WhyFi

What are you talking about in terms of mileage and how big or small of a person are ya? I love my S-One/G-One Speeds, but I've always wanted to give the Pro Ones a try if I could get at least a couple thousand out of a rear.

maartendc

I second this. Switched from Continental GP4000SII to Michelin Pro4 Endurance. (I cannot speak to the GP5000, but I hear puncture resistance is not bettter, even worse)

Pro 4 Endurance is waaaaaay more puncture resistant / better sidewalls. Way less flats (I dont think I've had a single puncture on these tires in about 1.5 years riding them). Continentals I had a puncture every other ride towards the end.

Sure the continentals might be a few watts faster (like 2-2.5 watts per tire, not even noticeable) but standing on the side of the road changing a tire DEFINITELY is slower than just riding along...

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...urance-v2-2015

By the way: the real successor to the Pro4 Endurance is the Krylion Endurance, not the Power Endurance. Even though both have same rolling resistance, the Krylion has reinforced sidewalls and the Power does not! Perhaps the Power endurance rides a bit smoother, not sure. But rolling resistance is the same, so I would go for the Krylion Endurance. Krylion is cheaper too, so great all round tire!
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...endurance-2016

The Continental 5000GP are definitely a "race" tire. Very fast, but not very durable. I don't know why you would choose this tire for recreation or even club rides... sure it is nice to go fast, but way too "weak" for everyday use in my opinion.

Lemond1985

I have some GP 4000's mounted on a spare set of wheels, to use for long mountain rides, but for daily use I have various tires that are slower, but don't get constant flats and have more durable sidewalls.

Don't get me wrong though, Contis are great performing tires, but really unsuitable for daily use on California roads, which to me seem much closer to roads in a place like Egypt, than the well-maintained roads in Germany these tires were apparently designed for (that California no longer has).

Abe_Froman

I dont understand. Why would you say one tire gets more flats on less kept roads than another tire? Or are you saying that there is more glass on the road now than there used to be?

DrIsotope

Beyond the thorns and glass, sometimes the roads just look like this, and a "high performance" tire doesn't last very long if asked to deal with it day after day.

Lemond1985

Yes, I get far less flats running a slower, but more durable tire. Might be difficult to believe, but I find that it's true.

And yes, the roads have gotten worse, not necessarily due to more glass or goat head thorns, it's mostly that California has decided to let its roads intentionally deteriorate, to try to get people out of their cars and onto public transportation, while legislators waste the road repair money on "other things".

eja_ bottecchia

So true (about California legislature).

Apropos to Lemond1985’s comments, yesterday I rode portions of the ATOC Stage 5 route. It is a ride that I do on a regular basis. I noticed some quick asphalt patches on places where the road is chewed pretty badly. Next rain the patches will be gone.

I used to travel a great deal in states like Ohio, Arizona and New Mexico.

Even in states like Ohio, with its snowy winters, the roads are in far better repair than in sunny California.

It is embarrassing.

DOS

I would guess I get around 1500-2000 miles on the rear, lots more on front. I am big, 200-215 depending on how hard I am working to not be fat.

f4rrest

Good to know about the krylion endurance. Thanks!

I was concerned about replacing the pro4e on my rough road bike when they wear out. The rear finally got a cut after a year, but no punctures.

RChung

This really isn't a political post, just a post to clarify things so you can more effectively complain to the correct jurisdiction. The responsibility for different roads falls on four different governmental levels: federal, state, county, and city. In terms of miles of roadway, cities and counties are responsible for the greatest fraction by far, and it's not close. There is some cost sharing from the feds and the state but, mostly, you can tell that it's the county or city when you cross a county line or city border and then suddenly the road get better (or worse).

noodle soup

Planet Cyclery usually has a good deal

https://planetcyclery.com/components...endurance-tire

f4rrest

Wow yeah, thanks.

MinnMan

I was pretty shocked when I came to California (around Solvang) last year for a riding vacation. I didn't expect the roads to be falling apart, but they were. I lived in California in the 1980s and 1990s, and the situation was better then.

DrIsotope

That's because those roads haven't been paved since the 80s or 90s... or earlier. My street was last re-paved when the subdivision went in across the street, in 1985. Then they widened about 1/4 mile of it, and only paved the new bit. Then just this year they put in new electrical vaults, and only paved a little strip to fix what they tore up. So it's... just terrible.

Lemond1985

Letting the roads crumble here has become a form of virtue signalling, it shows you're "down with the struggle" to get everyone out of their cars and onto trains and buses (and limos for the rich people).

eja_ bottecchia

Limos for the rich and taxpayer-paid gas guzzling SUVs for the fat arsed legislators...all the while they lecture us on conservation and global warming.

eja_ bottecchia

When my family moved to California, the state was the envy of the Nation...of the World.

Now, not so much.

MinnMan

Yeah, I wouldn't object quite so much if there actually were trains.

If you do it right and get people off roads, then it's easier to keep the roads in good condition because they get less use (assuming you don't have to contend with winter effects). But....

Lemond1985

As cyclists we get the worst of both worlds. No public transport, so the roads are overcrowded and too narrow for the numbers of cars using them, and no road repairs, so the shoulders (if there are any) are completely shredded and full of broken pavement, potholes, and goat head vines. Especially in unincorporated areas, but also many city streets are like this.

maartendc

sure thing!

Yes from what I hear the Krylion endurance is exactly the same tire as the Pro4 Endurance under a different name...

DrIsotope

Worse on top of bad, around this time of year, when cities have the "spend it or lose it" money in the budget, select streets get at least re-topped (like chipseal, but one extra step-- capped? Something like that) and it's pretty much never streets that need it. Some streets in a nearby subdivision just got capped, and they were originally put down maybe 15 years ago. No pot holes, no cracks. Somebody paid somebody. There are sections of local road so bad I won't drive my car on them. Those don't get repaved, ever.

f4rrest

It really depends on the city.

I went through Calabasas today in the area around Amgen headquarters, and the pavement is immaculate, wide, and bike friendly.

You could ride it comfortably on 150psi track tubs.

eja_ bottecchia

True. For the record, however, AMGEN’s HQ is in Thousand Oaks, well technically in Newbury Park.

TO and NP are in Ventura County. Calabasas is in LA county. Those of us in Ventura like to keep that distinction.

f4rrest

Yes, it was the T.O. office.

Great area to ride.

eja_ bottecchia

TO and the surrounding areas is a great place to ride. TO was voted the 19th most bike friendly city in the USA.

I am happy to be out here.