Continental Grand Sport Race Tyres
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Continental Grand Sport Race Tyres
A month ago I purchased a new Stevens San Remo road bike, so far I'm happy with it but today I punctured both tyres.
I was about 12 kilometers into a ride when I rode over some rubber (about an inch high) which had been used to fill a crack in the cycle path, surely this should not be enough to puncture 2 tyres which have only ridden 300 kilometers in total.
I pushed my thumb into the rubber and it didn't seem particularly hard, a few other people went over the rubber on e-bikes and didn't get punctures.
Has anybody heard of problems with the Continental Grand Sport Race Tyres? Are race tyres unsuitable for riding on normal roads and cycle paths where hitting the odd bump or crack is unavoidable?
Cheers
I was about 12 kilometers into a ride when I rode over some rubber (about an inch high) which had been used to fill a crack in the cycle path, surely this should not be enough to puncture 2 tyres which have only ridden 300 kilometers in total.
I pushed my thumb into the rubber and it didn't seem particularly hard, a few other people went over the rubber on e-bikes and didn't get punctures.
Has anybody heard of problems with the Continental Grand Sport Race Tyres? Are race tyres unsuitable for riding on normal roads and cycle paths where hitting the odd bump or crack is unavoidable?
Cheers
#2
I'm good to go!
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 14,809
Bikes: Tarmac Disc Comp Di2 - 2020
Mentioned: 50 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6100 Post(s)
Liked 4,732 Times
in
3,262 Posts
So what did you find when you fixed the flat? Did you inspect the tube and tire and find out what sort of flat it was?
Just guessing you may not have had enough air in your tires and got a pinch flat when you went over that 1 inch disparity in the road surface. But it could be anything. Sharing more about what you found when you took the tire off to repair or replace the tube will be helpful. Or is this a tubeless tire?
Just guessing you may not have had enough air in your tires and got a pinch flat when you went over that 1 inch disparity in the road surface. But it could be anything. Sharing more about what you found when you took the tire off to repair or replace the tube will be helpful. Or is this a tubeless tire?
#3
Klaatu..Verata..Necktie?
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 17,656
Bikes: Litespeed Ultimate, Ultegra; Canyon Endurace, 105; Battaglin MAX, Chorus; Bianchi 928 Veloce; Ritchey Road Logic, Dura Ace; Cannondale R500 RX100; Schwinn Circuit, Sante; Lotus Supreme, Dura Ace
Mentioned: 41 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10244 Post(s)
Liked 11,596 Times
in
5,943 Posts
Sounds like a snakebite. Check the tube for a pair of holes about a cm apart. It's probably not that the tire is bad, just underinflated and you hit something that squeezed the tire between the bump and the rim, and the tube, being the weakest part of the system, got pinched and holed. It happens on rocks, potholes, ridges in the road (as here).
__________________
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."
"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."
"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
Likes For genejockey:
#4
Newbie
Thread Starter
Thanks for the replies, sounds it could have been a snake bite or pinch, the tyres seemed fairly well pumped up when I went out, but probably should have had a bit more air in them.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Eastern VA
Posts: 1,702
Bikes: 2022 Fuel EX 8, 2021 Domane SL6, Black Beta (Nashbar frame), 2004 Trek 1000C for the trainer
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 260 Post(s)
Liked 443 Times
in
262 Posts
Do you have a tyre pressure gauge. If not get one. This will help calibrate your thumb.
Floor pumps gauges are notoriously off.
For tire pressure usually the pressure marked on the tire side wall is the range or the maximum pressure. Use one on the online tire pressure calculators to determine the starting pressure based on you weight and tire width and riding style.
Here is one I like. There are others.
https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure
Edit: Forgot. Welcome new person.
Floor pumps gauges are notoriously off.
For tire pressure usually the pressure marked on the tire side wall is the range or the maximum pressure. Use one on the online tire pressure calculators to determine the starting pressure based on you weight and tire width and riding style.
Here is one I like. There are others.
https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure
Edit: Forgot. Welcome new person.
#6
I'm good to go!
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 14,809
Bikes: Tarmac Disc Comp Di2 - 2020
Mentioned: 50 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6100 Post(s)
Liked 4,732 Times
in
3,262 Posts
If the tire gets a pinch flat and you are riding at the recommended tire pressure, then you need to raise your tire pressure if you intend to keep hitting such things.
#7
Newbie
I’ve had 28c tires original on my bike. Over 3000 miles without any issues or even having to replace a tube. Only swapping them because of mileage and wear. FWIW
#8
don't try this at home.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: N. KY
Posts: 5,918
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 964 Post(s)
Liked 496 Times
in
343 Posts
Pinch Flats
Pinch flats are two small slits--the "snakebite" (or sometimes just one slit) on the inside portion of the tube. Flats from sharp items poking through the tire are on the outside of the tube, not the inside like this.
It's always worth looking for the hole in the tube, to make sure that it wasn't caused by something sharp that might still be in the tire. But two flats right after the bump is pretty obvious!
It's caused by hitting a bump hard enough to compress the tire flat against the rim. The tube is caught between the mashed down tire and the rim edge, cutting through it.
Way too low air pressure makes pinch flats more likely.
Sharper edged potholes or rocks are more likely to cause pinch flats than rounded edge objects.
And speed is a big factor -- pinch flats are way easier at downhill speeds.
My latest one was hitting a sewer grate slot where the tire slammed into the far end of the slot. That sharp edge instantly flatted the tire, and I was only going about 10 mph.
Pinch flats are two small slits--the "snakebite" (or sometimes just one slit) on the inside portion of the tube. Flats from sharp items poking through the tire are on the outside of the tube, not the inside like this.
It's always worth looking for the hole in the tube, to make sure that it wasn't caused by something sharp that might still be in the tire. But two flats right after the bump is pretty obvious!
It's caused by hitting a bump hard enough to compress the tire flat against the rim. The tube is caught between the mashed down tire and the rim edge, cutting through it.
Way too low air pressure makes pinch flats more likely.
Sharper edged potholes or rocks are more likely to cause pinch flats than rounded edge objects.
And speed is a big factor -- pinch flats are way easier at downhill speeds.
My latest one was hitting a sewer grate slot where the tire slammed into the far end of the slot. That sharp edge instantly flatted the tire, and I was only going about 10 mph.
#9
Senior Member
I'd switch over to GatorSkins
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,652
Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 424 Post(s)
Liked 442 Times
in
303 Posts
After reading Ray Hosler's blog post on these tires, I picked up a set of 25mm and a set of 28mm. I haven't ridden the 25mm but I have ridden the 28mm on my commuter bike. It's not as supple or fast as a Conti GP but it's still pretty nice and has better wear and puncture protection characteristics than the GP series of tires (on paper, from Conti's own comparison charts). Despite the word "Race" in the name, I would consider these all-rounders/training tires. Sounds like OP may have been under-pressured and experienced a snake bite; I don't think thicker tires would have prevented that if they're also under-pressured.