Good cheap tires

Good deal! One question, IRC is the mfr of Avocet Road tires. How do
these tires compare to an Avocet? Further, the new Avocet "carbon 12"
all black tires are now made in Korea, as oppose to the old Avocet
black/tan tires being made in Japan. Do you know where these IRC tires
are made? Thanks!

Art Harris said:

Requests for good inexpensive tires show up here regularly. My personal
favorite for long wear and good flat resistance is the IRC Road Winner in
700 x 28 (actually measures 25mm). I just saw that Nashbar has them on
sale for $9.95. With a 10 percent coupon code (SAVE10), that's $8.95. And
1/2 price shipping! I couldn't resist adding a few to my stash.

p.s. I don't have stock in Nashbar or IRC. Just passing along what seems
like a good deal.

That does look like a good deal -- 66tpi casings for 9 bucks.

I've been eyeing the Michelin Carbons on sale at Colorado Cyclist for $22.
CC is usually expensive, but their shipping is cheaper than average.

I'm not too worried about them selling out though. Michelin has
changed the model name again, so the old stock will be on sale everywhere.

Matt O.

bfd said:

Good deal! One question, IRC is the mfr of Avocet Road tires. How do these tires compare to an Avocet? Further, the new Avocet "carbon 12" all black tires are now made in Korea, as oppose to the old Avocet black/tan tires being made in Japan. Do you know where these IRC tires are made?

The Road Winner is made in Japan. All the ones I've gotten in the past
have had carbon black tread with a minimal inverted tread pattern and
tan sidewalls. That's what Nashbar is showing, although the IRC site
shows a new version with black sidewalls.

The casing seems to be identical to the old Avocets (66 tpi and a
little narrower than labeled). The "duro" version that Nashbar is
selling has a wire bead and kevlar belt. 275g.

tinyurl.com doesn't seem to working today, so:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=1162&sku=1897&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Art Harris

Art, & list:

That's a killer price. The Road Winner has been replaced by the Road
Winner II, again a wire bead, kevlar belt tire. The Road Winner II
wholesales for $10.99 if you buy 10 at a time.

good luck

jn

"Thursday"

On my city bike, I swore by MIchelin Idilis 700x37s, but seems they
don't exist anymore. It was a a 700c cxcross version of the Wildgripper
rock. Kick ass on packed snow. Ten bucks each at the Halsted
Performance shop. Rolled smooth when it was dry.

I'm on my third set of cheap Hutchinson Flash 700x28s from Nashbar.
$5/each.

One flat in over a year--from running over a bottle in the rain.

They're more skinny urban/utility tires vs. wide training tires--as the
sidewalls are nice and thick to keep the pointy stuff out.

Nothing surprising about these. Black, durable, easy to mount, minimal
tread, and don't seem to pick up glass or stones.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1085&brand=&sku=9201&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Art Harris said:

Requests for good inexpensive tires show up here regularly. My personal
favorite for long wear and good flat resistance is the IRC Road Winner
in 700 x 28 (actually measures 25mm). I just saw that Nashbar has them
on sale for $9.95. With a 10 percent coupon code (SAVE10), that's
$8.95. And 1/2 price shipping! I couldn't resist adding a few to my
stash.

p.s. I don't have stock in Nashbar or IRC. Just passing along what
seems like a good deal.

Art Harris

I have used IRC road winner for a few years. Bought a bunch on sale
from Nashbar awhile back. I find that they wear out real fast and the
rubber will start pulling from the casing quickly. last rear IRC
lasted me about 1200 miles before the threads were showing.
Also they not real round. They make my wheel look way out of true
when they are mounted.

I switched to the Flash tire by Hutchinson (thanks for the tip Maxo)
5 bucks woohoo!

I would also stay away from the IRC 25 Triathalon tire. I have had
more that a few wire bead failures with that tire.

My riding partner gets 4000 miles out of a rear tire so it might also
have something to do with my riding style.

Woohoo, indeed!
😄
Actually they serve me well as there are many feral dogs on my route,
and I invariably double back as soon as I see them, locking my rear
brake (using both brakes, though) and making a flat spot. So I only get
2-3K out of the Flash rears--but it beats putting a flat spot on a $30
tire. :P

I really should switch my brake levers, as I can never get my right
hand to behave during a panic stop. LOL

Fritz said:

I find that they [IRC Road Winners] wear out real fast and the

rubber will start pulling from the casing quickly. last rear IRC
lasted me about 1200 miles before the threads were showing.

