Durable 23c or 25c Road Tires - Recommendations?

Steve Sr. said:

...and more importantly avoiding tube pinches.

Do you mean snake bite pinch flats, or tube pinches between the tire
bead and the rim?

I guess just be careful to top off your tire pressure prior to rides, be
careful when mounting tires, and use properly sized,
non-super-duper-lightweight tubes.

Quoted message said:

Any particular brands/styles of tires to avoid?

It also wouldn't hurt if they were periodically on sale at a place
like Performance. : - )

Since you mention Performance, I've had good luck with their Forte Pro
tire in the 23-622 size:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=11461&subcategory_ID=5420

The only flats I've had on it were of the valve tear-out variety (a
number of Performance brand tubes), i.e. a tube defect (or a pumping
technique defect on my part).

I've used it mainly as a front tire though, and for the rear tire I have
a Specialized Turbo Sport 26-622 (OEM tire with my bike) that has been
good as well, though it has gotten more cuts and gouges than the Forte
Pro (likely a consequence of being a rear tire under a heavy rider, i.e.
me :-), enough for me to replace it after maybe 1,000 miles after the
OEM tube tore at a seam and blew, giving me a good opportunity to
examine the tire carefully.

--
I do not accept unsolicited commercial e-mail. Remove NO_UCE for
legitimate replies.

"Steve Sr." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I am looking for some recommendations for some durable road tires that
are fairly resistant to punctures and more importantly avoiding tube
pinches. The roads that I ride on are mostly rural with varying
surface qualities. The worst being tar and gravel.

I only weigh about 160 pounds but the bike has a fairly upright riding
position which transfers most of the weight to the rear tire. I am
finding that this leads to pinch flats even with tires inflated to
120psi which is the current tires maximum. I think the issue on the
tire is too many pounds and not enough square inches to distribute it.

Any preference between wire bead (non folding) or kevlar (folding)
bead types? I guess the folding variety weigh less but may also have
limitations on how much pressure they will hold.

Any particular brands/styles of tires to avoid?

It also wouldn't hurt if they were periodically on sale at a place
like Performance. : - )

Thanks,

Steve

My road bike has Maxxis 700cX25's Detonators on it.The only problems I had
was I damaged the front tire air valve on one tube and replaced it with a
new tube that had a micro-pinhole leak on the seam, it would slowly leak out
after about 16 hours or so, so i had to put in a second tube.
But heck the tires never let me down, I rode in the local MS150 from Frisco
TX to Ardmore TX, and at that time I weighed about 235 pounds. Plus I had a
Camelback hydration system too. I would inflate them to max and they worked
great even on our rough Texas roads.

Man it must be nice to weigh so little, I cannot beleive you are worrying
about weight issues at 160 pounds.
I violate the warranties on just about everything when I ride.

A little wider than you wanted, but I think they're perfect for your
use,
the Hutchinson Flash tire's on at sale at Nashbar for $5.

700x28, which will give you a little more float and prevent "snakebite"
punctures.

They're reasonably light, especially compared to a Conti TT or a
Schwalbe
Marathon, roll nicely, and have sturdy casings and sidewalls. They're
not
going to roll as fast as something more supple and probably more
fragile--but I'm no slower than I was on 25mm skinwalls.

I'm on my second set, I like them so much--I ride a lot of broken city
pavement and routes strewn with glass. I had one flat in October with
them--running over a half a bottle in the rain. Don't thing any tire
could
have handled that. :P Any reduction in speed (again, I don't feel
slower)
is hugely outweighed by the fact that I don't worry about flats or
sidewall failures caused by abrasions. Heck, I even take them on some
dirt
trails down here by the river. :P

Anyhow, they're CHEAP, so even if you get something else at Nashbar,
you
can get a set to just try, and unmount if you don't like.

http://tinyurl.com/7cuyw

If I had the money I'd try out those really cool Tufo tubular/clincher
cyclocross tires they've got on save for $40 a pop. 28mm wide and
pretty darn sturdy.

sorry about the line-wrap--my new news server is wonky so I had to use
G2--cut and paste was a bad idea. X)

Steve Sr. said:

Hello,

I am looking for some recommendations for some durable road tires that
are fairly resistant to punctures and more importantly avoiding tube
pinches. The roads that I ride on are mostly rural with varying
surface qualities. The worst being tar and gravel.

