It a is fast tire that wears, and holds up.
After three sets of Gran Fondos in 25c, I am convinced this tire is no more than a 1500 mile tire - 1700 at best. After this, punctures come in an alarming rate. If this is what you expect for the excellent price, then by all means go for it as they ride and handle very well! However, i would rather pay a little more for a tire with longer durability and reliability. Going back to Conti 4000S's...
I was surprised at how good these are for the price. Very classy, roll well, good road feel and good cornering grip, good wear so far. Overall a big improvement on the tires that came with my bike current bike.
They're on the large size for 25mm tires, noticeably bigger than the Specialized Roubaix Pro tires I replaced with them, though they're the same nominal size. When fully inflated, I need to loosen the brake adjustment to get the wheels on and off with these. With the Specialized tires, the brake release was enough.
I as able to roll these tires on rims that are usually difficult installing new tires. I only used them for one ride so far (95 miles on a very windy day). There was debris on the road from the wind, and I had no issues. I checked the tires when I finished the ride, and I didn't find any cuts.
I ride 40 miles a day. I have about 1000 miles on these tires. No flats, but the tires feel sluggish to me. One thing I'd like to point out is maximum tire pressure. The specs on the website say 145psi. But the sidewalls say minimum of 115psi and maximum of 175psi. I've noticed that running the tires at 135psi, I lose contact with the road now and then. I would say this is a fast touring tire but not a fast training tire.
Especially given how affordable they are (nearly always on sale)...but ride and grip just don't seem up to that of my Continentals in the same 25mm size. Resistance to punctures does not seem as good either. Had them for a few hundred miles, but they're coming off for winter.
Relatively light, low RR, good flat resistance, and great grip while cornering (even when wet). These have become my go-to commutetraining tire and I buy them in quantity when they go on sale. I typically get 3-4K out of the front and a touch less in back - and I ride hard. I can think of only one clincher that I prefer and it sells for about $45 on sale.
These tires might be good on decent blacktop but we don't have that in the Boston area. I need at least a 28c tire, especially in the rear. Just today I blew out a brand new 25c rear tire on some rough pave. If they made a 28 or even a 32 for my cyclocross, I might be interested. I just don't see how you can name them Gran fondo and not make sizes that can accommodate rough roads and hardpack.
This is simply a rebadged old design of the Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp, which was and is easily one of the best three tires made to date! Please, grab these without hesitation, as you will not be sorry. They get very good traction in dry and pretty good in wet, wear is typical for racing tires, they are very fast with little rolling resistance and are great for rough country roads as their casing quality rides far smoother the it's 120TPI would have you believe, plus they corner like mad, and best feature of all is that they quite possibly might be the most puncture resistant racing tire made today!
I have had the same or better flat protection and performance from these tires as I get from Conti GP4000S. They don't wear super long miles but seem adequate to me. I buy these exclusively now in 700x23 for my tri bike and 700x25 for my road bike. I have been through horrible glass in the shoulder and recently had an 8 mile section of gravel road on a long ride and no problems. No slices or flats.
I used to ride on Vittoria Rubino Pro III and Conti 4000S, until I got my Conti cut on the sidewall, I bought a pair of this Vredestein Gran Fondo TriComp, the price was great on special sale.
I wasn't sure about the quality. But after ridden for 500 miles, they hold up well, good traction and fast.
I then bought another pair for my second bike, but this time I chose Vredestein Fortezza TriComp, they look and feel the same, very well made.
Smooth riding with exceptional durability. I've inadvertently run over broken patches of broken glass without flatting. These feel similar to the Tri comp special edition, except these are longer lasting. They are also fast. Almost a perfect tire, fast, long lasting and exceptional value (when on sale). I had to put these in the dryer and still spent half an hour mounting one tire to my son's carbon wheel. They are easier to mount on my HED Jet 5's but still no holiday.
Good rolling resistance. , suppulness in corners and responsive . I only ridden a few hundredth miles.
They seem to hold up well.
I'll withhold final judgment on this tire, but having taken it out of the box and put it on my good bike, I'll be really surprised if it holds up. It looks and feels thin. I wish I'd noticed the 120TPI before I bought it (compared to the 43o TPI for my usual tire Conti 4-season). I bought into the comments and description and figured I'd give it a try, especially given its very reasonable price, but you do get what you pay for. I'm a daily commuter and ride a lot. Fortunately this tire will be on a bike I ride only on dry days, so hopefully I won't regret it too much. I cannot believe anybody paid the list price of [$] for this tire. No way.
I bought these tires for my 30 year old Trek 560, so I ordered the 25mm which was standard on that bike. I do not ride the bike much (preferring my Domane 6 series) but every so often I like to take it out and relive some of the riding of my younger years. (Bikes sure have improved in those 30 years. I wish I could say the same for me.) I liked the Gran Fondo for the bike, but they seemed somewhat denser than the previous 25mm tire. Accordingly, I had to do a little manipulating so that the tires did not rub against the brakes. But it worked and the tires appear to do what is required.
The Vredestein tires have been a great step-up for my bike. I am extremely satisfied. So I say these tires are triple good for these reasons.
1 good is - the high TPI count - very supply and the road feel is great.
2 good is - low rolling resistance is very low.
3 good is - puncture protection with low rolling resistance.
My previous tires were, Specialized Armodillo and Performance Pro Plus.
I have rode about 300 miles so far on these tires including one full Century. I am so pleased how my bike feels I purchased a backup set on the last good sell at Western.
Bought them as a deal of the Day replacing the tri comp quarto which lasted 4000 miles on my Trek 5.2. Liked the description and when I took them for a ride, I came home and ordered another 2 pairs. Enough said! Faster, handle all road conditions and the durability if anything like the Quatros, is very satisfactory. The price was well worth it.
I have been riding the Vredestein Fortenza Tri Comps for the last four years or so after my brother-in-law told me how he got over 4,000 miles out of his without a flat. I weigh over 200 pounds, and have come to like having higher PSI in my tires, so the Tri-Comps gave me just what I needed, and I never may have had one puncture flat, and one pinch flat in over 8,000 miles. This season, I switched to the Gran Fondo TriComp, and gave them 500 or so miles prior to reviewing. The first few rides I kept asking, Does my tire look low? because I wasn't used to the squishy feel I sensed. After stopping and pinching the tire to make sure it was fully inflated, I finally got used to the feeling. Rolling speed hasn't dimished, and when climbing I now feel the launch rather than the scrub. So with the lower price, I may never go back to the Fiortenza's, and stay with the value of the Gran Fondo's!
I was thinking of making the switch to 25mm tires on my carbon race wheels...but could not find a tire at a price point that made it worth the change...then I came upon these bad boys...I am hooked. These are awesome tires and have used them for training and for racing....Vredestein has won me over! I am grabbing another pair to be ready for next season.
Couldn't be more pleased with this purchase. These tires perform so well. Smooth, supple riding, grippy and fast. They will bring out the racy side of your bike. How do they do it at this price? They were a bit of a bear to install, but well worth the sweat! Highly recommended!
