So my Street Cup was in for some work and the dealers loaned me a T120 black Goldline, lovely bike, easy to ride and running OEM Pirelli Phantoms. The bike felt far more planted and hardly prone to white lining compared to my Street Cup running the same tyres. I can only put this down steering / frame geometry and upright wide handlebars rather than narrow drop bars. My bikes rear tyre has loads of life left in it and the front has just under 3mm left. On the way home I got a puncture in the rear tyre. I was thinking my next set of tyres would be Avon probably SPIRIT as recommended on the Avon website. But a knowledgeable bike tyre dealer advised that "Road Runner 2"s would be better because the construction of the SPIRIT to achieve a Z speed rating makes them much heavier and therefore likely to sap power; affecting acceleration and top speed. Then I thought what about Dunlop's MUTANT a bit more expensive and I would have to run slightly wider tyres, but being designed for high speed multi-terrain bikes may make them more durable for Britain's poorly maintained roads. But again Z speed rating may well make them heavier with the same effect on performance. Standard tyres are 110/90 x 18 H cross ply front and 150/70 x 17 H radial rear. Avons would be radial front and rear. Dunlop Mutant (to keep pretty much the same rolling radius on the front) 110/80 x 18 Z front and 150/70 x 17 rear. But would that mean a change in steering and their construction for a Z speed rating make them heavier and so affect performance? Weather forecast for next week is rubbish and I only get one day a week off work so I wont be sorting the tyre out "next day", which means I've got time for some advice. So as the title says, repair and stay OEM, change to Avon (which ones?), change to Dunlop Mutant? Opinions please. Stay safe.
Hi @RevPaul I know there are lots of discussions regarding factory fit Phantoms vs alternatives but I used to own a 2017 Street Cup so at least have some first hand experience of what your asking. Like the T120 you mentioned, my SC handled perfectly when I bought it but I would say that after ~1500 miles I started to lose confidence in the tyres. I replaced mine with Avon Roadrider MkII tyres front and back and the handling was better than ever. Cheers Geoff
Thanks @Geoff Butler always good to get advice from personal experience. Roadrider MkIIs now ordered and will be fitted next week. Stay safe.
I have the Dunlop Mutant on my Thruxton and they feel really good (road riding). I have not done that many miles on them yet, but fast to warm up, the grip you need to feel confident. Also for me I like the look.
Thanks for that @7Thruxton you may have seen elsewhere that I ended up going with Avon Roadrider IIs. I love the look of the Mutants and the idea that they were a great all round tyre, which for our British climate and poorly maintained roads can only be a good thing. But having to use a larger width front tyre made me nervous and in all the places I could find, the Avons were a lot cheaper (£250 for a fitted pair). I'm finding the Avon Roadrider IIs to be much better than the OEM Pirelli Phantoms and so now the only niggle my OCD brain is left with how much better would the Avon Spirit's have been for just £20 more?
