loimpact

Currently running some Specialized Roubaix 23/25 tires and are quite comfortable. (bought a couple years ago during their BOGO deal). Never thought I'd like them so much but getting near the end of life on the rear & would love to find a similarly "comfortable" tire at something less than $40.

Anybody else got a favorite "comfy" road tire?

TIA

masi61

“Comfy” is not hard to attain in a road tire if you pay attention to little details, mainly inflation pressure. You mention 23/25, so straight away I would say plan on going with 25.
You might avoid heavy Gatorskin or Schwalbe Marathon thick tread tires unless you really need them. I guess you could say they are “comfy” but you might also say they are “dead” feeling.

I’m currently running Challenge Criterium open tubulars in 25 mm width with thin tubeless rim tape and Vittoria latex inner tubes on Velocity A23 rims. I am able to run them down on pressure for increased comfort over chipseal and bad pavement cracks. Tire pressures in the neighborhood of 78 psi front and 85 psi rear are quite lovely. I notice no increase in rolling resistance since my average speeds are faster if anything.

The Challenge tires have the high thread count casing and are of the “open tubular” designation. They seem to be the same as ordinary “clincher” tires except they come flat in the box and they are rather difficult to mount when they are new. I am better at it now - practice makes perfect. Pinching latex tubes on installation is a problem too but once you’ve successfully mounted them and they are holding air, you’re golden. You do need to top up the pressure before each ride though since the latex tubes are porous.

bruce19

The most comfortable tires I've ever run are my current Mavi UST wheels w/Yksion tires. I was running Mavic clinchers w/Vittoria Open Corsa tires at 100 psi front and 125 psi rear. With tubeless I'm using 95 psi rear and 80 psi front. Both sets are 25s. More comfortable and also lighter, faster and easier to spin.

delbiker1 

I like Vittoria Rubino Pro or Zaffiro Pro. Lower priced nice quality tires. https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/vittoria has various sizes and models on sale. Rubino Pro 25 mm $17.99, Zaffiro Pro 23 mm $11.40. Also various others at sale prices. I have Panaracer Pasela's 25 mm on a different bike and they are good riding and good mileage. Look around for sale pricing.

Sapperc

Well, like the OP, my go to road tire for the past year and a half has been the Specialized Roubaix Pro only in 25/28. Great mileage, good protection from road hazards, decent rolling and surprisingly smooth ride when pinflated to minimum recommended pressure using Challange seamless latex inner tubes (lightest, most supple inner tube around). Also not a bad ride using Specialized Turbo inner tubes. A little stiff with standard weight butyl inner tubes. I have used more supple tires, but the combination of features in the Roubaix Pros is hard to replicate and impossible to beat. Especially important is how they hold up to road hazards. Only had one small tread puncture on a rear tire that went clear through and pierced the inner tube in all this time. Didn’t even discover it till the next day when the tire had gone flat overnight. Previously with other tires I had multiple tread and sidewall gashes a year that always instantly lead to a flat and roadside repair.

The Roubaix Pro tire is one of those underrated super finds — thousands of miles of great performance. Worth the $40 per tire, especially when you consider the high mileage, low maintenance and impressive ride characteristics!
No need to look for a less expensive good find. In my mind they are already value priced.

I recognize that other opinions will vary. This is just my experience and two cents worth.

Happy cycling!

loimpact

The 23/25 is Specialized's reference for size. (Kinda weird but it's either that or 26/28 which would be too tight in my bike). And, yes, tubulars would be an improvement for sure but that leads to the Mavic UST comment below which I already read about. Definitely a possible option but I'm not a fan of Mavic's low spoke count stuff. (I also run some Boyd Altamonts in 28/32 spoke which are dreamy)

I read your prior posts about this & watched the GCN video. Definitely a possibility but my most comfy setup right now is a tubed setup. If I spend the money, I'd rather have something with a high-traditional spoke count. (I have Ksyrium Elites & can unspring them on every pedal stroke.......spongy but power-hungry)

I like Rubino Pro. It's been a while since I've ridden them so may have to try them out again!
I've raced crits in the Roubaix as well as ridden centuries. Definitely an "under the radar" tire. But most of all its comfort has surprised me. It just looks like a touring tire but it's quite a value......Just hard for me to spend $40 on a tire I spent $20 on before......but there's always a coupon somewhere.

on the path

+1 on the Rubino Pro tires. Relatively light, good rolling resistance and very durable. I believe these tires have been discontinued by Vittoria. I'm surprised to see these for sale by a retailer but the website says they're in stock, and at a great price.

canklecat

Continental Grand Prix Classic skinwalls in 700x25 only are good. I've had a pair on my Trek 5900 for a month, about 350 miles. I weigh 150 lbs and run 'em around 90 psi rear, 75 front. I could go lower. They cost about $35 each.

But if you're not sure, try the cheap Conti Ultra Sport II in 700x25. Only costs about $15 each and they're really good for such cheap tires. Smooth rolling, grippy, comfortable and durable. I have about 2,000 miles on each of a set of 700x23 and 700x25, and both have plenty of miles left in 'em. Outstanding bargains.

The similarly priced Vittoria Zaffiros were awful compared with the Conti Ultra Sport II -- harsh at maximum pressure, sluggish at lower pressure, mediocre grip and showed excessive wear and cuts too readily. No idea about the others in the Zaffiro lineup, presumably they aren't all the same.

TBH, the Grand Prix Classic feels exactly the same as the 700x25 Ultra Sport II. In riding I can't feel any difference between the two tread types, compounds, sidewalls, etc. Both are good.

Dean V

I have ridden Rubino Pros and they were absolutely deadly in the wet. No grip whatsoever.
Maybe they have changed the compound (this was a few years ago) but I am not trying them again.