Beau210

Looking for some good quality tubular race tires for my carbon wheels. Just got this wheelset and I'm not really sure what a good tire to put on them might be. Just looking for a point in the right direction. (searched for it but didn't see a previous thread on brands, pro's and con's of the different tires)

rkwaki

Vittoria Evo Corsa CX - 'nuf said, thread closed.

carpediemracing 

^ yep.

But I also use Bontragers, both the $79 and $89 ones (I don't know the actual name, XXRacerXLiteXXX or whatever and the same name minus one X for the other). They're made in the same factory as the Vittorias. Ditto Specialized (but never tried them).

I don't like Contis. They're lumpy, hard to get straight/round (for me it's impossible, apparently others can do it).

Beau210

How many miles do they last on average? I only use these wheels to race.

rkwaki

Depends if I am doing smoke shows beforehand...

You might get 1000 miles.

Beau210

Wow, thats expensive for the miles. Why do you like it so much better over the other brands?

Hida Yanra

Schwalbe Ultremo HT - my personal favorite, but pricy
Vittoria Corsas are great tyres, I haven't put a lot of miles on mine, but I like them so far.

rkwaki

Like riding in a limo with the performance of a Ferrari.

Fat Boy

I went with the Corsa SC. It's supposed to be an updated version of the CX. Same basic tire, though.

rkwaki

You young kids and all your fancy stuff....

Homebrew01

Clement Criterium Seta Extra ... a little tough to find though.

I like the Vittorias, and also not thrilled with Continental.

rkwaki

I have conti sprinters on the 404s I am on right now (not my wheels) and they are ok but not supple like the Vittorias (or my skin for that matter)...

Fat Boy

fixed

graphs

I'm using Conti Competitions right now. They're okay, but truthfully my GP4000S clinchers with latex tubes roll nicer. I'll probably go with Veloflex Carbons or Evo Corsa CX next time. I pretty much only use mine for racing so I don't mind if they don't have the greatest mileage though I've heard the Vittorias flat pretty easily though so that is a concern. Even most races around here are on mediocre roads at best.

rkwaki

Thanks for the correction...

jwible

What about Dugast and FMB?

If money were not object of course...

jwible

I have competitions in 21 or 22. Pain in the ass to mount and not incredibly round either. Maybe a user install error but my Evo CX were much smoother and round. I think I'm going to switch to carbon clinchers at the end of the year.

graphs

Conti tubs have a reputation of being difficult to mount. I wonder if it's related to them being less supple/more puncture resistant?

carpediemracing 

I got 2 years of racing out of the last set of Vittorias. We're talking Sundays (30-70 miles), Tues nights (1-2 hrs), and a few Wednesdays (1 hr). Plus a couple training rides. I flatted both tires in two races, one the last race of 2011, one the first race of 2012.

There's a huge difference in the way tires are made, and the construction makes a difference in tire life.
https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...ular-tire.html

Conti tires tend to be lumpy, i.e. they don't sit nicely on the rim. You have to literally "true" the tire on the rim, every inch or two, to make sure the casing is straight, not too stretched or too slack, etc. I can't do that after I put glue on the tire and rim and waited for the stuff to get tacky.

carpediemracing 

Contis also use butyl tubes. All the other tires I've used have latex.

MDcatV

i would agree with this re competitions vs gp4000s clinchers with latex tubes.

observationally, advantage of the conti tubs over vittorias or many others is they seem to be more durable/puncture resistant, but a supple otherworldly tubular experience (this is over-rated imo but that's another topic) they are not.

zigmeister

Why is this thread still open?

mollusk

Don't you guys know that you are doing this all wrong? Tubular tires (or more properly "tyres") need to be aged in climate controlled cellars just like a fine 1st Growth Bordeaux wine. Just saying "Dugast" shows that you are merely a dilettante. You must also give date of production and a detailed history of how it was stored.

Bikegeek1968

I love Vittoria Corsa tires. I have used them exclusively for the last 25 years of racing. However, I was on a team sponsored by Kenda, and last year got several of their top of the line tubulars. It is a 300 tpi made in Thailand model, the Volare, and I must say I have been impressed by their toughness and ride.

mattm

My conti sprinters haven't cost me any races yet.

In the end, tire selection matters about as much as jersey selection I'm willing to bet (flatting aside).