Metal screeches hideously on tarmac. The typical crashing sound goes through your bones, adrenalin rushes into your blood. But fortunately there is no pain. The motorbike suit and protectors absorb the impact of the fall, the rider skids across the wet tarmac and is back on his feet after two seconds. This goes on for two days, and in the end the motorbike suit is completely battered on the left side. What looks like high-spirited fun is actually hard work at the limit of the rider's capabilities - and sometimes even beyond.
The aim: to test and compare the grip behaviour of road bike tyres at the limit. The method is not without risk, but is more practical than any other test - the gain in knowledge is worth the effort. However, good grip is only one requirement for tyres that is taken for granted. The tyre should also roll as smoothly as possible, last a long time and be puncture-proof - properties that are sometimes mutually exclusive. Good grip and smooth running are just as contradictory as smooth running and optimum puncture protection. But manufacturers are not giving up and are trying to square the circle with new rubber compounds and design tricks such as eliminating the inner tube.
You can find these tyres in the PDF download:
- FOLDING TYRES:
Continental GP 4 Season, Continental GP 4000 S, Hutchinson Fusion 2, Hutchinson Fusion 2 Tubeless, Michelin Pro2Grip, Michelin Pro2Race, Schwalbe Stelvio Rain, Schwalbe Ultremo, Vittoria Evo CX
- TUBULAR TYRES:
Continental 4000 SR, Schwalbe Stelvio, Tufo Elite Ride 25, Vittoria Evo CX, Vredestein Fortezza Pro TriComp, Zipp Tangente
(Text & Photos: Robert Kühnen)
Downloads:
download
