JS41989

I am setting up some new wheels. I've been using and enjoying GP5000's but feel inspired to try something new. I run 700x28's which are max clearance for my bike. Any reason I shouldn't look in the direction of Turbo Cottons?

Ogsarg

My 2019 Roubaix came with Turbo Cottons in 28. I liked the ride but I ride a lot of roads that have a fair amount of debris and found they flatted easily. I think I had 3 flats in the first couple of months. One day I found a piece of the tube bulging out of a small hole in the sidewall which somehow managed to not damage the tube. I replaced that with a GP5000, which is fairing better so far. Totally anecdotal but that has been my experience.

JS41989

Anecdotal is welcome here!

InvertedMP 

My GP5000s have been so good, I am literally nervous to try anything else at this point...

illdrag0n

if you like GP5000's maybe take a look at wolfpack

smashndash

I think alaphillipe flatted 6 times on turbo cottons at strade bianche last week. They’re not known to be puncture resistant. But I’m not sure how much worse than the 5ks they are.

EDIT: he might have been running the sworks tubs instead of the cottons, I’m not sure.

guadzilla

I have Turbo Cottons on one bike, GP 5k TLs on another bike and regular GP5ks on my TT bike.

From a ride quality point of view - Turbo Cottons are just fantastic tires. As per BRR, they are a little slower in RR than the GP5ks but a different test (Aerocoach? I cant remember) shows them to be on par with the GP5ks. For me, the difference isnt worth stressing over, and i choose the ride quality of the Turbo Cottons.

I have had 1 flat on the TCs, 1 flat on the 5k TLs and none of the regular 5ks. On good roads, i would have no issues riding the Turbo Cottons. Would probably hesitate to take them off road, though.

Germanrazor

I cannot comment on the Turbo’s but I run GP5000’s and have some crappy road sections I ride and to date, fingers crossed, have faired real well. Flip a coin I guess, unless overwhelming evidence prevails here to suggest otherwise. Hey, you can always go back.

Rides4Beer

GP5000s with latex tubes, fantastic ride quality and grip, and haven't had a single puncture.

Ferrouscious 

My boss and I have ridden Turbo Cottons almost exclusively for the past year. Easily one of the best riding clinchers on the market. The only tires better riding are the high end tubulars I'm running now (Challenge Paris Roubaix). We usually got 1500 miles per set with front swapping. Puncture resistance? Laughable. The last sticking point, and this is a big one, is the handmade aspect. The tread can and will come unglued from the casing. It's not a big deal as long as you repair it (Shoe Goo or similar). I would take a good look at Vittoria Corsa's.

DangerousDanR

Also anecdote: I have had the same experience with Specialized's tires. Great until the tread separates from the casing. Personally, I threw them in the trash when this happened. I am well into the Clydesdale region and I have always thought that the Specialized tires are not designed for a large strong rider.

I have run GP5000 for the last two years on my road bike and this year on our tandem. Crappy roads in MN and ND. Good roads in TN. Total of probably 5,000 miles. Tubeless with Orange Seal Winter sealant. No flats or other failures.

JS41989

General consensus appears to be that I should stay where I’m at with the GP5000.

Atlas Shrugged

Riding Turbo Cottons in 28 with latex tubes amazing ride quality. Put some sealant in the rear tire to prevent small leaks and has worked so far. Tread wears fast though.

Iride01 

I was looking to see if Turbo Cotton was a specific Specialized brand. Specialized.com is down for maintenance........ I hope it's not like what happened to Garmin recently.

However my 2020 Tarmac came with 26mm TurboPros which are cotton threads. They did ride very well even though they were low TPI casings. I got three maybe four flats in the first 400 miles riding the same route. They were tread punctures from rock shards and some the small barb on the end of some of our big pine cones. So I put on the GP 5000's I had as spares and have not had any flats riding the same routes for the last 700 miles.

rower2cyclist

I had both tires on my SLR1 wheels. Frankly, both are great tires. I am currently riding 25mm Vittoria G 2.0 on HED Ardennes wheels on my TCR and they are pretty fast too. I have been on wider is better bandwagon but honestly feels like this set up (wheels & tires) is more suitable for my riding style.

Bah Humbug

It's up now for me, so I doubt it.

guadzilla

Do you put the sealant in the latex tube? If so, does it matter if it is a latex based sealant or not?

I used to do that with Vittoria tubs but recently, a lot of people have expressed shock and horror when they heard it. A couple of other friends do that as well, and none of our tires ever assploded.

Atlas Shrugged

Been doing this for a couple of years and put an oz. of orange seal in my Vittoria latex tubes which solves the issue of small abrasion leaks. Obviously, with major cuts, there is no help. I really enjoy and notice a supple tire and the 28mm Turbo Cotton is the nicest tire I have ever ridden. Life is too short to ride cheap tires.