Durable 650c tires?

[Simon Dodd]

All,

My main road bike has 650c wheels. (I'm small) However, my tires aren't holding up to winter riding
with the gravel and junk on the road. I'm currently using Tri-comps.

Anybody have suggestions for a more durable 650c tire? I'm not racing with these wheels, so I don't
want ultra-light. I'd just like to put on some miles without getting flats.

thanks, simon [email protected]

 

[Sheldon Brown]

Simon Dodd wrote:

> My main road bike has 650c wheels. (I'm small) However, my tires aren'=
t
> holding up to winter riding with the gravel and junk on the road. I'm currently using Tri-comps.
>=20
> Anybody have suggestions for a more durable 650c tire? I'm not racing =
with
> these wheels, so I don't want ultra-light. I'd just like to put on som=
e
> miles without getting flats.

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/index.html#571

Sheldon "Thanks, Georgena!" Brown +---------------------------------------------------------------+
| The poet Henry O'Meara (1848-1904) was my great-grandfather | I=92ve put his book "Ballads of
| America and Other Poems" | on the Web at: http://sheldonbrown.com/omeara |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[A Muzi]

"Simon Dodd" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> All,
>
> My main road bike has 650c wheels. (I'm small) However, my tires aren't holding up to winter
> riding with the gravel and junk on the road. I'm currently using Tri-comps.
>
> Anybody have suggestions for a more durable 650c tire? I'm not racing
with
> these wheels, so I don't want ultra-light. I'd just like to put on some miles without
> getting flats.

Volume is your best defense. Michelin's newer 650-23 is significantly bigger than their 650-20. If
there were a 650-25 I would heartily recommend it.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Harvey]

"A Muzi" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Simon Dodd" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > All,
> >
> > My main road bike has 650c wheels. (I'm small) However, my tires aren't holding up to winter
> > riding with the gravel and junk on the road. I'm currently using Tri-comps.
> >
> > Anybody have suggestions for a more durable 650c tire? I'm not racing
> with
> > these wheels, so I don't want ultra-light. I'd just like to put on some miles without getting
> > flats.
>
>
> Volume is your best defense. Michelin's newer 650-23 is significantly bigger than their 650-20. If
> there were a 650-25 I would heartily recommend it.

Vredstien Fortezza Tri Comps. They are listed as 650 x 23 but seem rather largish. I have used them
last year on my 650 wheeled bike. Nice ride. No flats in about 2800 miles (mostly commuting in and
out of Boston - well known for crappy roads).

I'm not particularly small (5'9" 155lbs), so I expect these tires will last at least as
well for you.

Harvey

 

[Simon Dodd]

Thank you Sheldon!

-simon

 

[Simon Dodd]

"A Muzi" <[email protected]> wrote in message

> Volume is your best defense. Michelin's newer 650-23 is significantly bigger than their 650-20. If
> there were a 650-25 I would heartily recommend it.

Andrew, I'm currently using the Vredestein Fortenzza tri-comps. These are supposed to be 23 wide
already. I agree that the wider the tire the better. I will have less pressure on any one piece of
the tire, leading to less punctures. However, I don't believe volume of air has anything to do with
puncture flats. (it might help pinch flats, but that's not what I'm getting. Can you help explain
this better?

thanks! -simon

 

[Simon Dodd]

"Harvey" <[email protected]> wrote in message > Vredstien Fortezza Tri Comps. They are listed as 650 x
23 but seem
> rather largish. I have used them last year on my 650 wheeled bike. Nice ride. No flats in about
> 2800 miles (mostly commuting in and out of Boston - well known for crappy roads).

Harvey,

I'm already using the Tri-comps. I usually run them at 140psi to avoid pinch flats. How high do you
run yours?

thanks, simon

 

[A Muzi]

> > "Simon Dodd" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > > My main road bike has 650c wheels. (I'm small) However, my tires
aren't
> > > holding up to winter riding with the gravel and junk on the road. I'm currently using
> > > Tri-comps.
> > >
> > > Anybody have suggestions for a more durable 650c tire? I'm not racing
> > with
> > > these wheels, so I don't want ultra-light. I'd just like to put on
some
> > > miles without getting flats.

> "A Muzi" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > Volume is your best defense. Michelin's newer 650-23 is significantly bigger than their 650-20.
> > If there were a 650-25 I would heartily recommend it.

"Harvey" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Vredstien Fortezza Tri Comps. They are listed as 650 x 23 but seem rather largish. I have used
> them last year on my 650 wheeled bike. Nice ride. No flats in about 2800 miles (mostly commuting
> in and out of Boston - well known for crappy roads).
>
> I'm not particularly small (5'9" 155lbs), so I expect these tires will last at least as well
> for you.

OK, but Sheldon found the larger 28mm tire and posted it here already.
--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Harvey]

"Simon Dodd" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> I'm currently using the Vredestein Fortenzza tri-comps. These are supposed to be 23 wide already.
> I agree that the wider the tire the better. I will have less pressure on any one piece of the
> tire, leading to less punctures. However, I don't believe volume of air has anything to do with
> puncture flats. (it might help pinch flats, but that's not what I'm getting. Can you help explain
> this better?
>
> thanks! -simon

My experience has been that I get very few puncture flats in general (maybe 1 every 5000 miles -
usually in the winter). I believe this mainly has to do with keeping half an eye out on what I am
about to ride over (training imposed by years of riding cheapish tubulars when I was a junior and
could not afford better). Maybe you just need to get more used to glancing at the road 10 feet in
fornt of you every second or 2.

Stay Inflated....Harvey

 

[Harvey]

"Simon Dodd" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Harvey" <[email protected]> wrote in message > Vredstien Fortezza Tri Comps. They are listed as 650
> x 23 but seem
> > rather largish. I have used them last year on my 650 wheeled bike. Nice ride. No flats in about
> > 2800 miles (mostly commuting in and out of Boston - well known for crappy roads).
>
> Harvey,
>
> I'm already using the Tri-comps. I usually run them at 140psi to avoid pinch flats. How high do
> you run yours?
>
> thanks, simon

Typically 120psi, but I am not that careful about checking the pressure regularly. By the time I
notice they are a bit soft they have less than 100psi in them.

Harvey

 

[Briancady413]

...puncture flats. (it might
> help pinch flats, but that's not what I'm getting.

Someone swore by either tire rubbers or Mr. Toughie, i forgot which, so I use both, which seemed to
help a lot.

(Tire scrapers hold bent coathanger-like wire lightly aganst, or very near, the tire's riding
surface, where it passes between the fork, or seatstays. If just near tread, as I've resorted to,
then, after passing broken glass on the road, I reach down and push each scraper against the tire
for about a tire revolution, to roll out glass shards before they get worked farther in toward the
tube, by each road contact of that tire section. I was able to fit a pair around fenders, after a
ridiculous effort.)

Do you regularly bike by a place where kids break bottles? I knew kids that would aim at roadside
signs while driving and drinking weekends. Maybe there's one particularly bad section you could
avoid. (Frat Row).

Forester mentions regularly picking glass shards out of the tread with an awl or knife. I've
done this.

I always got more flats when my tread was worn down.

Brian Cady