# White tires?!?!



## BlackBeard

Bought myself a 2011 F5 but was really disappointed with the white tires. Really? Of all colors to choose, why does Felt choose white? The tires are already dirty after a 20 mile ride.

I'm a beginner and will switch out the tires out later but seriously.. white?


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## pumaking

If they perform good, does it really matter? How about your white bar tape?


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## BlackBeard

Bar tape is dirty as well. I absolutely love the bike.. the color choices are a bit wack. Is white in for bikes? Can't for the life of me figure out why that was chosen. Anyways, just talking out loud.


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## jasonandrew76

*I love the white tires*

In fact, I wish i could find the Rubino Pro Slicks in white (25mm) that my Z4 came with...I just give them a cleaning every couple rides.


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## DEK

I bought a Z85 earlier this year and disliked the white tires and tape. And the tires didn't perform that well as I had to buy a new set after about 1,000 miles. I thought they should have lasted longer than that. But in the end it didn't matter that much as I got black tires and tape and the bike looks much better - at least to me.


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## wim

*Hopefully, a short-lived fad.*

From a shop's point of view, they're not that great either. After putting the bike together, I need to ride it to make sure everything works as it should. With white tires, that means cleaning them so as not to have dirty tires on the sales floor. Same with test rides.


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## tuffguy1500

White tires can really make a bike pop(?)! I love my white tires on my bikes, and yea, it's not 100% white after the first ride, but they are more white than black, and when I'm rolling along, they look (imho) awesome.


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## saf-t

They should only be used between Memorial Day and Labor Day.


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## Superdave3T

jasonandrew76 said:


> In fact, I wish i could find the Rubino Pro Slicks in white (25mm) that my Z4 came with...I just give them a cleaning every couple rides.


Sorry Jason, those tires only came on the Felt Z4. Vittoria does not sell the white tread in 25mm for aftermarket sales.

-SD


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## JogBike

BlackBeard said:


> Bought myself a 2011 F5 but was really disappointed with the white tires. Really? Of all colors to choose, why does Felt choose white? The tires are already dirty after a 20 mile ride.
> 
> I'm a beginner and will switch out the tires out later but seriously.. white?


My 2011 Z5 came with white Vittoria Zaffiro Pro tires. Zaffiro is Vittoria's low level value tire. They won't last long, so you'll be replacing them soon. Problem solved! :wink5:


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## JogBike

BlackBeard said:


> Bar tape is dirty as well. I absolutely love the bike.. the color choices are a bit wack. Is white in for bikes? Can't for the life of me figure out why that was chosen. Anyways, just talking out loud.


A friend of mine keeps her handlebar white tape clean and bright by cleaning with a toothbrush and Dawn dish detergent. Her recipe: 1 cup of water, 2 - 3 drops of Dawn. Stir. Use a toothbrush dipped in the solution. Admire often.


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## zazo

My F5 also came with white zaffiro pro tires. I will probably keep the white bar tape for contrast, but tires...:rolleyes5: Can't wait to change them for black conti's


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## lesurfman

I have red rubino pro on my Z5 and they make the bike stand out way more than my black pro3

Let's see if I can post a pic?


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## lesurfman

can't post pic need 5 more posts


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## lesurfman

can't post pic need 4 more posts


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## lesurfman

can't post pic need 3 more posts


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## lesurfman

can't post pic need 2 more posts


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## lesurfman

can't post pic need 1 more posts


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## lesurfman

Sorry for that, picture in next post


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## lesurfman

Not the best pic but you can certainly see the red tires


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## CheapTrek

Just ride 300+ miles a week and it will be a short lived problem.

Cheers


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## bwbishop

lesurfman said:


> Not the best pic but you can certainly see the red tires


That's a great looking bike!


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## Tango45

I had the bike shop put red bar tape (Lizard Skins) and red tires (Continental GP4000) on the bike when they first built it (2011 F5) up. It looks great and I highly recommend it. The red tires stayed clean even though the bartape did take some black grease smudges during some maintenance work. Since its the winter, I put the stock white tires back on for the dirty roads and for the trainer (they are brown after just one outdoor ride).


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## bwbishop

I loved the look of the white tires on my 2010 Felt Z5. I didn't mind the dirty look, that means you are actually riding it.


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## BlackBeard

*Sweet!*



Tango45 said:


> I had the bike shop put red bar tape (Lizard Skins) and red tires (Continental GP4000) on the bike when they first built it (2011 F5) up. It looks great and I highly recommend it.


I was already sold with the pic that surfman posted. Thanks for the info.


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## Elpimpo

I just (like today) bought the same bike.

I REALLY don't understand why they'd choose white in the most dirt catching places on a bike (i don't wear gloves). 

But Im probably going to run gator skins on it just like my prodigy (these southern cali roads can be unforgiving if you're not paying attention), and bright red s-works tape just like my prodigy.

The white tires will go up on the wall with all my 'race' tires that i can't use here (pinch flats are a mother)

Congrats on the new bike!!


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## JogBike

bwbishop said:


> That's a great looking bike!


Those bottle cages make the bike look like it's on fire. A really hot ride! Be careful that you don't flame out.