I only weigh about 160 pounds but the bike has a fairly upright riding
position which transfers most of the weight to the rear tire. I am
finding that this leads to pinch flats even with tires inflated to
120psi which is the current tires maximum. I think the issue on the
tire is too many pounds and not enough square inches to distribute it.

Any preference between wire bead (non folding) or kevlar (folding)
bead types? I guess the folding variety weigh less but may also have
limitations on how much pressure they will hold.

Any particular brands/styles of tires to avoid?

It also wouldn't hurt if they were periodically on sale at a place
like Performance. : - )

Thanks,

Steve

You may want to check your pump for a true tire pressure. I weigh over
180 pounds, and I inflate my tires to about 120 psi (I think my pump
shows a higher than actual pressure). I don't get any pinch flats
unless I have let the pressure get too low. I pump my tires about twice
a week, and I ride 6 - 7 days a week.

If the gravel you ride over is "broken rock", maybe you could get pinch
flats from that, but it seems unlikely to me.

I currently am using Vittoria Rubino Pro tires. I have one folding
tire, and one wire bead tire. I bought a pair of folding tires and used
up the first one on the rear. About the time I needed to mount a new
front, the rear was gone. Luckily (for my style points), my local shop
had the wire bead tire, and it cost only about half what the folding
tire cost (under $20 at my LBS).

I have about 3600 km (2300 miles) on the tires, without a flat or any
other problems. The expensive (folding) tire is on the front. The wire
bead tire on the rear is starting to look "flat" across the black center
tread. Amazingly, neither tire shows any cuts or gouges in the tread.

I ride city streets and bike trails in the Orange County / LA County
area of California. Generally, there is some glass to avoid, and often
enough, a few metal objects that could damage a tire. The pinch flats
I've gotten have usually been from hitting pot holes. I try to be
careful at railroad crossings, and stand up if I don't know the crossing
to be smooth.

I got a good deal on a pair of Michelin Pro2 Race tires through my club,
but I'm thinking I'll get another wire bead Vittoria for the rear before
I ever put the Michelins on the ground. I've ridden these tires
previously to the Vittorias, and went through two rears and the Vittoria
folding tire before the front wore out (probably 6000 - 8000 miles!).
That makes the cost a bit more bearable.

A friend is using Continental Ultra 2000 wire bead tires, and is very
happy with the tread life. He commutes a couple of days a week, and
does fast training rides two nights a week, and finds the tires suitable
for both uses. I have these tires on my second road bike, and on my
clincher-equipped (!) track bike. I'm not riding either one at present,
though.

Use larger tyres, such as Continental Gatorskin 700x78.

Nick

Colin Campbell said:

A friend is using Continental Ultra 2000 wire bead tires, and is very
happy with the tread life. He commutes a couple of days a week, and
does fast training rides two nights a week, and finds the tires suitable
for both uses. I have these tires on my second road bike, and on my
clincher-equipped (!) track bike. I'm not riding either one at present,
though.

Another vote for the Conti Ultra 2000's. Definitely not sticky enough
for aggressive cornering, but the tread life is incredible. An
excellent commuting/training tire.

Earl Bollinger said:

Maxxis Detonators

Is it just me, or does that seem like a poor choice of name for a bike
tire?

JT

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Nick Payne said:

Use larger tyres, such as Continental Gatorskin 700x78.

a 78 surely will be large enough....

After 3000 miles without a flat (I'll be sorry I said that), I can
recommend the 25 mm Michelin Carbon tires. My usage has been 90% on
paved roads, but the other 10% has been dirt and fine gravel without
any problems yet. They ride just fine. I'm 150 lbs and use 100 psi in
front and 110 in the rear.

Steve Sr. said:

I am looking for some recommendations for some durable road tires that
are fairly resistant to punctures and more importantly avoiding tube
pinches. The roads that I ride on are mostly rural with varying
surface qualities. The worst being tar and gravel.

I only weigh about 160 pounds but the bike has a fairly upright riding
position which transfers most of the weight to the rear tire. I am
finding that this leads to pinch flats even with tires inflated to
120psi which is the current tires maximum. I think the issue on the
tire is too many pounds and not enough square inches to distribute it.

Any preference between wire bead (non folding) or kevlar (folding)
bead types? I guess the folding variety weigh less but may also have
limitations on how much pressure they will hold.

