Vredestein Fortezza SE

Price Paid:  $0.00

Favorite Ride:
there are many

Bike Setup:
Klein Quantum Pro (pre-Trek), full DA, Koobi saddle, Open Pro/DT Swiss.

Summary:
I bought these tires as a racing tire years ago. With commitments and (relative <40) old age, they have become mostly commuting tires. Overall I have been extremely impressed with their sensitivity and resilience. For example, I've ridden on a pair for over almost year, daily commuting and training in DC. Glass, random metal, and terrible roads are standard here - not to mention the almost routine dual-break layout to avoid idiot pedestrians.

I've had only one flat - replaced the tube and its given me a couple more months of service (so far).

It (and its parent) raced well, now it is a great and fast commuter. Overall, very high marks.

Strengths:
wear & tear
puncture resistance
rolling resistance
color options

Weaknesses:
thinking this tire was one-dimensional. It is not.

Similar Products Used:
Continental GP3000

Price Paid:  $30.00 at Trek Authorized Reta

Favorite Ride:
Trek USPS Postal Bike

Bike Setup:
USPS OCLV Frame
Full Dura Ace
OG Brakes
Nokon Cables
Race XXX Lite Clinchers
Syntace Carbon Bars
Bontrager Race XXX Lite Sem
Alien Seatpost
Selle San Marco Rever Saddle
KCNC Titanium Skewers
Vittoria Open Corso EX for Racing, Fortezza for everyday rides

Summary:
The tires are good for keeping flats to a minimum and allowing for good rolling on terrain that may not be the best i.e. trails with holes, divets, and random root growth through the paths. However, never, I repeat NEVER brake hard with these tires; everytime I have had to, the tire will lose a large chunk, luckily the Kevlar underneath will prevent a flat, at least until you get to your car or the end of your ride

Strengths:
Affordable, good rollers, lots of different colors, high PSI rating, easy to mount on most rims, Kevlar underneath main surface keeps flats to a near minimum

Weaknesses:
Does not do well with hard breaking, colored versions lose "pop" very quickly.

Similar Products Used:
Vittoria Diamante, Vittoria Open Corso Ex, Hucthison Comp, Vittoria Rubino

Price Paid:  $0.00 at lunenburg bike barn

Favorite Ride:
sea side

Bike Setup:
trek of course

Summary:
i just got these tires to replace my stock bontregor selects. they have a very high psi and are nice and light. they are great tires for the price, good for racing, recreational, commuter.

Strengths:
light
well priced
fast
psi

Weaknesses:
little on the thick side

Similar Products Used:
bontregor selects

Price Paid:  $25.00 at Performance Bicycle

Favorite Ride:
Anything with hills and no wind

Bike Setup:
Ridden mostly on Cannondale aluminum with Mavic Cosmic elite or Ksyrium Elite, somewhat on Performance forte road wheels. Ridden less on Scott CR1 with HED alps clinchers.

Summary:
Bought these because they were cheap and (shame) matched my blue bike. In the year I've ridden them, about 2000 miles or so, they've performed very well. To say they are a value is an understatement. I rode these every day on my commuter for about 6 months, then realized they were doing better than my GP4000's and moved them to my nice bike. Very few flats considering the punishment I put them through on a daily basis on chicago streets.

Strengths:
160 PSI (I ran about 125) is more than most rims can take, no pinch flats in a year despite chicago potholes. Very few flats, perform well in all conditions (including chicago winter).

Weaknesses:
Only come in blue? My red road bike looks like superman's outfit now.

Similar Products Used:
Conti GP 4000, Conti Attack/Force, Vredestein Fortezza TriComp, Specialized Armadillo elite

Price Paid:  $25.00 at Performance

Favorite Ride:
encinitas

Bike Setup:
S works

Summary:
These tires are surprisingly durable, fast and grip quite well. They have a 160 psi rating which is more than most rims can handle. These babies are hand made in the Netherlands and have a beautiful blue aesthetic, they appear to last quite well and are not Chinese junk.

Strengths:
$25.00 at Performance and this tire comes in the beautiful performance blue, which really adds to the aesthetics of your race machine.

Weaknesses:
They will unseat at high pressures dont inflate past 110 or 120 max.

Similar Products Used:
Continental