I live in downtown Las Vegas, and there's a lot of debris in these streets. I used to get a puncture flat almost every ride (I was on Schwalbe Marathons). I hated it, made me want to stop cycling. I wanted the absolute best puncture protection, and the Continental Gator Hardshell tire delivered. Since installing these, I haven't had any flat tires (7 rides so far). I got the 32mm width, 70psi helps avoid punctures too. Some say these tires don't have good road feel since they're thicker and heavier. I say a tire that holds air feels better than one that doesn't.
This is the first TLR bike tire in a 700/30 I have used. My previous tires were Continental 5000 700/28 clinchers used with Victoria latex tubes. This is a superb way to go if you want to run clinchers. I was hoping for two things with the switch of brands and type of tire. One was a more supple ride and the second was fewer flat tires. I had read a review of the Pirelli at "In the Know Cycling" and decided to give them a try. I have put 1100 miles on the tires so far with no flats. It is really hard to say if the ride is more supple, but perhaps it is just because of the lower air pressure I use with the larger size tire. The tires, both varieties, are mounted to wheels with a 25mm inside width. The Conti's were run at 60psi and the pirelli's at 55 psi. The surprise to me has been how well the Pirelli's carve through a turn. There isn't need of any mid course correcting as you descend. The Pirelli is heavier than the Conti, but the speed is identical over the same course. I would think the Pirelli would out wear the Conti because of the extra rubber in the tire. The Pirelli is about 55 grams heavier mounted with Stans no tubes than the smaller Conti and latex tube. Finally, how were they to mount, well this was my first effort mounting a TLR and it wasn't a problem because I have an air compressor. If you don't have a compressor then I would get the tire hot in the summer sun and then mount. Or if it is cold, put a tube in the tire, inflate the tube and let it set for a day or two and I think they would be very easily mounted at that point. Time will tell if these tires wear as well as I hope, but in the meantime I have been very pleased with them!
This is my third set of stainless steel Speedplay Zero pedals. After 1100 miles on this set, it's still too early for me to report on longevity of the new sealed bearings. I had 30,000 miles and 25,000 miles on my first and second sets. They required periodic lubrication with a grease gun and were often messy since the grease oozed from the inside of the pedal housing. The bearings were fine over their respective lifetimes, but the pedal design did not have the stainless steel completely around the body like the new version. Hence, the hard plastic wore down over time. The new version seems to take more effort to clip in and out of the pedal than the older style. It requires me to be more focused on this maneuver, but it does provide more assurance of staying clipped in under hard efforts. Since I clip in and out a lot during rides, I appreciate the two-sided entry. I can quickly clip in and get up to speed from stopping at red lights or stop signs.
Was in NZ for 3 months and put about 800 miles on these... absolutely love these tires! Really good traction across the board but still roll well on pavement. The feel/feedback you get from the tire is great (e.g., when the tire starts to wash out on a turn, they just seem to re-grab and give that extra fraction of time to correct), and so far, they are holding up well. I don't notice the "extra weight", taking stock that I worry less about punctures, and I had my local shop mount them so don't know about that part (some folks seem to have had issues around that). I will definitely buy another set when the time comes.
