I'm presently mostly running Vittoria CX black tires. I've also used Michelin Pro extensively. And I have a set of wheels with Gommaitalia Targa with tan sidewalls. I feel the Vittoria and Michelin tires to be more robust than the Gommaitalia, but the Targa is a sweet tire for smooth terrain, and I have a soft spot for tan walled tires.
My question to you is which do you consider the best road tires available with tan sidewalls. Neither Vittoria nor Continental nor Michelin are available with the tan sides. Please help. Thank you.
Tan walled clinchers
Moderator: robbosmans
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What about Specialized Turbo Cotton?
Time VXRS Ulteam (7.16 kg)
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=120268
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=120268
The Vittoria Open Corsa SC is a tan sidewall clincher. It's their 320 TPI race tire and has no puncture resistant strip. The new 2016 model has graphene and a puncture resistant kevlar strip for the 23c clincher.
There is also the Challenge Strada 23c and 25c with gumwalls but I found them impossible to mount and traded them for Vittorias
There is also the Challenge Strada 23c and 25c with gumwalls but I found them impossible to mount and traded them for Vittorias
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SLCBrandon
- Posts: 709
- Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2012 3:52 am
I can't recommend the Turbo Cottons enough. Shocked by their durability since Spec lists them as a race day tire and acknowledge they aren't intended to be known for their lifespan. I've flatted 1 total time on them in well over 3k miles and 3 sets and a 4th rear.
I flatted 6-7 times in that same span on last years SW Turbo's. The ride is much better on the cottons in comparison as well. One of the best pieces of cycling equipment I've used in awhile.
I flatted 6-7 times in that same span on last years SW Turbo's. The ride is much better on the cottons in comparison as well. One of the best pieces of cycling equipment I've used in awhile.
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arizonahalfnhalf
- Posts: 214
- Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 9:47 pm
Oh man! I could talk about this all day!!!
I've been doing a lot of very thorough and unscientific tire testing lately. I too have a gumwall only policy (based only on aesthetics).
What are you looking for in a tire? What kind of riding do you do? Good roads in your area?
Veloflex Masters are incredible riding tires, fantastic grip, silky smooth ride. Very light. Easy to mount. But the downside them for me was they were a bit too delicate for the roads in my area, I wasn't able to get many miles out of them (maybe 700 at most for a rear). The 25mm size do measure a true 25mm when mounted on a wider firecrest shaped rim, however they have a shorter sidewall compared to other tires I've ridden. Thus they don't absorb bumps and cracks in the road as well (in my opinion). If I'm doing a nice mountain ride where I know all the roads are good, these are my go to. These are about $45 each online usually. These are usually 190-200g/tire in the 700x25 size.
Clement Strada LGG's are another top choice. Much more durable tire, but not nearly as nice of a ride or grip as the Veloflex if you're comparing the two. But, thats an important point, the clements still ride great compared to any other tire out there in my opinion. As durable as Conti GP4000S's but better ride quality and grip. Despite also being 25mm they're considerably larger overall than the veloflex 25mm. They measure 26-27mm once mounted on the same rims, but they're much taller, which I do think goes a long way when you're riding rough roads with big cracks and ruts. These are my go-to for rough road and gravel riding. These are only like $35 a pop online and last forever, which is a HUGE selling point. These are 240-250g/tire in 700x25 size.
Challenge Strada Pro's are my all time favorite tire. Last and most important. They're a great compromise between the two above. They're manufactured similarly to the Veloflex Master, but they're much beefier. A bit thicker, but much larger in size. The thicker casing does add a bit of durability when compared to the Veloflex Master, but they still retain the great supple ride and grip of the Veloflex. They key thing to know about these is they're huge for a 25mm. When mounted they're 28mm-29mm wide on a wide rim and very tall. So you have to make sure your frame has clearance for them. These can be had online in the US for $60 a pop. These are 240-250g/tire in 700x25 size (which is really like a 28mm size)
The way I choose to handle this dilemma? I just have 3 different wheelsets (they're basically all the same) with each of the three tires mounted up on each and swap according to ride!
In order of mention so you can see relative size.
I've been doing a lot of very thorough and unscientific tire testing lately. I too have a gumwall only policy (based only on aesthetics).
What are you looking for in a tire? What kind of riding do you do? Good roads in your area?
