These Were Fun..

[HillbillyTom]

Didn't last very long though, somewhere between 3500 and 4000 miles..
Going to go with another Q2 front and a 190/55 Roadsmart 2 rear this time instead of the original Roadsmart. See if the R2 will get a little closer to 5000 miles..

 

[Tufbusa]

I think I'm going with that combo this time as well. I think I'll do the plain Roadsmart rear. Will be interesting to see if the Roadsmart II has a longer life.

 

[1styearbusa]

I have a Q2 Front / Roadsmart rear combo right now .
I feel , for my riding style , it is possibly perfect .
Front Q2s are relatively inexpensive , and front tire confidence is the foundation of the skill of roadbike cornering IMHO.
I figure most of us here at the 'ol .org spend a high percentage of time riding straight up (possibly accelerating quite hard) !
So , the roadsmart rear helps compensate for that with the "dual compound" strategy .
I am getting an impressive compromise from this design .

 

[HillbillyTom]

I just checked the Roadsmart 2 tread depth, and in the center the grooves are a full 10mm deep. Roadsmart 2 has a little smaller void ratio out on the edges than the Roadsmart too, which is a good thing for those of us that are more interested in the "sport" than the "touring". The tires in the picture wore out almost uniformly, though the edges did die first. But they had good grip and rode very predictably right up until I took them off. Other tires I've used would get pretty sketchy in the last few hundred miles of their life. Quite pleased with them in general.
So much for the theory that you always wear the center out before the edges on the street..

 

[pack mule]

Here is a pic of my roadsmart as I pulled it off. Racing slick on the left side

 

[HillbillyTom]

I see you hit the lefts even harder than I do.
Mine are pretty close to even, though the left turns, being a bit longer, puts a little more wear on that side. Right turns are a lot of times totally blind here, so it's a matter of how far you can see around the turn rather than how fast you can actually go around the turn. Lefts as a rule give a little longer line of sight.
You have no idea how much I wish there was a track closer than 225 miles away.

 

[pack mule]

The mountains prove tough to see thru on a right hand bend. Most hug the side of a mountain so you can't get back on the gas as early. Q2 front with roadsmart rear is a good combo, only wish I got more mileage out of the front. 2500 miles and it's time to go.

 

[HillbillyTom]

The mountains prove tough to see thru on a right hand bend. Most hug the side of a mountain so you can't get back on the gas as early. Q2 front with roadsmart rear is a good combo, only wish I got more mileage out of the front. 2500 miles and it's time to go.

My Q2 front was probably only 500 miles or so behind the rear to being toast, but that's what I was looking for. Do love the feel of the Q2, more feedback through the bars with it than any other tire I've used. Going to have to try the Michelin Pilot Pure sometime, but the Q2 is so good it's making it really hard to switch.

 

[dadofthree]

The problem is you guys stay on the soft stuff to much IMHO

 

[isiahstites]

I am not sure if these were BT016's or BT003's but it's mainly what I run. Curious if any of you guys the runs the Q2's have run either of the Bridgestone's and how they fill in comparison to the Q2's?

 

[HillbillyTom]

I've used BT-016s at the track, but never on the street. They worked good enough for street tires I guess, blued pretty quick though. 3 track days and I don't think I'd trust them any further. Plenty of tread left, but turned hard. As I said before, I've never had a front tire with more feel than the Q2. But then, I've not used Power Pures, or any form of race tire either. Lot boils down to what you like. Only way to know for sure is to try both and compare your thoughts.