Anyone know how durable these are compared to Veloflex Carbon or Vittoria Corsa Evo CX? Thanks.

Hi,

According to Veloflex you can expect 2.500km when used on a rear wheel and twice as much when mounted on a frontwheel.
This estimate assumes competition use.

Personally I have a Extreme on the frontwheel which has seen the better part of 8.000 km and it shows no signs of wear whatsoever. No competition though.

Ciao,

_________________
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

thanks again.

I have mounted the Extreme on my racing wheels last winter and in one race during summer I got a puncture on my rear wheel; while checking the tub I found out it was totally finished so my fault not for checking the tub.

The disturbing thing is that until that point I did probably between 1.000 and 1.500kms of racing and Im not a big guy at 66kgs.
I did like the Extreme and I will probably use them again next year but the Carbon used to last much much longer.

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ciclismo-espresso.com

In general, I have found that Veloflex clinchers and tubulars have far shorter service lives than the factory estimates. At 57kg, I'm not pushing the weight limits of any equipment on my bike, tires included, but I've found that their rubber is good for about 60-75% of the estimated "lifespan" before visible tread degradation, cuts, and puncture vulnerability become unacceptable.

Carbon and Criterium will be more durable, so consider what timespan between gluing sessions you consider acceptable.

Factor that into your decision before using the Extreme for any purpose other than special occasions (e.g., races, quality time with the machine, your most important group training, and shameless bike-porn photos for the Gallery forum).

-Tim

85kg, extremes front and rear with about 1200-1500miles on them this season, the rear does look a bit tired. I will probably swap it out when the sun comes back and use it as a spare.

Great tyre, I would fully recommend it unless you're one of these wide rim converts, as they are pretty narrow

_________________
"We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities." Oscar Wilde

Pegoretti Responsorium
Parlee Z5i
Donhou Commuter

I can't comment on Extreme's but on my Corsa/Master I got very much the recommended lifespan out of them before I made the call to retire them. I think if you rotated the front tire to the rear, you could probably get a little more. I got a little over 3500km on a set.

I'm less concerned about longevity and more concerned about puncture resistance.

Add me to the list of those who have dropped Veloflex because of limited life. Liked the ride quality, but I get far better durability with Vittoria, and it really doesn't give up anything that matters. Hell I've even seen guys go fast on a Tufo

So OP, as between the Extreme and Carbon only, I've never felt any appreciable difference. A quick pothole and they're both gone.

Hi,



Not wanting to sound like a broken record but you should be able to get about at twice as much as the expected mileage announced by the manufacturer if you'd age them properly.
Of course riding style and the idiosyncracies of the geograpical location where they're used is a factor as well but still. All in all I find the manufacturer's estimations very much erring on the conservative side.

No need to rotate tyres when using tubulars (it is too much hassle doing more damage than good), just retire the rear one when needed and replace by a "fresh" one.

Where I ride I just can't use Vittorias as they just puncture regardless of age and abuse due to them having this nasty propensity to burry small flints inside the tread.

Just for the record, I hardly ever puncture Veloflex tyres. No more or less than I would say a Conti Comp anyway...

Ciao,

_________________
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

broken record 2. Properly aged veloflex last a long time, at least the stated mileage and rear and twice that for the front.

I use crabon in the rear and sometimes extreme in the front when the WW in me wakes up.

I've also never flatted an Extreme either, let alone any Veloflex tubular.

_________________
Curt Brown
2012 Cannondale Supersix EVO SRAM Red 10.8#'s
2012 Cannondale Super X 14.1#'s and dropping....
2011 Cannondale Carbon Flash 1 17.2#'s
1999 Cannondale F2000, SRAM XO 18.9#'s
http://cbevo.com/2012_cd_supersix_evo_31.html

I've also suffered punctures on aged Veloflex tubs, including front tires. These aren't tires I ride because I expect puncture resistance, they're ridden for the quality of the experience. At times, I've raced on Criteriums and used them as everyday tires, but there's a definite tradeoff.

Sometimes, you also need options that *just work*, and the fact is that running Extremes while expecting GP4000/Gatorskin durability is unrealistic. Also, FD, I know you keep a huge, slow-moving assembly line of aging Veloflex tubs for your wheels, but maintaining an arsenal of tires simply to overcome their inherent vulnerabilities isn't always practical. I think the OP is looking for tires that arrive ready to use from the factory.

I do agree that rotating tubulars front-to-rear isn't a sound practice. That's a good point, and the risk of damage outweighs the limited advantages. This practice is best restricted to clinchers.

I have noted that Veloflex clinchers also ride nicely, but they have the same proclivity to wear quickly and flat frequently once they reach a worn state. Surely, you can't expect people to age clinchers too... ?

Veloflex remains my go-to for fine rubber, but I accept their limits and plan accordingly. Maybe the OP just wants to compare one Veloflex to another, so that's cool. Gatorskins are always there if you need 'em.

-Tim

Yep, looking for tires ready to go. Fortunately, I've never had a flat since I tend to err on the side of caution and replace tires, probably much earlier than needed. I am paranoid flatting with tires on my uber expensive carbon rims. I figure replacing $200 tires is more cost effective than damaging $2000 wheels.

It's funny how people have such different experiences with Tubs. In 2 years I've only flatted once on a tub and that was a wear through situation. I seem to regularly flat on clincher tires.