jlp1976

I live in the pacific northwest where it rains ALOT. I need to buy some new tires and are wanting to know what some good ones are to buy. Any suggestions? I have thought about some Gatorskins but don't know alot about them. Thank You.

10 Wheels

You might like these. I have 4 of them, but my riding is dry.

https://www.westernbikeworks.com/prod...-t-serv-protex

jlp1976

Are they good on a road bike?

3kmi

Vittoria Evo SC

10 Wheels

I have the 700 X 28's on my road bike.



700 X 35 on the rear of my touring is Big and Tall. It measures out as 40.

pdxtex

gatorskins, gatorskins, gatorskins, gatorskins, gaaaatorskinssss!!! sorry too much coffee. but yes, you were on the right track to begin with. those tires are excellent and many will argue, the best all around do everything tire if flat resistance is a must have quality. i wont call them bombproof but they are pretty flat resistant. ive had 3 flat that i can remember over the span of 4 years. the roll reasonably well, can be light if you get the folding bead and they have they are super grippy...and id honestly shy away from tires that market themselves as "rain" tires. road tires with weird siping on the side of the tread makes cornering even more squirrely. just avoid leaves and stuff and normal slickish road tires are usually fine. just get the ones with flat resistant features.

david58

I bought the cheap PB Forte flat-resist tires, are very slick. No problems in the rain. Most of the winter I have used Conti Security tires, overkill but I had em. I dont think I would have had traction issues with the slick tires - bike tires are too narrow to hydroplane, and I commute on em, not race. Just put Gatorskins on my wife's road bike, just to reduce the odds she may have a flat to deal with when riding alone.

canam73

$1,000,000.00

Phil85207

You can go down on any tire in wet weather, when a tire is on a white line, manhole cover or even a where wet tar was laid to cover a crack in the pavement. I have found concrete can be very slick if its smooth as in next to the road gutter or a sidewalk. I agree with the gatorskins as a good tire but one must be especially careful when its wet.

James1:17

Michelin Krylion Carbon

cuda2k

Was not impressed with the Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick in the rain, otherwise I've liked the GP4000s as well as any others in damp/wet conditions (not that I ride too often in those conditions)

ColinL

Schwalbe actually makes a road tire with a rain compound, but I've never known anyone to use it.

I've put some wet miles on my Conti GP 4 Season lately. I don't hammer it in corners but I have had to brake fairly hard (less than threshold) a few times and they work beautifully even on wet brick roads.

I'm going to keep the GP4S on until the rainy season is over, and the remove them to save for the fall and ride a faster full slick for the summer.

chenghiz

I've been commuting all winter on gatorskins (in Portland). I've had a few flats but they would have done any tire in (metal slivers, I'm guessing from a machine shop I pass every day). I've never had a traction problem with them, except on ice.

ericm979

I often do fast twisty descents in the rain. So I want tires with good wet traction. I find that Gatorskins are poor, although it's been 5 years since I used one so they may have improved. Performance Forte Pro Kevlar tires were very good but have been discontinued (there may be a new tire with the same name, but it's different and I have not tried it). Those tires were made by Panaracer so I tried their Evo 3 tires which were also good. Those are now discontinued and the supposed replacement, the Closer, has terrible wet traction.

Lately I have been using GP4000s's, which are not quite as good in the wet as the old Performance tires but aren't bad. They're a bit better in that regard than Michelin Pro 3s'.

For flat resistance I have not noticed a significant difference. The Gatorskins were not any better than the various racing tires.

Glynis27

Vittoria has the Rubino Pro Tech tire that they state is made specifically for wet weather. They say the rubber compound is a special wet-weather formula. "Aquagrip is for wet-road security, a compound developed with the know-how of the Isogrip® polymer of the Servizio Corse, formulated for use on wet, low-temperature surfaces."

Last one on this page
https://www.vittoria.com/product/rubino/

ColinL

^^ good post. I also like that the rubino pro tech can be had in 23, 25 and 28mm sizes. higher volume and lower pressure will definitely help with wet traction.

there's a zaffiro pro tech also, which is surely cheaper, heavier and lower thread per inch.

banerjek

What's the debris situation like on your roads?

I'm no fan of the GS for wet weather. They deliver a crappy ride and the grip sucks. However, they are far superior to Specialized Armadillos in both of those departments.

Not knowing what your roads are like (i.e. assuming they are "typical"), the Conti 4 Seasons is a considerably better choice and delivers more balanced performance. If your roads are good, and you don't mind dropping a little coin, a decent race tire will give you considerably more grip but you'll get a few more flats.

v70cat

I tried Gatorskins and found that they ride very hard. I Like 4000-s for ride.

pgjackson

Almost anything without a tread.

M_S

Gatorksins have the flat protection part covered pretty well, but the wet weather grip is horrible. Generally speaking for wet weather I would run as wide of a tire as you can in your frame and reduce pressure. This decreases the chance of flatting and increases grip. I have liked the Mchelin Krylion Carbon in the past. The 23 measures out closer to 25.

mazdaspeed

Try continental ultra race or any high end continental except gatorskins I don't know why people use those.

dalava

Conti GP 4 Seasons

And get the widest width that fits

/thread

MajorMantra

Conti GP4000Ss are good all rounders. Grippy in wet or dry, fairly quick, fairly puncture resistant, not heavy.

I'm a also a fan of the Michelin PR3 for grip but I think they are more prone to slashes and cuts.

chasm54

You have now. Schwalbe Ultremo Aqua. Superbly grippy. Haven't had them long, though, and the compound seems pretty soft, so I suspect they won't turn out to be the most durable tyre I ever owned. They are very good, though.

ColinL

love it!

sometimes I get concerned that The 41 only uses like 3 tires, and yet all these others exist and no one ever talks about them. post more impressions later.