Weight Weenies

mca56 wrote:"I got Carbons on the rear and Extremes on the front on three sets of wheels, great light durable combo"

+1

+2

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com

How does this pair do for holding air? My Bonty loses all its air in a few days making me wonder if on a 2+ hour ride if I am down to 90psi or something.

The Conti sprinters you've got at the moment are very durable, I've never actually managed to puncture one - but they weigh 300g each (that's what mine weighed last time I weighed them). Vittoria Evo CXs can sometimes come pretty light, I've had one at 225g before.

I honestly think though that tyre quality is sometime you want to ensure much more than low weight. Veloflexes are lovely tyres to ride but you probably won't find one below 250g. I'd take that though as you'll still be saving 100g over the Continental tubs, and have a much better ride too.

...And Tufos suck - don't even go there.

EDIT: and as for losing air - that's because high end tubs have latex tubes which will lose air over a couple of days. It varies, I've had some that have held >100psi for a couple of days and some that drop to ~70psi in about half a day. It's a small price to pay for better ride quality so don't worry.

sandico wrote:How does this pair do for holding air? My Bonty loses all its air in a few days making me wonder if on a 2+ hour ride if I am down to 90psi or something.

They have latex tubes. The lose about 20 psi in 12 hours. No big deal.

I have the new Conti Sprinter and it weighed 278gms just a few mins ago when I weighed it.

So, I CAN get excited about losing 50 gms a tire if its still reasonably reliable.

As I noted earlier I have been very lucky re flatting out. I think I must be a careful rider.

Tufo S3 Lite--(125 gms!)--not sure these even exist anymore
-- These are track-specific tires and they dont have puncture protection layer. Dont use it for the road.

Tufo Elite Jet--(160gms)--reviews indicate these are egg-shells
-- I know peope who rode them without any problems. Extremely light and well made. Sidewalls are thin so there is a risk of getting a flat.

You have Tufo S3Lite 215g which have protective layer.

I ride Tufos S3Lite215 for training, no defects for last 6 months. Good tire, runs very straight, allows high presures. Not as comfortable as Conti competition but better crafted, lighter and rolls faster.

Hi,

I ride Tufos S3Lite215 for training, no defects for last 6 months. Good tire, runs very straight, allows high presures. Not as comfortable as Conti competition but better crafted, lighter and rolls faster.

Ligher, yes. That's where the good news ends though. Rolls faster? On a table top inflated to twelve bar perhaps.

LionelB wrote:

mca56 wrote:"I got Carbons on the rear and Extremes on the front on three sets of wheels, great light durable combo"

+1

+2

+3

That's one combination of tyres that really works well allround. One of the best expressions of what riding tubulars is about IMHO.
You could do something similar with Conti tyres if you think you need the extra puncture resistance, provided you drop the pressure on each tyre by about half a bar, say.

Ciao,

Sounds like its between the Tufo ones noted here at 215gms and the Carbon/Extreme combo that was 3rd-ed above.

I will see what I find shopping.

I have had reasonable luck on eBay--what are lowest prices in the US? biketiresdirect.com?

fdegrove wrote:Hi,

I ride Tufos S3Lite215 for training, no defects for last 6 months. Good tire, runs very straight, allows high presures. Not as comfortable as Conti competition but better crafted, lighter and rolls faster.

Ligher, yes. That's where the good news ends though. Rolls faster? On a table top inflated to twelve bar perhaps.





Of course thats based on my feeling. S3Lite just feels faster than conti competition. If it is really faster I dont know. If you're strong there is no rolling resistance;)
However, it seems logical if the tire bumps and if it goes +/- 1mm left and right (as competitions always do) then it cannot roll fast.
Also the sharp profile of competitions cannot help on reducing the rolling resistance.
So as you probabbly figured out, I preffer Tufo over Continental at least as a general purpose tire. For a racing only tire the best handling tubular I have ever tried is Schwalbe ultremo HT.

I like a lot Vittoria Corsa SC 23mm tubulars. Better grip than corsa cx, maybe better puncture resistance also or then just good luck??
Weight has been between 230-240g.

I've found that the new Veloflex Carbons wear very quickly - 1500-1700 miles- on the rear.

Thirstyman wrote:I've found that the new Veloflex Carbons wear very quickly - 1500-1700 miles- on the rear.

how long did you age them before putting them in use ?

I've had the Tufo s3 215 lites, bike felt slower, road like ass and it was slower on my local TT's, Vittoria Evo Crono very fast but puncture just looking at them, vittoria Evo CX roll nice but are not as durable as the Veloflex's, at this point I don't think I could ride on anything else besides they Veloflex carbon/Extreme.

Veloflex Carbon in the back and Extreme up front for me too.

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com

LionelB wrote:

Thirstyman wrote:I've found that the new Veloflex Carbons wear very quickly - 1500-1700 miles- on the rear.

how long did you age them before putting them in use ?

Let me clarify that I am referring to the post-October 2011 Carbons. I age these and my other tubulars at least 6 months. I usually age them over 1 year (have gone as far as 3 years) but couldn't do that recently. The older version of the tire always got 2500-3000 miles for me (even on rear) at 170 lbs.

I am annoyed at the change to a dual compound with only a very thin upper layer of black rubber on the centerline.