masi61

I've been using the Hutchinson Secteur 28 tubeless for the rear on my titanium rain road bike. Despite the name "Sector" which implies some connection to Paris Roubaix, I find this tire to have really poor wet weather grip. For dry it is pretty good and the wear has been decent as well. But I ride in the rain a lot and my confidence should be inspired, not like it is now where I fear I will go down like those You Tube videos of TDF time trialists going down on turns in the rain.

I am reluctant to spend more than about 40 (max 50$) on a tubeless tire. I was thinking of trying the TUFO Comtura 5 TR or TUFO Comtura Prima TR (which is more expensive). Either of these tire seem to have an above average rating in the wet. Has anyone tried these? Just doing my research...

Or does anyone have any other gravel/road tubeless wet weather tires that they like?

mstateglfr 

You have a bike that is specifically used to ride in the rain?
Damn, I need to up my bike segmentation game!



As for tire suggestions, the tires I ride on my bikes work on dry ground as well as wet ground- Conti GP5k in 32mm, Panaracer GK slick in 32mm, Panaracer GK SS in 43mm, and more. I just dont take corners leaning over 60deg.

79pmooney

I love the Vittoria tires with their ribbed tread but I don't know if any but the best and most expensive have that tread pattern or come tubeless. I suspect the Corsa Control G+/G2.0 with Graphene is exactly what you want but it is going to cost quite a bit and probably comes no bigger than 28c. (I may be wrong here. They make and I have the same tire in 30c Tubular.)

That ribbed tread is (almost) what Vittoria made for many years for their cheap cotton training tubulars. Palo Alto Bikes always had them in stock with all sorts of labeling on them; Vittoria seemingly made them for everybody. I completely took that ribbed tread for granted. It wasn't until the mid-'80s when it disappeared that I realized just how good it was. Then ~ 7 years ago, Vittoria brought it back with the Graphene. And I am back in love. Best all around tread ever in my opinion. Good cornering, even in the wet. Best ever for climbing out of cracks, ruts and up shoulders to get back on the pavement. The tread with no surprises.

Koyote

Your bike stable isn't complete until you have a special bike for partly cloudy days.

shelbyfv

Be sure to look for a tire that is certified to not hydroplane below 100mph.

masi61

The titanium bike is just a bit easier to clean after rain riding. But I ride it in all kinds of conditions. My aluminum bike has mirror polished Velocity rims that need to be re-polished after rain rides to remove the water spots so I try to keep that one for dry roads, but inevitably this rarely works since I have a long track record of not checking the accuweather report and leaving in the dry only to be caught out in a gulley washer.

But cornering safety in the wet I believe could most definitely be improved upon. Apparently I will need to move forward with my tire choices and report back here.

pdlamb

Pretty common for bike commuters. Usually an older bike that has a bit of life left in it, loaded up with fenders, an oiled (not waxed) chain, thicker tires to minimize flats, etc.

Re: tires, sorry, no experience with tubeless. Although I'd say limiting your selection to <$50 leaves out a lot of tires these days.

Trakhak

The topic of seeking out tires that inspire confidence while cornering in the wet (anyone else thinking "risk compensation"?) reminds me of a story that Davis Phinney of the 1980's 7-Eleven cycling team once told in an interview.

One of their first races in Europe was a criterium in a Belgian town on a rainy day. Davis said that all the team members joked to each other about how the European riders were taking the corners like timid grandmothers while warming up.

Then the race started. After a few laps, all of the 7-Eleven riders, who were not used to racing on roads that saw a lot of use by diesel-powered cars and trucks, had crashed out of the race. None of European pros had.

That story isn't about tires: it's about confidence. You can have the best rain tires ever made (assuming there's a genuine, significant difference between bike tires in that regard), but don't ride them blithely. The faster you corner on wet roads, the more instantaneously and the harder you go down.

masi61

Maybe my Sector 28's bald tread has lost its grip. I don't remember it being so shiny when I started using it a little over a year ago. Strangely, the tire does not appear have become squared off in the tread like a lot of clincher rear tires do. Instead, It has kept a nice round curve to it. My older titanium Veritas frame barely clears a 28, the front has a Ritchey Carbon fork and the max tire size there is a 25.

