I don’t often set distance targets, but mileage (kilometre-age?) is a suitably motivating metric to keep track of as the weeks and months roll by. Strava also has a handy feature that lets you set goals and easily keep track by showing how far ahead or behind you are.
At the beginning of the year I set a target in Strava of 10,000km. Looking at my stats after today’s ride, I noticed I’d just rolled over that mark with two and a half months to spare! It was pleasing to do it on the Trek 5200 too, I’ve been putting some good saddle time on that bike recently.
That means I can sit on the couch until January now, right? Hehehe! Last year I rode 11,000km, so I guess that’s the next milestone (kilometre-stone?) that I’ll aim for.
Today’s ride was a bit of a lucky one actually. While putting the bike away afterwards, I noticed this big gash in my front tyre! That would have been a nasty front wheel blowout at speed! I’m glad that didn’t let go during the ride. If you look closely you can see the inner tube ever so slightly bulging out of the gash. I recon that tyre was riding on borrowed time…
A few guys I ride with have had similar issues with Pirelli P Zero tyres. Unlucky? Just a fragile tyre? Or a design fault? Perhaps the gravel roads I’ve taken them down? Whatever the cause it’s a little concerning. They’ve been great tyres, fast and comfy. I also have them on my Aeroad so I’ll be keeping a close eye on my tyres in case this happens again!
Until I decide what to replace it with, I’ve popped a used 24mm S-WORKS Turbo tyre I had lying around on the front, it’s got roughly 50% tread left.
Any suggestions for a new fast tyre?
Vittoria Corsa
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This is one brand I haven’t tried yet!
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I like the Pzero but also find it prone to punctures even on tarmac roads and they wear quickly. Particularly bad in wet weather debris on the road side. I’ve been using some Conti GP 5000s over winter which have been fairly bullet proof.
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Thanks. I switched from the GP4000/5000 tyres to the P Zeros, mostly because they were easier to fit on this particular wheelset. They’ve been fine up until now, but I might have to change back!
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Congratulations! That’s a serious time commitment 👌💪🚴
I had Vittoria Rubino Pros on the last bike and really liked them, very few punctures and seemed to last well on the rough roads here. No idea of speed though. Lots of people swear by Continental 5000s but I found the 4000s wore out quickly.
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I think I’m going to be spending way too long “researching” tyre choices on the web this weekend! Thanks for the tip.
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Congrats on 10k, we must be like minded I just hit 9,935k and 128,000m today! , thats a pretty big year (9 1/2 months) for me.
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They’re probably not high level enough for you, but I use Continental Gator skins on city roads which have a lot of debris. They do pretty well for me.
Also, don’t tell me that you ended up on 10,000 kilometers exactly on accident! But awesome achievement. Why not go for 12k?
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Gatorskins! 🤮 I’d sooner be seen in a pair of Crocs… 😜😅😝
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Definitely never wear Crocs in public. But people do. As for those tires/tyres, maybe they don’t work so well on gravel and dirt? But they work for me for the most part. Whatever works for you. I heard Schwalbe Marathons were good but then a guy in the same bike shop said they don’t handle well. I guess whatever works for you. How about tubeless?
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I’ll be avoiding the gravel on those tyres from now on I recon! I don’t think my wheels are tubeless compatible, plus I don’t think I could deal with the setup faff.
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In these here parts, we spell it reckon. Recon is what you do when you’re gonna scout out a route. And actual gatorskins are made from, you guessed it alligators.
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Highly possible it’s “reckon” here too and I have just been typing it wrong all these years! 😂
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I didn’t want to presume to know the Queen’s English, but happy to help.
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I love the Specialized Turbo Pro… 24 on the Trek, 26 on the Venge. The S-Works has an effective lifespan of just 500 miles, less than 1000 km. Look it up. You get most of the suppleness with the lesser grade but they’ll last six times longer and they don’t gouge (due to softer rubber) like your Pirelli’s or S-Works Turbos.
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I’ll look them up! I do like the 24mm width for the Trek. At the moment though I recon it’ll be whatever I can get in stock!
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Man, what a nightmare with finding someone with stock! Crazy thing is, there are actually people out there who want more of this!
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Btw, brother, congrats on the mileage! I’m just barely ahead of you… but I imagine not for long.
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Continental have just announced a new version of the 5000 TR called, you guessed it, the the 5000S TR. Apparently more puncture protection and roll even faster. Will your wheels take tubeless?
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Not tubeless, but I’m sure they can be run with tubes.
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