Wet weather tyres

[drfrank]

I have a Giant FCR with very thin tyres (my first 'road' bike). They are slicks and I was wondering if there are similar tyres but with some sort of tread ?

Thanks,

Frank

[Gnarlybluesurf]

Gets universally good reviews...

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti%20ultra...

[mchammer89]

Treaded tyres on a road bike will have less grip than an equivilent slick. You won't aquaplane on a road tyre so the more rubber you can have on the ground the better. I'd say the Continental 4 Seasons are hard to beat.

Edit - Didn't see the first reply there, the Gatorskins are very good (I have them on my road bike) but the 4 Seasons are a bit better.

Edited by mchammer89 on Wednesday 8th September 20:54

[Roman]

I disagree. Not with the recommendations but the explanations.

Treads are not purely cosmetic on roadbike tyres. They are not there to prevent aquaplaning, they're there to help displace (and provide some lateral grip upon) particles of mud, grit, dirt, sand, cow/horse muck, pine needles, leaf mulch etc which can be treacherous (acting like tiny ball bearings in lubricant) when mixed with oil & water on wet roads.

This is why all the winter/all season tyres recommended above have them.

Edited to add: The traditional herringbone tread found on many Vittoria tyres is very good and I've found the Vittoria Cross XN to be the grippiest tyres I've tried on wet roads (even though they are actually a cross tyres designed for racing on hard packed ground.

Edited by Roman on Wednesday 8th September 23:04

[Disco You]

Why do you want to change away from slicks? There's no need for tread on road bike tyres, you'd have to be going upwards of 70mph to aquaplane on a pushbike, so tread isn't needed for the same reasons as on car tyres.

Gnarlybluesurf said:

Gets universally good reviews...

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti%20ultra...

Gatorskins have a reputation for being very poor in the wet. Don't get me wrong I love the set I have on ym road bike, but almost every time I see them mentioned on cycle forums, their poor wet performance comes up.

[Roman]

Disco You said:

Why do you want to change away from slicks? There's no need for tread on road bike tyres, you'd have to be going upwards of 70mph to aquaplane on a pushbike, so tread isn't needed for the same reasons as on car tyres.

They're not there to prevent aquaplaning! Read my post above.

[Disco You]

Roman said:

Disco You said:

Why do you want to change away from slicks? There's no need for tread on road bike tyres, you'd have to be going upwards of 70mph to aquaplane on a pushbike, so tread isn't needed for the same reasons as on car tyres.

They're not there to prevent aquaplaning! Read my post above.

I hadn't read your post, and yes it's a very informative and useful post for someone who doesn't know why some tyres have tread (I did already know as it happens). The OP, though, isn't asking for "gritty road" tyres, he's asking for wet weather tyres. Gatorskins, I have heard, aren't good in the wet, and their "tread" is practically non-existant, it makes basically no difference, as I've found out on more than one occasion when I find myself going sideways on loose stones in the road.