I recommend the Panaracer T-Serv tires. Light, foldable, "almost"
flat-proof (as good or better than the Conti Gatorskins, IMHO), and
they wear like iron. The really good news is that they feel like
"performance tires" unlike some armored tires (like the Specialized
Armadillos).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

Steve Sr. said:

Hello,

I am looking for some recommendations for some durable road tires that
are fairly resistant to punctures and more importantly avoiding tube
pinches. The roads that I ride on are mostly rural with varying
surface qualities. The worst being tar and gravel.

I would get Michelim Megamium or Michelim Carbon. I prefer Megamium.

Don't be to quick to not use the Michelin Pro2 I just changed my first set
4433 miles, no flat's the rear just began to show through and the front
looked new. I change both anyway. Great tire.

"Colin Campbell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Steve Sr. said:

Hello,

I am looking for some recommendations for some durable road tires that
are fairly resistant to punctures and more importantly avoiding tube
pinches. The roads that I ride on are mostly rural with varying
surface qualities. The worst being tar and gravel.

I only weigh about 160 pounds but the bike has a fairly upright riding
position which transfers most of the weight to the rear tire. I am
finding that this leads to pinch flats even with tires inflated to
120psi which is the current tires maximum. I think the issue on the
tire is too many pounds and not enough square inches to distribute it.

Any preference between wire bead (non folding) or kevlar (folding)
bead types? I guess the folding variety weigh less but may also have
limitations on how much pressure they will hold.

Any particular brands/styles of tires to avoid?

It also wouldn't hurt if they were periodically on sale at a place
like Performance. : - )

Thanks,

Steve

You may want to check your pump for a true tire pressure. I weigh over
180 pounds, and I inflate my tires to about 120 psi (I think my pump shows
a higher than actual pressure). I don't get any pinch flats unless I have
let the pressure get too low. I pump my tires about twice a week, and I
ride 6 - 7 days a week.

If the gravel you ride over is "broken rock", maybe you could get pinch
flats from that, but it seems unlikely to me.

I currently am using Vittoria Rubino Pro tires. I have one folding tire,
and one wire bead tire. I bought a pair of folding tires and used up the
first one on the rear. About the time I needed to mount a new front, the
rear was gone. Luckily (for my style points), my local shop had the wire
bead tire, and it cost only about half what the folding tire cost (under
$20 at my LBS).
I have about 3600 km (2300 miles) on the tires, without a flat or any
other problems. The expensive (folding) tire is on the front. The wire
bead tire on the rear is starting to look "flat" across the black center
tread. Amazingly, neither tire shows any cuts or gouges in the tread.

I ride city streets and bike trails in the Orange County / LA County area
of California. Generally, there is some glass to avoid, and often enough,
a few metal objects that could damage a tire. The pinch flats I've gotten
have usually been from hitting pot holes. I try to be careful at railroad
crossings, and stand up if I don't know the crossing to be smooth.

I got a good deal on a pair of Michelin Pro2 Race tires through my club,
but I'm thinking I'll get another wire bead Vittoria for the rear before I
ever put the Michelins on the ground. I've ridden these tires previously
to the Vittorias, and went through two rears and the Vittoria folding tire
before the front wore out (probably 6000 - 8000 miles!). That makes the
cost a bit more bearable.

A friend is using Continental Ultra 2000 wire bead tires, and is very
happy with the tread life. He commutes a couple of days a week, and does
fast training rides two nights a week, and finds the tires suitable for
both uses. I have these tires on my second road bike, and on my
clincher-equipped (!) track bike. I'm not riding either one at present,
though.

Quoted message said:

I only weigh about 160 pounds but the bike has a fairly upright riding
position which transfers most of the weight to the rear tire. I am
finding that this leads to pinch flats even with tires inflated to
120psi which is the current tires maximum. I think the issue on the
tire is too many pounds and not enough square inches to distribute it.

FWIW, I have been running 25C tires on our tandem @ 120 psi without pinch
flatting. Team weight is ~ 265 pounds.

These days we are using Bontrager Race X Lite AC's.

Chris Neary
[email hidden]

Chris & Tracey
1999 Co-Motion Speedster

Steve Sr. said:

Hello,

I am looking for some recommendations for some durable road tires that
are fairly resistant to punctures and more importantly avoiding tube
pinches. The roads that I ride on are mostly rural with varying
surface qualities. The worst being tar and gravel.

I only weigh about 160 pounds but the bike has a fairly upright riding
position which transfers most of the weight to the rear tire. I am
finding that this leads to pinch flats even with tires inflated to
120psi which is the current tires maximum. I think the issue on the
tire is too many pounds and not enough square inches to distribute it.

