iab

Yes. The only bike I have with clinchers has 32mm Panaracers on it. Even at 60psi they ride like a truck. 25mm quality tubulars at 100psi are noticeably better.

Spoonrobot 

Oh man Clement Stradas are some of the worst rolling and least comfortable tires I've ever seen. Like a stiffer, harsher gatorskin. Pretty much anything is going to be better.

Cyclist0108

The 60TPI match your description. The 120TPI (which I put on this bike in the photo after I replaced them with Conti 4000sII on my primary ride) aren't terrible, although the Contis were a significant improvement.

Cyclist0108

Good eye.

Bianchi replaced my original frame in late 1989 (and upgraded it from SL to SLX). The original one cracked at the front derailleur braze-on. (That was the main reason I decided to modernize rather than restore it.)

Cyclist0108

Mine arrived today, so I decided to put them on. I struggled for the better part of an hour to get the first tire mounted, and finally got the tire on the rim, only to find I pinched the tube. My hands are in pain. There is no f---ing way I could deal with this on the road. The tires look great, but if I knew they would be this recalcitrant, I would never have pulled the trigger.



My wife helpfully suggested I take it to a LBS to have them do it.

Fahrenheit531 

The difference in quality between my wife's 35mm Compass Bon Jon Pass and my 32mm Paselas is massive. The Compass tires' rubber is far more supple and... what? Organic feeling? Whatever it is, they're just really, really well made, and you feel it the moment you touch them.

That said, I too had to fight -- and I do mean fight -- to get them onto her '95 Trek Matrix rims, pinching two tubes in the process a la @wgscott and very quietly swearing about whether or not installation was even possible. It was freaking ugly. I've heard that they stretch somewhat once installed on the rim and things get easier, but I can't confirm that and seriously hope she'll never have to try. I've also heard of installs with zero hassle though, so rim-specific maybe?

Am I going to put them on more bikes? Absolutely yes. But at the price I'll have to pace myself.

Cyclist0108

I bought the Vittoria Graphene 28mm. With a combination of soap, hair dryer, and my least evil tire levers, I eventually got them on, and they look beautiful, but the process kind of took the joy out of it. I can't even imagine how I am going to deal with a flat in the field unless these things stretch out a bit with use.

I have box rims, which doesn't help. (They don't have a well in the center like modern wheels).

After I got the rear tire on, I realized I hadn't lined up the valve with the logo on the tire, which is pitting my obsessive-compulsive instincts against my hope never to have to re-mount either of those tires again.

I'm also worried that with all the soap on those rims, the brakes will never work again. Where I live, I need brakes...

Bad Lag

I'm not one to "blow" $180 bucks on a pair of bike tires but I do like having good tires. So, I took a look at the value received.

Let's assume something in the range of X,000 miles of tread life for that $180 price. That's something on the order of $1/hour for your enjoyment of those tires (possibly as low as $0.10 per hour). What other form of entertainment costs you so little, adds so much value to your quality of life AND is actually good for your health?

noglider 

There is the KoolStop Tire Jack™ and there are other, similar products. I have one bike with tight tires, so I strap the tire jack onto the down tube using a ball bungie. I move my seat-attached tool bag to whichever bike I ride, but the tire jack stays on that one bike. They make a difficult job into an easy one. Using a tire lever to install a tire, I have a 50% chance of pinching the tube, but the tire jack doesn't pinch the tube.

Sir_Name 

Spoonrobot 

Compass tires are an evolution of Grand Bois tires. The former are slightly more supple and have slightly less center tread so they roll a little better. What's funny is that during one of the first rounds of tire testing Bicycle Quarterly did, the Paselas rolled just about as well as comparable Grand Bois tires. So the rolling differences between the Compass tires and the Paselas did not test that much different. I'll see if I can dig up the issue for reference.

due ruote 

Wildwood 

Most humble apologies for the pricing heads-up on a tire that caused pain. Everyone gushes about how great they are; I've no experience with the new Vittoria Graphene. I used Vittoria clinchers a lot in the past and largely for the simple reason they were an easy on/off the rim. ??? I assume mounting hasn't been an issue on this wheelset with other tires???

But on the bright side. I know what not to buy for MY next clinchers. Thanks for the feedback.
Glad my fleet is almost entirely tubular, but I followed this thread because I need some supple tan-walled clinchers. Never Paselas! Probably Veloflex, given your Graphene hassle.

mountaindave 

+1

Classtime 

I'd like to know what rims are on that Bianchi. Matrix rims have given me nothing but trouble mounting tires.

Cyclist0108

I'm gonna get one of these. Thanks for the suggestion! When I awoke this morning, I felt like I spent some quality time with Mike Ermentraut.

Cyclist0108

These are H Plus Sons TB14 rims and White Industry hubs. The rims are made in China, fwiw. Velomine. I had to rebuild the rear wheel because they laced it noncanonically.

Cyclist0108

About seven hours after mounting, and inflating to 80PSI, they measure 27.55mm wide. Subjectively, they look less voluminous than the 120 TPI Clement Strada 28mm tires I took off.

I need to figure out what pressure to ride these. For a 200lb payload, I don't want them too squishy.

Cyclist0108

Nothing a bit of Ibuprofen won't help. The Stradas I had on there were recycled from another cycle, so my guess is that they traumatized me less. (I don't remember.) Box rims don't have a well in the middle, so they are always more of a challenge.

I wouldn't avoid these tires because of this.

Wildwood 

Like @noglider I have a long tire iron - one that never gets used, thankfully.

Hey WG - haven't seen riding pics from you on the Where Did You Ride thread. Give me a shot of Ice Cream Grade or something in Bonny Doon, for old times sake please.

natterberry 

Cyclist0108

@Wildwood: Right around the corner, on Martin Road...

Wildwood 

Ahhhhh yes.
The carved wood sign and redwood fence propped with 2X4s - takes me back in time and younger years.
Thanks

edit: Can't recall BD Volunteers, but spent quite a few hours in the Bonny Doon Vineyards' tasting room - with every out of town guest i could drag over there; I remember it well, not exactly in Bonny Doon and as eclectic as your avatar, @wgscott.

Wileyone 

Clinchers sound like such a pain when compared to Tubulars.

Bad Lag

I ran the numbers the way I did because it was simpler to do and to very easy to understand. It also provides an approximate worst case condition (highest $/hr).

Also, there are so many uncertainties in the numbers, it did not seem worth my time. BIG uncertainties are buried in those numbers for tire life (miles) and rider's average speed (mph). If one considers very inexpensive tires (as low as free) as an option to reduce cost, and the uncertainty in taxation and shipping costs, sale prices, etc., well,... I hope you get the idea.

It's just another way to look at the OP's balking at the price. Make sense?