I think it might be good to pool some reviews on rubber here, since I find that most of the reviews on sites like RBR are from people who really don't ride a whole lot (and I know a number of us do).
Anyway, a quickie review on the set of clinchers coming off my bike today:
Maxxis Hors Categorie 700x20
Pros:
-Light. I think these clock in at 175g or so.
-Cornering traction is good when they're reasonably fresh. Not sticky crit tire great, but good.
-Decent rolling resistance.
-Wear was acceptable for a race tire. I got about two months of riding out of them. Not sure what that is in miles, but I put between 15-20 hours of riding a week on them. I'm not a fan of training on heavy long-wear tires.
-Flat protection was also good. I only got one flat with these, a very sharp glass puncture.
Cons:
-The 20c profile is definitely that. They're skinny. I got a little sketched out in corners leaning the bike way over for fear of running out of tire (is that even possible?). Their small contact patch is definitely not confidence inspiring on descents and makes for squirrelly attacks.
-After about a month cornering performance started to rapidly diminish as the stickier compound wore off.
All in all a solid tire, I'd definitely have no qualms running the 23c version again. I think I'd avoid the 20c, just because I tend to have a more aggressive descending/cornering style and they weren't very confidence inspiring in either of those situations. They WERE dirt cheap, though - ICYCLES has them on sale for $20 each right now.
Just got a pair of Challenge Elite 23c clinchers ("open tubulars") that I'll be on for about a week before attempting to switch to an everyday tubular setup. I'll post up some initial impressions in a day or two.
Anyway, a quickie review on the set of clinchers coming off my bike today:
Maxxis Hors Categorie 700x20
Pros:
-Light. I think these clock in at 175g or so.
-Cornering traction is good when they're reasonably fresh. Not sticky crit tire great, but good.
-Decent rolling resistance.
-Wear was acceptable for a race tire. I got about two months of riding out of them. Not sure what that is in miles, but I put between 15-20 hours of riding a week on them. I'm not a fan of training on heavy long-wear tires.
-Flat protection was also good. I only got one flat with these, a very sharp glass puncture.
Cons:
-The 20c profile is definitely that. They're skinny. I got a little sketched out in corners leaning the bike way over for fear of running out of tire (is that even possible?). Their small contact patch is definitely not confidence inspiring on descents and makes for squirrelly attacks.
-After about a month cornering performance started to rapidly diminish as the stickier compound wore off.
All in all a solid tire, I'd definitely have no qualms running the 23c version again. I think I'd avoid the 20c, just because I tend to have a more aggressive descending/cornering style and they weren't very confidence inspiring in either of those situations. They WERE dirt cheap, though - ICYCLES has them on sale for $20 each right now.
Just got a pair of Challenge Elite 23c clinchers ("open tubulars") that I'll be on for about a week before attempting to switch to an everyday tubular setup. I'll post up some initial impressions in a day or two.
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