Have about 500 miles on my set, rear is showing a slight flat down the middle and the front just had the ridge wore off. I have these set up tubeless with 65 psi front and 67 rear, wheels have a 25mm internal and tires balloon to measure 31.5 mm.
These aren't going to last thousands of miles; they are race tires that wear quicker, I will live with that cost because these definitely make you faster, combined with the right wheel, and grip as good or better than all the other tires I have tried.
I've tried these, maxxis, specialized, challenge, and panaracer. The pirelli rubber is hands down the best rubber you can get. It hooks up in the wet, it is happy in the dry, it doesn't care about the cold and will hook up (the best of everything I've tried) in the snow. The semi slick middle does roll really quickly, it's not as fast as a challenge or schwalbe but it's within 5% in the real world. The shoulder knobs are amazing and do help paddle through mud. The only "bad" thing of these tires is that they have a thick sidewall. You'll never puncture but they don't feel like riding on silk. Also the lifetime of these tires is ridiculous, I ran one set until the rear tire went bald, it took two years and about 1500 miles riding year round in New England. I love these things.
Pirelli, please make a racey version with thin sidewalls and change NOTHING else.
I have been using Fizik's 2mm tape, currently known as Tempo Microtex Classic, on my road bikes for close to 20 years. I like a thinner tape, and a smooth surface so I can change hand positions easily. For my gravel bike, I decided to use the slightly thicker 3mm version of the same tape, the Bondcush. That was 5 years ago. The tape has been perfect for my needs, and still looks good, with just some small spots that are wearing. I am about to upgrade drivetrain, replace cables, etc. so need to replace the bar tape and am using the exact same tape - no reason to try anything different.
It's expensive, when not on sale, but it looks great, works very well for me, and has been very durable so ultimately it's a good value.
I bought new Chris King hubs (in 2019) and complete wheel set for my older 2006 Fuji carbon road bike.
My big problem has been removing or installing any new tire'..it's extremely difficult, mechanics also have helped me and had much difficulty.
I had a very hard time installing the gator skin tire on these 2019 tubeless compatible rim(s).
If I had a flat with these tubed gator skins, I likely could not replace the tube out on the road due to inability of removing/installing tire.
Most of my riding is within 20 miles of my home'
This deserves a phone conversation.
