Originally Posted by
WhyFi
Okay. If you've got just the last couple years on Gatorskins as a benchmark, you probably don't have a great idea of what to expect with tires with lesser protection. Just try the GP5Ks, see how you get on with them, and let that experience shape future choices.
Slight misunderstanding there, the Gatorskins are brand new, earlier tyres were continentals but for the life of me I forget the make.. they were wearing through and showing warning pits (is that a thing? Little, deliberate looking holes that kind of reveal as the tyres wear down) come the end.
But generally my inner tubes have failed more than the tyres - I like as firm a ride as possible so I generally put as much air as I can into the tubes and they eventually fail. The last three tubes I went through: Giant, gunshot like pop that ruptured my tyres (og GIANT tyres); huge swelling that mishaped the tyre (og GIANT tyres); big, if not quite giant, pop (well worn continental tyres).
This image shows the og tyres on my previous bike:
I had vittoria tyres in Melbourne a few years ago, around 2017, before the Graphene developments that have apparently made them more resilient, I think I rode them very hard and they lasted a long time, though I didn't have much luck keeping them clean.
FULL DISCLOSURE, though, I've ordered myself a pair of Grand Prix 5000s with the cream side walls. As I understand it they're probably the better tyres for my means, and having the vittoria cream sides is tasty gravy.