Winter daily rider tyres

[davidblythe]

Havent got any experience of either tyre, but the choice is old style Tourances or Trail attacks

tyres chosen will be used over the winter on a daily rider and will be changed come the spring, so looking for good grip on wet/greasy roads and water displacement

prejucided opinions welcome on the two tyres above

btw Anyone doing a good deal on them in London

 

[Schtum]

Tourances in preference to Trail Attacks and I suspect, on the basis of my experiences with Dunlop D607, the new Dunlop TR91 in preference to either the Metzlers or Continentals.

 

[AdamA]

Trail Attack in preference to Tourance and I suspect, on the basis of my experiences with Dunlop NO WAY am I putting anything they make on my bike.

 

[Schtum]

Trail Attack in preference to Tourance and I suspect, on the basis of my experiences with Dunlop NO WAY am I putting anything they make on my bike.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary how does your garden grow......?

Have you ever thought of sitting backwards on the bike and riding that way?

 

[Beemerman59]

For pure road I would go with Dunlop Roadsmarts, but if you need "the look" I would prefer Trail Attacks to the Battlewings, although all are good really. I wouldn't risk Maxxis but thats because they use blatant sexism in their advertising

 

[geotim]

Trail Attack ...

Great for grip in wet or dry ...

BUT - had an absolute nightmare getting them balanced when being fitted. It appears that Continental are not doing a wonderful job on Quality Control with respect to the balance of rubber on the tyre.

Don't know how long they will last though ...

 

[AdamA]

Mary, Mary, quite contrary how does your garden grow......?

Have you ever thought of sitting backwards on the bike and riding that way?

No, cos that would be just silly.
Wasnt saying it to be contrary tho, I genuinely prefer TA to Tourance in all conditions, and don't trust dunlop.

That's the reason why these "what tyres threads are utterly pointless for the most part. Unless you know that someone else likes the same feel as you in tyres their opinion is pretty pointless.
Our thoughts on them are genuinely poles apart, but both equally valid, leaving the OP no better off.

 

[Wapping]

Go for black and round, preferably inflated to the correct pressure. You will be fine.

 

[bowser]

ok its for an 1100 not one of your new fangled 1200's but I put a set of Avon Distanza on my bike and they have be fantastic, wet or dry,

 

[Schtum]

ok its for an 1100 not one of your new fangled 1200's but I put a set of Avon Distanza on my bike and they have be fantastic, wet or dry,

I've wondered about Distanzias. I've got a friend in Northern California who always fits those to his GS. I think he's persuaded by the extent which the tread wraps around the sidewall since he rides like a man possessed, on the mountain roads.

 

[davidblythe]

ordered a set of tourances

did a lot of reading on the trail attacks and great reviews but one comment kept cropping up which killed it as a winter tyre for me, the warm up times

use the GS in london for lots of short 2 to 4 miles journeys 5 to 10 times a day, I feel i should be a courier at times and tend to ride like one as well

hope its not the case for the tourance

 

[Schtum]

ordered a set of tourances

did a lot of reading on the trail attacks and great reviews but one comment kept cropping up which killed it as a winter tyre for me, the warm up times

use the GS in london for lots of short 2 to 4 miles journeys 5 to 10 times a day, I feel i should be a courier at times and tend to ride like one as well

hope its not the case for the tourance

Of your original choices, I think that's the right decision and I'd agree about the warm up time on the Trail Attacks. Personally, I'd have gone for the Dunlops but......

 

[C-J]

so looking for good grip on wet/greasy roads and water displacement

Ignoring my views on the two tyres you stated, you want a tyre designed for the road. Not a dual sport tyre that has big wide treads for getting traction in the rough stuff. Any tyre is going to let go on a wet greasy road when you give them some abuse, unless they've developed some new magic property.

 

[The Nutter]

ordered a set of tourances

did a lot of reading on the trail attacks and great reviews but one comment kept cropping up which killed it as a winter tyre for me, the warm up times

use the GS in london for lots of short 2 to 4 miles journeys 5 to 10 times a day, I feel i should be a courier at times and tend to ride like one as well

hope its not the case for the tourance

I'd say you did the right thing. Have had Tourance, Road Attack, BT020 and currently Battle Wings (the new bike came with these). As soon as they're shot I'll return to what have been the best so far (Tourance) just don't get the EXP's.

 

[Schtum]

As soon as they're shot I'll return to what have been the best so far (Tourance) just don't get the EXP's.

Counter argument: I did 1200 miles around Northern California a month ago, on a rented GS with a Tourance EXP on the front and an original Tourance on the rear. I was happier with the stickier EXP on the front than I was with the rear. The front felt up to scratching on mountain roads in temperatures in the 90s F while the rear was marginal.

 

[The Nutter]

Counter argument: I did 1200 miles around Northern California a month ago, on a rented GS with a Tourance EXP on the front and an original Tourance on the rear. I was happier with the stickier EXP on the front than I was with the rear. The front felt up to scratching on mountain roads in temperatures in the 90s F while the rear was marginal.

OK Schtum, counter counter argument. Not many over here get to do mountain roads in the 90's. The original Tourance has a fast warm up rate for the English weather/temperature. It may well have been getting a little overcooked in those conditions. I have not used the EXP's but have read many negative reports both here and the biking press. When spending £200 on a pair of tyres I like to know that what I'm using will suit the conditions I'll be using them in. If anyone else can give positive feedback of the EXP's in British weather, I may have to eat my words and give them a go.

 

[brassmonkey001]

For pure road I would go with Dunlop Roadsmarts, but if you need "the look" I would prefer Trail Attacks to the Battlewings, although all are good really. I wouldn't risk Maxxis but thats because they use blatant sexism in their advertising

 

[C-J]

Whoops... Sorry just slipped in some Hankook girls there

 

[strod]

OK Schtum, counter counter argument. Not many over here get to do mountain roads in the 90's. The original Tourance has a fast warm up rate for the English weather/temperature. It may well have been getting a little overcooked in those conditions. I have not used the EXP's but have read many negative reports both here and the biking press. When spending £200 on a pair of tyres I like to know that what I'm using will suit the conditions I'll be using them in. If anyone else can give positive feedback of the EXP's in British weather, I may have to eat my words and give them a go.

I used the conti trail attacks on my 2008 GSA - this was mainly due to the fact the bike came with them on from new, and they worked for me - giving circa 6-7000 miles from a set. Personnally, I didn't really notice any issues with elongated warm up times in the winter.

Conversely, the 2010 GSA I acquired in July came with the EXPs, and so far they are also working well after circa 2500 miles. I don't really ride the bike like I stole it, more like borrowed under coercion at short notice perhaps, and these EXPs do grip on.

However, I'm not sure what mileage to expect out of a set, probably not as much as the Trail Attacks at a guess, which is a consideration for a bike used for commuting year round.

 

[AdamA]

If anyone else can give positive feedback of the EXP's in British weather, I may have to eat my words and give them a go.

The EXP is a very good tyre, offering more outright grip than the old version. However the trade off is excessive (for me) wear rate, not poor warmup in cold weather.