Race Tires

I just went through this process and went with the Michelin's and ordered some Michelin latex tubes which haven't arrived yet.

The Vittoria's are supposed to be very fast but fragile. Plus the Michelin's are cheaper, so if they wear out or I change my mind I won't feel as bad.

Are you using latex tubes now? Those numbers are for the Michelin latex tubes. Otherwise just based on crr doesn't seem that big a difference.

I do have latex tubes for whatever tires I decide to use.  Price isn't a huge concern that being said the place I bought the Contis from and can return for no cost has the following prices on the tires

Conti 4000s $54.39

Michelin Pro Race 3 $35.99

Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX 320tpi $45.59

The Contis were the most money of the bunch but all within $20. Michelin and Vittoria $10 difference.  Are the Vittorias substantially more fragile than the Michelin or Conti??

Not really true.  I have 1100+ miles on my Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX and they are no where ready to be retired yet.   And I am knockin on wood here...zero flats in those 1100 miles.

I don't know when they will be ready to replace, but they ain't wearing out at 500 miles.

Not sure why I am even thinking about the price difference on the tires considering what I spent on the new bike, carbon wheels, and races this year. I mean, $100 for bottle cages. Seriously...

You might want to buy another set because I read on the other forum that they are discontinued.

Well I decided to send back the 4000S and run the Vittoria Open Corsa EVO 320tpi CX on my race wheels.  Hopefully I wont regret that decision.

On another note Fed Ex man just showed up with my S80s.  They look fast and the gray graphics are going to look slick on my Blue/Silver P2.  First race with them will be Sept 11.

My last set of 20mm Vittoria Open Corsa Evo 320 tpi CX lasted 1100km (about 700mi) before they actually wore down right through to the tube (and went flat). They do not last long since its a softer rubber compound.   BUT they are an excellent racing tire. They just feel nice on the bike - hold the road better than the harder Conti GP4000 or Vittoria Rubino, and actually feel smoother over rougher roads. Also a little bit faster.

My suggestion is hat if you have a set of dedicated race wheels then go with the Vittorias. If you race and train on the same wheels get a compromise tire. The Michelin Pro3 is a great choice (its a little more of a racing than training tire) or Conti GP4000 (more training than racing).

That is exactly the conclusion I came to. Already have a set of the 4000S on my training wheels and putting the Vitorias on the dedicated race wheels.

I'd just put a regular set of butyls in them and have fun.  You need them for spares anyway.

Definitely, if nothing else I'll use them on my other wheels. I had a weird thought - is there any difference using CO2 cartridges on latex versus butyl when I flat?

The Chemical Engineer in me wonders about that... why would CO2 escape faster than air from latex?

Air is 78% N2 and 21% O2  and these molecules are smaller than the CO2 molecule. There may be some physical chemistry considerations that a knuckle-head like me does not understand but I think I'm going to experiment a little this weekend.

Thanks Daniel! I did order extra latex tubes, but I'll carry a butyl as a spare. I do agree with what the chemical engineer said, but I'm not a material scientist, so I'll stick with observed over predicted

sorry to hi-jack

the talk of butyl and latex tubes got me wondering whats the advantage to latex. Is it a few grams lighter or are they more puncture resistant. If its just a weight thing then I won't bother as I can lose a couple of pounds of my weight before worrying about a few grams on tubes.

cheers