Tyres

Its that time of the year again where we are all looking for 'winter' tyres.
I am looking at 4 different ones at the moment
Schwalbe Durano Raceguard
Michelin Pro4 Endurance
Vittoria Rubino Pro
Vredestein Fortezza Senso All Weather

Anyone use or used these? Any thoughts appreciated.

Vredestein tyres are fantastic, in my experience. I have the Tricomps which the Senseos replace, I believe. Mine have done 10,000km+ in all weathers with just a handful of punctures and only now are they starting to look like the end is nigh.

Road.cc reviewed a couple of tyres in the Senseo range earlier in the year, so take a look there. You can colour match them to your bike, if that's your thing, too.

I haven't used any of the others you mention, so I can't make a comparison, although Continental 4 Seasons seem pretty reliable, too, when I use those.

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Andy Mc

I've got Vittoria rubino pros which seem pretty durable and get good reviews as a winter Tyre but they also roll nicely and I would consider using them all year but they seem a hard compound which means grit doesn't stick to them in the wet and they don't cut up much but when pumped up hard they don't grip very well in the wet.

I've had Conti 4 Seasons for almost 2 years (3000 miles). Never punctured in that time. Suggest good all-rounder. I obviously have no experience of them at any speed!!

CambourneMark wrote:

I've got Vittoria rubino pros which seem pretty durable and get good reviews as a winter Tyre but they also roll nicely and I would consider using them all year but they seem a hard compound which means grit doesn't stick to them in the wet and they don't cut up much but when pumped up hard they don't grip very well in the wet.

Yep great tyre 150tpi so you can blow them up to 8 bar..i usually get a good years riding out of mine that's at least 16.000kms..i change front to back at around 6/7k kms..rode them once at the club TT (old carbon wheels ) did a 27 min ride so they do go fast but i presume you also need legs (70%) Head (30%)...ah ah G.............. .

Dave if you want reliability and grip on the road then try MICHELIN AxioBib IF 900/60 R42 tyres. You won't go wrong.

Stephen

Only get conti gatorskins if you want to spend more time on your backside than upright.

They have poor grip in the wet which would seem to be essential for a winter tyre.

Svl14 wrote:

Dave if you want reliability and grip on the road then try MICHELIN AxioBib IF 900/60 R42 tyres. You won't go wrong.

Stephen

Useful as ever Steve!

Like Andy, I've used the Vredstein Tricomps and they're fantastic but I think they (nor the Senseo's) don't have quite the same level of protection as some of the heavier tyres. For that reason I discounted them when I had to get a set of tyres a couple of months back. However, I'll probably get a set when the better weather comes round again.

I plumped for the Durano's and so far I'm happy with them although I've only done a couple of hundred miles on them so they're barely worn in. If you want something heavier duty the Durano+ look pretty much bombproof.


Tony.