Veloflex Masters are incredible riding tires, fantastic grip, silky smooth ride. Very light. Easy to mount. But the downside them for me was they were a bit too delicate for the roads in my area, I wasn't able to get many miles out of them (maybe 700 at most for a rear). The 25mm size do measure a true 25mm when mounted on a wider firecrest shaped rim, however they have a shorter sidewall compared to other tires I've ridden. Thus they don't absorb bumps and cracks in the road as well (in my opinion). If I'm doing a nice mountain ride where I know all the roads are good, these are my go to. These are about $45 each online usually. These are usually 190-200g/tire in the 700x25 size.
Clement Strada LGG's are another top choice. Much more durable tire, but not nearly as nice of a ride or grip as the Veloflex if you're comparing the two. But, thats an important point, the clements still ride great compared to any other tire out there in my opinion. As durable as Conti GP4000S's but better ride quality and grip. Despite also being 25mm they're considerably larger overall than the veloflex 25mm. They measure 26-27mm once mounted on the same rims, but they're much taller, which I do think goes a long way when you're riding rough roads with big cracks and ruts. These are my go-to for rough road and gravel riding. These are only like $35 a pop online and last forever, which is a HUGE selling point. These are 240-250g/tire in 700x25 size.
Challenge Strada Pro's are my all time favorite tire. Last and most important. They're a great compromise between the two above. They're manufactured similarly to the Veloflex Master, but they're much beefier. A bit thicker, but much larger in size. The thicker casing does add a bit of durability when compared to the Veloflex Master, but they still retain the great supple ride and grip of the Veloflex. They key thing to know about these is they're huge for a 25mm. When mounted they're 28mm-29mm wide on a wide rim and very tall. So you have to make sure your frame has clearance for them. These can be had online in the US for $60 a pop. These are 240-250g/tire in 700x25 size (which is really like a 28mm size)
The way I choose to handle this dilemma? I just have 3 different wheelsets (they're basically all the same) with each of the three tires mounted up on each and swap according to ride!
In order of mention so you can see relative size.
Last edited by arizonahalfnhalf on Sun Oct 18, 2015 12:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
I've been using the Challenge Criterium tan walls for 12 months and they've been great, just one puncture in that time and they've done a good mileage (6000km). As arizonahalfnhalf says, the Challenge Strada are much larger volume than the Criterium and supposedly more puncture resistant, just put one on the back but not had a chance to try it yet.
Challenge are a massively underrated brand imo, their tyres are as good if not better than Veloflex and Vittoria but they are still rarely seen/used.
Challenge are a massively underrated brand imo, their tyres are as good if not better than Veloflex and Vittoria but they are still rarely seen/used.
Never sure about Grand Bois / Compass - are they just overhyped and -priced Panaracer Paselas, or are they really something special?
There are no real specs published, just esoteric mumbo jumbo, and I haven't seen a higher than 128 TPI casing from Panaracer.
That said, if Panasonic had Gravelkings in tanwall I'd be all over them.
Btw, I heard that Vittoria Open Paves are discontinued, but they are now listing the Open Corsa in 28mm size!
There are no real specs published, just esoteric mumbo jumbo, and I haven't seen a higher than 128 TPI casing from Panaracer.
That said, if Panasonic had Gravelkings in tanwall I'd be all over them.
Btw, I heard that Vittoria Open Paves are discontinued, but they are now listing the Open Corsa in 28mm size!
arizonahalfnhalf wrote:Oh man! I could talk about this all day!!!
Thanks for this post btw, very informative!
arthurf wrote:I've been using the Challenge Criterium tan walls for 12 months and they've been great, just one puncture in that time and they've done a good mileage (6000km). As arizonahalfnhalf says, the Challenge Strada are much larger volume than the Criterium and supposedly more puncture resistant, just put one on the back but not had a chance to try it yet.
Challenge are a massively underrated brand imo, their tyres are as good if not better than Veloflex and Vittoria but they are still rarely seen/used.
Campagnolo + gumwalls = awesomeness
Thank you for your thorough response. I ride 23mm tires or less. And last night I found a cache of Gommaitalia Targa (22cm) at $35 and bought a bunch. I'll look into Clement. I remember when Clement used to sell pista (track) tires made of silk, they had tan sides and the most beautiful orange for rubber. Great looking bike, congrats...!!!
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I love the Veloflex Master but they don't last many kms.
