(You can also check out our other guides to: Front Lights, and Rear Lights).

Road Race Tyres

The tyres that you choose for your bike are a very important factor. They provide the connection between you and the road surface. Finding a balance between your needs and the various products available is important both in terms of enjoyment and performance. You will find a huge range of products available out there and it can be a bit confusing but there are a few simple steps to getting the right tyre for your purpose. As a triathlete or duathlete you will need to address whether your needs are durability, performance or a compromise between the two extremes. These will be different for many riders but let’s look at what we should consider as the basics of tyre choice. We will look at two key options, clincher and tubular tyres to help you decide.

Clincher or Hooked Rim

These tyres are for racing style bikes that use clincher or hooked rims, these are the most common fitment and hook onto the rim and require an inner tube. The vast majority of everyday riders use clincher tyres.

If you require a tyre for all round use look for something with good puncture protection, an average TPI (Threads Per Inch) and average weight.

How you do your training is important here; this could be the daily commute or general cycling where you need to ensure that durability is high up on your requirement list. If durability is your priority and speed is not so important look towards the more puncture resistant tyres and consider going for a wider tyre, these will be less prone to punctures and offer you more comfort.

For wet road conditions a triple compound or winter tyre is a good choice, these use a softer compound on the cornering surface to maximise grip.
Lighter tyres will accelerate quickly, but will be more prone to punctures so getting a balance is extremely important. If you require a fast tyre and speed is the only thing that matters look for a low weight folding tyre with high TPI.

For ease of use these offer the best option as fixing a puncture is quite straight forward and they require less fitting expertise in the first place. In this sector there are tyres to fit each need so you will definitely need to address the durability versus speed requirement. With clincher tyres why not consider having a set of tyres for everyday use and one pair for racing. This will allow you to maximise your race day potential with a lightweight and fast road tyre but keep your training as flat free as possible.

Tubular Tyres

As your racing develops you may want to consider tubular tyres; more serious racers favour these. In this case you will probably have a separate set of wheels for race day to maximise your performance in terms of lightweight and speed delivery. These tubular tyres are designed for tubular rims; these are glued on using tubular cement or tubular tape.  A tubular is a sealed unit with an inner tube sewn into the tyres casing, this means the tubular is perfectly round in profile and offers a better feel when cornering. The compromise to the performance is that they are more complicated to fit, typically require a dedicated wheel type and will be more likely to puncture.

Vittoria have introduced open tubulars which are the same design as their tubular tyres but with a bead for use on a clincher rim, these will offer the closest feel of a tubular but the ease of repair associated with a clincher. Sizing is subtly different to clincher wheels and can be a bit confusing as most manufacturers still quote the old imperial sizes. However there are only 2 real sizes: 26" is the same as 650c, then 27", 28" and 700c are all the same size.

Our friends at Wiggle have selected some options for you as great examples to look at if things are just too over whelming!

Beginners

Vittoria Rubino Road Tyres 2010 List price £12.99 SAVE 10% = £1.30 Wiggle price:£11.69 Top Features of the Vittoria Rubino Road Tyres 2010 Nylon 60 TPI casing, synonymous of good performance. New Kevlar® Endura 3D Compound, with high duration and exciting road-behaviour. PRB puncture protection. Updated tread pattern, with Prisma Vector Design. Grommet rigid bead (4 wires), for an easier fitting. Pressure: 7/10 bar, 100/145 psi

Intermediate

Vredestein Fortezza TriComp Road Tyres List price £34.99 SAVE 10% = £3.50 Wiggle price:£31.49 Top Features of the Vredestein Fortezza TriComp Road Tyres Competition tyre for all weather conditions Very low rolling resistance Outstanding riding quality on wet roads Maximun grip in corners Curve control system Sportex Protection Layer Use: Road Weight(g): 225 Bead: Folding Puncture protection: Yes TPI: 120 The best selling tyre from the Vredestein range !!

PRS – Puncture resistance system, this patented anti-puncture technology reduces the chance of a puncture by up to 90%. Its secret lies in the supple but exceptionally tough separate rubber layer with enhanced penetration resistance.
Tricomp technology is based on the use of three different rubber compounds, each with its own specific properties. This has a positive influence on durability, rolling resistance and ultimate grip on corners.

Advanced

Vittoria Corsa Evo CX Tubular Tyre List price £54.99 SAVE 10% = £5.5 Wiggle price:£49.49 Pressure: 8/14 bar (115/200 psi) Twin tread technology 42mm valve - Removable Use: Road, Time Trial Weight(g): 245 Puncture protection: Yes TPI: 320

Corsa CX has proved successful in road races all over the world, but the new EVO version is bound to even greater success.
With a “handmade” tubular structure for superior performance and comfort, it has also got a special latex inner tube that increases its elasticity and puncture resistance. Further features are the Kevlar® SiO2 3D Compound with added silica - for reduced rolling resistance and better grip in the wet Our new high density casing - a true 320 tpi - delivers unbeatable comfort and superior performance with inflation pressure of up to 200psi!
New PRB 2.0 puncture resistant belting placed underneath the tread increases the flat prevention properties of the Corsa Evo CX up to 40%, even while reducing the weight. The new Corsa Evo CX is tougher and faster than ever before.