Trakhak

Never heard of a Sector 28 tire; had to look it up. Sounds like a great tire from the description. I always liked Hutchinson's tires.

Maybe the increased slipperiness indicates that you've worn through the grippy tread formulation and are now down to a layer that's less slippery but tougher/more durable. Just guessing.

masi61

That is quite possible. I not only have to chose my line through turns in the rain carefully but I also must be very cautious when approaching stop lights or stop signs on any kind of downhill. My rear wheel has literally started skidding on more than one occasion. I had to use every trick I could think of to remain upright. I also have had the rear tire cut loose on wet tarmac when I am standing to climb. I attributed this phenomenon more to weight distribution since my super compact frame has my climbing position pretty far forward.

masi61

I saw this tire and I was intrigued: https://cambriabike.com/products/sch...ding-road-tire

Not sure what "Wet Star Compound" is.

t2p

Continental GP4S and newer / recent GPAS appear to work well on wet pavement

Noonievut

I usually don’t ride when the roads are ‘soaked’, but it’s been raining here a lot and I went out twice this week and my GKSS did great. Mine are 43mm but they have smaller sizes.

pdlamb

If you're braking when you start to skid the rear wheel, that's an indication that your front tire is gripping really well. When the rear tire lifts, you could have coarse sandpaper with bear claw studs on the rear and it'll still skid.

It's always good to have balance and quick reflexes, though.

t2p

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...-5000-as-tr-28

.

Clipped_in

As shelby implied, what you really want for rain are slicks. Tread would be for hydroplaning (cars) which is not a problem with bikes because the speeds are low and the contact patch is very small. The more material within the contact patch contacting the pavement, the better = slicks.

However, this is the Gravel Forum, so if not slicks, then something with a near-smooth center strip would be best. I'd go with something like a Specialize Pathfinder Pro--primarily for the puncture protection. Flats when it's wet suck!

woodway

Year-round Seattle bike commuter here. I ride in the rain a lot. Conti GP5K 32c tubeless tires. Very happy with the grip on wet roads (and dry ones too).

t2p

28 mm GP4S on bike in top pic

32 mm GP4S on bike in bottom pic

masi61

But clearly, the rubber compound of the slick really impacts the grip in the wet. My Sector 28 is mostly a slick (with tread on the sides). As I previously stated, I get all kinds of wet road slippage with this 28mm rear tire on my compact titanium road bike.

chaadster

To that point, I’m running the Hutchinson Fusion 5 Performance 28mm tubeless this winter, and the wet weather performance has been quite good, I feel. It uses their 11Storm compound, which I don’t know is necessarily optimized for wet conditions— my Safari browser won’t let me go to the Hutchinson website anymore because “too many redirects ocurred”— but as I say, it does work for my riding style. Even if I lock up the rear and induce a skid, it’s predictably and doesn’t get greasy, hooking up again very quickly. They just feel planted and stable, and don’t get upset or sketchy by the rough road surfaces we have here in SE MI— particularly in the winter— nor the by the little, sudden movements and corrections needed made to navigate those kinds of roads; a little flick on the bars to skirt a mid-turn puddled pothole (of unknown depth!) is not a test of nerves.

Anyway, that 11Storm compound may be making all the difference between Fusion5 and Sector.

I see the appeal of the Ultremo Aqua— I think some tread like that to mechanically interlock with the chipseal surface sounds good— but the link showed 23c only, and really, I’d want 25mm at least for rain/winter, preferring 28 for better grip, stability, comfort and protection against hazard impacts . Also, the Ultremo Aqua probably has a super soft compound which will probably wear really fast, particularly in dry conditions. I haven’t used it though.

t2p

hey that looks like a sweet bike … and maybe my size … and I don’t mind bikes that suffer from slippage … just sayin

observation … is the rear brake pad holder / brake pad (in picture above) oriented in the correct direction ?

masi61

Nice catch - I think I might have the rear pads backward!

mstateglfr 

It was raining in Watopia when I Zwifted today.
I confidently took hairpin turns on a long descent at 35mph, despite being virtually soaked.

The tire I have on the front wheel of my trainer bike is a 25mm gp5k, so clearly that is the best rain tire available.**