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## JogBike

For a good selection of colored tires for your Z, check the Vittoria Rubino Pro at Vittoria Rubino Pro III Road Tire at BikeTiresDirect


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## CoderX

First thing I ditched on my 2011 Z85 was the white tires. Put on a set of 23mm Michelin Pro 3 Race in Red, and not only do they look much better, but the performance and weight is much, much better. Comfort is better, handling is better, etc... I also eventually ditched the white handlebar tape as well, putting on black lizard skins and red hoods (on a Ritchey carbon bar and black stem). Looks much more serious now, and works better too.


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## CoderX

I should mention...The bar changes were nice, but the best upgrade for your buck (for a Z85 anyway) hands down is to replace the brake pads. I was not happy with the braking performance from day one (wooden and lacking power), and thought I'd have to get new brakes to fix it. Before I did that though I dropped in Kool-Stop Salmon pads and lo-and-behold... the brakes actually work right! Wow! So while I'm sure higher-end brakes would make a subtle improvement, just changing the pads made all the difference. If I were Felt, I wouldn't hesitate to spend the couple extra dollars it would take to OEM these with Kool-Stop (or similar quality) brake pads. I'm certain it would translate into sales.


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## JogBike

*Brakes on the Z85 - See CoderX posting #30*

The specs for Z85 show Shimano 105 brake levers but for brakes show "Dual pivot w/ stainless hardware & cartridge brake pads". I assume that means the brakes are not 105 and probably are generic (maybe made by Tektro?). Had a similar setup on my 2007 Trek -- 105 levers, generic brakes. Brakes were terrible -- lousy stopping power and hard to modulate. Replaced the brakes a few months later with 105s and the improvement was huge.

My 2011 Z5 came with Shimano 105 brakes that were upgraded for 2011. Shimano said pads were also upgraded for 2011 and much better than previously. The brakes and pads worked fine as stoppers -- no problems. 

A year later I bought an American Classic wheelset for the Z5. American Classic specifically recommends NOT using Shimano pads on it's rims because the pads are too hard. At the recommendation of my LBS, I replaced the Shimano pads with Kool-Stop Dura 2 Salmon. I can't tell any difference in the stopping power, but with the softer Kool-Stops I have the assurance that I won't be damaging or excessively wearing the braking surface on the AC rims. 

Have read and heard only good things about Kool-Stops and nothing negative. They must be the gold standard!


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## holy cromoly

SuperdaveFelt said:


> Sorry Jason, those tires only came on the Felt Z4. Vittoria does not sell the white tread in 25mm for aftermarket sales.
> 
> -SD


White 700x25c Vittorias are avail aftermarket.

I was at Performance bike over the weekend and saw white 700x25c Vittoria Zaffiro tires. There are no photos, but in the drop down menu you can select it.
Vittoria Zaffiro Road Tire - Tires and Tubes on Sale

You can also get them here from City Grounds Cycles:
Vittoria Zaffiro II 700x25c White - City Grounds - citygrounds.com


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## Superdave3T

holy cromoly said:


> White 700x25c Vittorias are avail aftermarket.
> 
> I was at Performance bike over the weekend and saw white 700x25c Vittoria Zaffiro tires. There are no photos, but in the drop down menu you can select it.
> Vittoria Zaffiro Road Tire - Tires and Tubes on Sale
> 
> You can also get them here from City Grounds Cycles:
> Vittoria Zaffiro II 700x25c White - City Grounds - citygrounds.com


Yes, of course they make white, as evidence by all the complaints on this thread. Vittoria doesn't offer the Rubino Pro in 25mm for aftermarket in WHITE. It is exclusive to the Z4 that the post was inquiring about.
-SD


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## jasonandrew76

SuperdaveFelt said:


> Yes, of course they make white, as evidence by all the complaints on this thread. Vittoria doesn't offer the Rubino Pro in 25mm for aftermarket in WHITE. It is exclusive to the Z4 that the post was inquiring about.
> -SD


Just posted this on the Z4 thread too so sorry for the double post, but i just put my 1000th mile on my '12 Z4 and its white tires, and with very little effort they still look brand new. just wipe them down when you wipe your bike down, takes 2 minutes. Use a little soap if you have to but generally i dont need it. If you are like me and keep your bike clean and in tip top shape then dont shy away from the white tires. while i wish vittoria made these 25s for aftermarket, i will replace them with the white 23's when the day comes. They are simply the best looking tire for this bike, are easy to clean, and they have performed terrific. Great choice by Felt in my opinion.


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## FeltF75rider

I got rid of the white tires pretty quickly on my F75. Running Vittoria Corsa Evo II's and upgraded my bars to a carbon version of the same VS bar and went with white Lizard Skin DSP 2.5 bar tape. I think the white tires are out of place but because I wear gloves most of the time I don't think the tape will be to hard to maintain. White tires are just not a good idea in my opinion plus the Corsa's ride so much smoother.


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## easyridernyc

great frames, not so great wheels and tires on the 75 f and z series, you kinda get what you pay for. 

went through several vittorios on my old 75, they are pretty, but not very tough. atom comps were nice and light, but caught a couple of massive holes, horse poop 2, vittorio 0. switched out the wheels, now i roll with conti gators, the 23's are bulletproof, worth it


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## evensen007

The white tires do look used up after a few rides, I agree. I love straight up black. All of the colors always end up looking shot after a few weeks. Conti 3000gt gator skins are my go to training tires.


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