Conference noted::bicycle

I tried a pair of Hutchinson AS23 Turbo this year - I am afraid of these slicks
and the AST's do have an apology of a tread, plus the Kevlar couche.  They come
in 19, 20 and 23 mm.  They wear quite quickly, about the same as Michelin 
Hi-Lite II's and I think give a harder ride.

Rod MacFadyen in the Euro-champion for Continentals, maybe he has some insider
info....

RE: .0

>         If anyone can help me I appreciate it, I need some new tires and
>    would like something which has handling characteristics similar to the
>    23 mm Conti clinchers.
    
I don't know where you are located, but I do know a place in Northeast MA
where you can get 700x23 Conti Grand Prixs.  (at least the folding type)
Bicycles Etc. is directly across the North Shore Mall on Rt. 114 in Peabody.

I was there recently to purchase some Grand Prixs, but I didn't want to spend
$35 on a tire (folding type), so I went with a 700x23 Continental SuperSport
Ultra (non-folding) at $20.

I've had this on my front wheel for a few weeks now and I think I like it even
better than the Grand Prix.  It is a beefier tire and is just slightly wider
than the same size Grand Prix.  I feel more confident in the turns with this
tire.

BTW - I have a Grand Prix on the back which has about 1500 miles on it
and it's still going strong.

-Buddy

I like the Continental Supersport Ultra a lot for an affordable tyre. It's
slick but as the previous noter says, quite beefy in the 23mm width. Contis
are rated at high pressure so perhaps there's less rolling resistance.

Since my local bike shop doesn't stock Conti, at the moment I'm trying
Hutchinson U-treads with Kevlar reinforcement. Seems like a decent tyre
as well, tough enough to deal with dirty back roads. (Is the same tyre as
the one Robin is using?)


Rod

  I became a big continental fan last year.

  I train and race on Super Sport Ultras.  I would probably use the Grand Prix
but I'm just not a fan of foldable tires.  I have about 3000 miles on my rear
tire.  That's 500 miles more than I ever got out of any other tire.  I've had
no problems with them in the rain and they're durability (puncture resistance) 
is much better than any other tire I've ridden.

  John C.

What's a 'foldable' tire?

Thanks,

Bob

    	Bob,
    
    	It's a clincher tire that you can fold up, kinda like one would
    	do with a tubular.
    
    	Scott

    
    It's a tire with a Kevlar bead. I've been riding the Hutchinson AS
    (cotten/turbo/whatever?) clinchers for about a hundred miles. I haven't 
    formed an opinion on them yet (but don't worry, I will :^) )
    
    doug
     

The U-tread Hutchinsons are not the AS Turbos, they are a tyre with the 
facbric made from a coarser thread [read the threads/in to find out], they 
come as folding or non-folding at around 100 FFr, the AS turbos are more like 
130 FFr.  John and Rob are fans of the U-tread version.

    re: .4
    
    Conti Grands-Prix come in non-folding as well as folding. They're
    also significantly cheaper without the foldingness (about 17 quid
    rather than 23 quid). I've done over 2000k on a pair (swapped f & r
    about half way) and there's still plenty of life left in them.
    And I have never had a puncture on these tyres, unlike cheaper
    Contis or Michelins (bet one goes bang! tomorrow).
    
    ---Alan

    I am running 700x25 Grand Prix's on the tandem.  Unfortunately it
    doesn't appear to be any more of this size around any more.  Even
    though they are much smaller profile than the specialized they
    replaced, they are quite durable.  
    
    steve

O.K.  What makes a tire 'non-foldable'?  Steel in the sidewall?

Bob

    Kevlar bead = foldable
    
    Steel bead = non-foldable
    
    ---Alan

How the heck do you folks get so many miles out of your tires?  

I manage to only get between 950 (Avocet K20), 1200 (Michelin), or a max of 
1500 (Coni SS) before they're down to the cords.  I keem 'em inflated, don't
do skids or burnouts, and "only" weigh about 175.  What's the secret?

Mark

>How the heck do you folks get so many miles out of your tires?  

>I manage to only get between 950 (Avocet K20), 1200 (Michelin), or a max of 
>1500 (Coni SS) before they're down to the cords.  I keem 'em inflated, don't
>do skids or burnouts, and "only" weigh about 175.  What's the secret?

Proper inflation?  Only guessing here.

I weigh about 187 lbs. and have 1500 on the rear and it still looks good.
The sidewall recommends something like 120 lbs. max, but I always put 130 in
them and pump them up about once a week.

-Buddy

         Thanks for the information on tires.  I took a cue from .2 and 
    called a shop which carried continentals for the last few years.  They
    had Gran Prixs but apparently had just recently gotten them.  When I
    arrived to pick them up I saw the owner puttering around the shop and
    I asked him about the Continental supply issue.  He told me that after
    Continental changed it's US distributor he sent in a very large order
    for their products ( somewhere around 25K ) and Continental refused to
    accept it ( I did not ask why but I have not had any problems with the 
    shop owner's honesty ).  Apparently the order problem was resolved 
    because I was able to finally buy 3 tires ( I still have a back order
    with Bike Nashbar that has not been filled after 2 months ).
    
         Again, thanks for the inputs.
    

    Re. Miles per tyre (I refuse to spell it with an 'i' :*)
    
    My guess would be inflation. How do you keep them inflated? I pump them
    up with a track pump before every ride. That may seem overkill, but it
    only adds 2-3 minutes to your preparation time. Also, if your not using
    a track pump, I would advise it. You need a pressure guage to check
    that you are getting them to the right pressure (guesswork will nearly
    always be 15-20 psi low) and if you are using a tyre with over 100psi,
    then a hand held pump will struggle. FWIW I ride Contis (both SS and
    GP) which are recommended at 150psi, although I feel that for my riding
    that this is too hard and drop it to 125-130psi.
    
    If the problem isn't inflation then it could be road surface. Some
    surfaces will be harder on tyres than others. I have ridden at home in
    the UK, in France and in Holland and would say that the UK roads are
    harder on tyres than the other two. Councils here favour a substance
    called shellproof which is basically wet tar with small chips thrown
    into it, like the harling (sp?) on the side of the road. Great for cars
    braking in the wet, but horrible on bike tyres.
    
    Graham.

I refuse to spell it with an 'i' :*)
    
    but you did!  :-)
    
    ed

    
    Very droll, Mr.Fisher...  :*)
    
    Graham.

Thanks for the comments on ti(y)re life.  I do keep them pumped up to 130psi
using a Zefal DoubleShot pump with a built in gauge.  The tires are always 
pumped up before each ride.  The majority of my riding is done on blacktop
but probably 25% is done on"shellproof" aka "chip seal" here in the states.

I figure that it is mostly related to road surface as Graham said and my 
weight.  I'd run the Conti SS tires if I could find a reliable supply for
them.

Mark

    I just received a new catalog from Colorado Cyclist. They are selling
    the Continental Grand Prix for $25 and Michelein Hi-Lite Super Comp HP
    for $19.

    I am astounded that Mr. Hemmings (et al.) are using clincher tires at
    all; does this mean that bamboo clincher rims are finally available ?