Any preference between wire bead (non folding) or kevlar (folding)
bead types? I guess the folding variety weigh less but may also have
limitations on how much pressure they will hold.

Any particular brands/styles of tires to avoid?

It also wouldn't hurt if they were periodically on sale at a place
like Performance. : - )

Thanks,

Steve

Continental Gatorskin tires. 23, 25, 28 mm widths available in wire
bead. Or the expensive kevlar bead version they call 4 Season I think.
Extra, extra tough sidewalls on these tires. I just replaced the
front tire after putting it on in August 2001. Since then it went
across/around the states of Iowa, North Dakota, Kansas, Wisconsin,
Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana. About 4,000 miles. Add
another 2,000 brevet miles. Plus several more thousand miles of
general riding. I can't complain. The sidewalls did look ragged at
the end. But still tough. The tread was split and coming off the
casing so I pre-emptively replaced it. Rear tire did not last quite
that long. It did give several thousand miles before I picked up
something in the tread I could not get out so I had to toss the tire.
It was near its end by then.

Bad tire is the Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp Hand Made in Holland. Very
short tread life on the rear. Feels underinflated and squishy even
when its at 140 psi. Sidewall and tread blew out on the front tire.
Can't wait to use up my awful stock. I'm too cheap to toss the new
unused awful tires.

Continental Ultra 3000 is cheap. But not durable. Easy to cut
sidewall. Does not resist flats very well. But its cheap ($11) so I
don't mind tossing them if they pick up something I cannot get out of
the tread.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

Hello,
I am looking for some recommendations for some durable road tires that
are fairly resistant to punctures and more importantly avoiding tube
pinches. The roads that I ride on are mostly rural with varying
surface qualities. The worst being tar and gravel.
I only weigh about 160 pounds but the bike has a fairly upright riding
position which transfers most of the weight to the rear tire. I am
finding that this leads to pinch flats even with tires inflated to
120psi which is the current tires maximum. I think the issue on the
tire is too many pounds and not enough square inches to distribute it.

Pinch flats can be minimized by checking your tire pressure regularly.
If you are concerned with pinch flats, the 25c tire is the better choice
for you.

Quoted message said:

Any preference between wire bead (non folding) or kevlar (folding)
bead types? I guess the folding variety weigh less but may also have
limitations on how much pressure they will hold.

Save your money and get the wire beaded tires. The bead only makes a
difference if you need to fold a tire to carry as a spare or if you are
a real weight weenie, not that there is anything wrong with that.

Quoted message said:

Any particular brands/styles of tires to avoid?

Avoid any 'racing' tires. They usually have thin tread so that they can
advertise really low weights. That means they will wear out faster and
are more pronce to flats.

Quoted message said:

It also wouldn't hurt if they were periodically on sale at a place
like Performance. : - )

I prefer Nahsbar. Yes, I know Peformance owns Nashbar.
-----------
Alex

been real happy with bonganger race lit hard case tires. they hold up
to my 220 weight and never had a flat even with glass and steel stuck
in them.
Knight-Toolworks
http://www.knight-toolworks.com
affordable handmade wooden planes

I used to do this maniacal little laugh whenever I rode over broken
glass, nails, or any other road debris on my Specialized Armadillos --
I've had two sets (on a couple of bikes), and after something like 2k
mi. on each pair, they never gave me so much as one pinch or puncture
flat. Heck, even a 40mph slide through gravel at >45% pitch only
scuffed up the sidewalls a bit -- much better than the skin on my legs
and butt held up to the same terrain, I might add.

There was actually an ongoing bet between myself and a couple of
friends who bought the Bontrager Racelite "Hard Case" commuter tires,
since we had both gone >1 yr. between flats. Finally, one of the
Bontragers went out first, but to be fair, it was from running over an
unbroken beer bottle, (breaking it in the process, of course) which
left a 1 in. long gash in the rear tire.

Of course, they roll like a couple of garden hoses, and I wouldn't
recommend you try to do any racing or even fast club riding on them.
For commuting and touring, though, I think they're pretty tough to
beat.

-Lennon

I had a frequent flat problem after moving from suburbia to the downtown
core. I was using a good quality "training" tire at the time, 25mm. Someone
else on here suggested IRC Road Winners. I ended up buying a pair, nominally
28mm, with a kevlar belt. They actually measure exactly 25mm wide, and I
haven't had a flat yet.
Pierre