production for several years & not easy to find.
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Old 03-25-20, 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by sean.hwy
I assume this is ok?
Continental Race 28 700x20-25c Bicycle Inner Tubes - 42mm Long Presta Valve - 2 Pack w/ Conti Sticker
https://www.amazon.com/Continental-7...5156015&sr=8-3



You want longer than a 42mm valve with 35mm rims. eg. these'll probably work and like the smooth unthreaded type of stem:
https://www.amazon.com/Michelin-Airs...5165099&sr=8-2
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Old 03-25-20, 05:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Sy Reene
You want longer than a 42mm valve with 35mm rims. eg. these'll probably work and like the smooth unthreaded type of stem:
https://www.amazon.com/Michelin-Airs...5165099&sr=8-2
thanks. just placed an order
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Old 03-25-20, 05:44 PM
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The Rubino Pro Speeds are good for going fast, but they have very little puncture protection. And that does make a difference. From my personal experience, the Rubino Pro Controls are a lot more durable, but they are a little heavier and don't roll as well. The regular Rubino Pro's are a nice compromise, in the sweet spot between durability and speed. I've also had pretty good luck (knock on wood) with the regular Corsa G+ model, even for commuting the in the city.
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