That's not my experience at all. I get at least three times that
mileage on the rear tire without the threads showing. No problems with
roundness, peeling, or bead failures either.

Art Harris

Art Harris said:

Fritz said:

I find that they [IRC Road Winners] wear out real fast and the

rubber will start pulling from the casing quickly. last rear IRC lasted
me about 1200 miles before the threads were showing.

That's not my experience at all. I get at least three times that mileage
on the rear tire without the threads showing. No problems with
roundness, peeling, or bead failures either.

I suspect a lot of these tires offered by Nashbar, etc., on sale are
seconds or cheapo special editions.

Awhile back I ordered some Vredestein Fortezzas based on good reviews.
The price was good at under $20 for a top quality tire. But when I got
them, they didn't seem top quality at all. The casings were rather thick
and stiff, OK but definitely not top quality. The ride was definitely a
step down from what I had been using, and they didn't feel particularly
fast either. I noticed the sidewall said "Comp" after "Fortezza," which I
had never seen anywhere else, so I assume this was a cheapo special
edition. Sure enough, I came across a forum post later that confirmed the
Fortezza Comp was equivalent to one of Vredestein's cheaper tires, with an
MSRP of approximately the "sale" price I paid.

I'm wary of cheap junk and seconds too. I've seen plenty of tires with
wobbly treads, out of round, etc., that people got "on sale" somewhere.
If they can have these defects, who knows what other, more serious
problems are possible -- sidewall blowouts, etc. I'd rather not take the
risk of a blowout on a mountain descent, or being stranded in the middle
of nowhere.

Also, while some may have had great luck in the past with certain products
from certain suppliers, there's no telling what the current batch is like.
Return policies are usually pretty good, but the hassle still isn't worth
it.

Matt O.

wow you guys are cheap!

Matt O'Toole said:

I suspect a lot of these tires offered by Nashbar, etc., on sale are seconds or cheapo special editions.

Quoted message said:

I'd rather not take the risk of a blowout on a mountain descent, or being stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Come on, Matt. A couple of days ago you said it sounded like a good
deal!

I've been buying from Nashbar since the 1970s, and I've never known
them to deliberately sell defective merchandise. Their stuff seems to
be aimed toward the everyday cyclist interested in reasonably-priced,
functional equipment rather than to the poseur wanting a $500 cycling
jacket.

The tire model in question has been around for years, and I've ridden
thousands of trouble-free miles on them. They may not have great snob
appeal, but I like them. They normally sell for around $13-15. With
Nashbar/Performance's buying power, I'm sure they can afford to sell
them cheaper at times. I think that's all there is to it. Stop trying
to scare people with the mountain descent blowout stuff!

Art Harris

maxo said:

On my city bike, I swore by MIchelin Idilis 700x37s, but seems they
don't exist anymore. It was a a 700c cxcross version of the Wildgripper
rock. Kick ass on packed snow. Ten bucks each at the Halsted
Performance shop. Rolled smooth when it was dry.

I'm on my third set of cheap Hutchinson Flash 700x28s from Nashbar.
$5/each.

One flat in over a year--from running over a bottle in the rain.

Glad you're having better luck with these than I have. Bought a pair
from Nashbar when they were about $4 each after discount and only used
one on the front wheel. I repeatedly got flats from a variety of
sources (mainly glass and thorns). Finally got rid of that tire after
I ran over a twig on a paved road and it went right through the tread.
Never bothered installing the other tire.

OTOH, I've generally been happy with Nashbar's tire deals and regularly
use their house brand Primo models (from Cheng Shin) that sell for
about $5 - 7 each.

Art Harris said:

Matt O'Toole said:

I suspect a lot of these tires offered by Nashbar, etc., on sale are
seconds or cheapo special editions.

Quoted message said:

I'd rather not take the risk of a blowout on a mountain descent, or
being stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Come on, Matt. A couple of days ago you said it sounded like a good deal!

It does!

Quoted message said:

I've been buying from Nashbar since the 1970s, and I've never known them
to deliberately sell defective merchandise. Their stuff seems to be aimed
toward the everyday cyclist interested in reasonably-priced, functional
equipment rather than to the poseur wanting a $500 cycling jacket.

The tire model in question has been around for years, and I've ridden
thousands of trouble-free miles on them. They may not have great snob
appeal, but I like them. They normally sell for around $13-15. With
Nashbar/Performance's buying power, I'm sure they can afford to sell them
cheaper at times. I think that's all there is to it.

I'm sure you're right. Also, I don't want to give people the impression
that if it's too cheap it can't be any good. In fact, the expensive stuff
is often no better, except for the clout of its brand name.

Quoted message said:

Stop trying to scare
people with the mountain descent blowout stuff!

There's nothing wrong with inexpensive tires, but it's no place to cut corners.

One thing I'd like to see -- inexpensive tires such as the IRC Road Winner
and Michelin Dynamic included in tire tests along with the high dollar
stuff. I did see a test several years ago where a $7 Cheng Shin had lower
RR than all the "best" racing mountain bike tires.

Matt O.

$500? 569?!! amazing. made any arm warmers from kids poly jammies from
the thrift?
the pasela with kevlar belt and kevlar bead makes a good front at $20
what's $10 more for 100% more performance.?
what are you saving $it for? cokes?

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Art Harris said:

Fritz said:

I find that they [IRC Road Winners] wear out real fast and

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

rubber will start pulling from the casing quickly. last rear

IRC lasted

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

me about 1200 miles before the threads were showing.

That's not my experience at all. I get at least three times

that mileage

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

on the rear tire without the threads showing. No problems

with

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

roundness, peeling, or bead failures either.

I suspect a lot of these tires offered by Nashbar, etc., on

sale are

Quoted message said:

seconds or cheapo special editions.

Awhile back I ordered some Vredestein Fortezzas based on good

reviews.

Quoted message said:

The price was good at under $20 for a top quality tire. But

when I got

Quoted message said:

them, they didn't seem top quality at all. The casings were

rather thick

Quoted message said:

and stiff, OK but definitely not top quality. The ride was

definitely a

Quoted message said:

step down from what I had been using, and they didn't feel

particularly

Quoted message said:

fast either. I noticed the sidewall said "Comp" after

"Fortezza," which I

Quoted message said:

had never seen anywhere else, so I assume this was a cheapo

special

Quoted message said:

edition. Sure enough, I came across a forum post later that

confirmed the

Quoted message said:

Fortezza Comp was equivalent to one of Vredestein's cheaper

tires, with an

Quoted message said:

MSRP of approximately the "sale" price I paid.

I suckered into the Vredesten Fortezza -- from Performance. This
"factory outlet store" version of the original was heavier,
sluggish and more importantly, the tread compound was too
slippery. I couldn't keep the damn thing from spinning out while
climbing out of the saddle on wet pavement. I put them on my
roller bike. What a spectacular rip off.

On the other hand, the Performance brand folding tires (the
racing tire, name escapes me) are very nice. Not as nice as a
Michelin Pro Race, but pretty nice. -- Jay Beattie.

peter said:

Glad you're having better luck with these than I have. Bought a pair
from Nashbar when they were about $4 each after discount and only used
one on the front wheel. I repeatedly got flats from a variety of
sources (mainly glass and thorns). Finally got rid of that tire after
I ran over a twig on a paved road and it went right through the tread.
Never bothered installing the other tire.

OTOH, I've generally been happy with Nashbar's tire deals and regularly
use their house brand Primo models (from Cheng Shin) that sell for
about $5 - 7 each.

The house brand are fine, too, but the sidewalls are a little fragile
for my needs.

FWIW, I tend to rarely get flats for some reason--even though I ride in
pretty rough urban territory.

The rubber on those Hutchinson's is pretty thick, but fairly soft. I've
gotten a couple cuts sans flats that needed supergluing.

Funny thing too, is that I'm running them with 23mm tubes as I was too
lazy to get larger ones when I mounted up the tires.

Beats me why some folks seem to get more flats than others, even when
you account for tire, pressure, and road conditions. A friend of mine
thinks some folks just subconsciously steer around dangerous debris. Or
it could just be luck.

Only tires that ever gave me numerous flats were Thai made
Contis--about two per week!

Jay Beattie said:

On the other hand, the Performance brand folding tires (the
racing tire, name escapes me) are very nice. Not as nice as a
Michelin Pro Race, but pretty nice. -- Jay Beattie.

Forte Pro (or Pro SL for the "super light" version), 127tpi, kevlar
bead, kevlar belted.

I have a pair of the 23-622 size and have one of them on as a front
tire. Much more durable than the Specialized Turbo 26-622 tire that I
was using before, rides just fine, though I don't ride in the wet so
can't judge wet traction.

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