Having just bought my first road bike after more years than I care to mention, and I plan to replace the serviceable but worn 700c x 23 Schwalbe tyres before venturing too far from home. What’s the collected wisdom on decent clincher tyres for everyday use?
Tyres for recreational road use
- Thread starter Wowbagger
- Start date
What do you want? a cheap recreational tire or a more expensive higher quality recreational tire? According to tire rolling resistance tests the best mid range priced tire for rolling resistance was the Vittoria Rubino Pro III; the best low cost tire was the Conti Ultra Sport III. But the real trick question is how much watts difference was there between those two tires? only a 1/2 a watt, so you would never feel the difference in a million years of riding! So now what it boils down to is that the Vitts had better flat protection than the Contis.
Having said all that mumbo jumbo, I use Specialized Roubaix Pro tires, these tires have better flat and cut protection than either of those tires I mentioned above, they are also very long wearing. My first set I got 3,200 miles out of them and didn't flat one time; my newer set has 2,000 some odd miles and no flats yet. After 40 some odd years of riding bikes these are the best all around tires I ever used, they grip well on dry or wet pavement, have a high degree of flat protection, last a long time, and they seem to roll well but they haven't been tested for that yet. Here is a review of the tire: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/tyres/specialized-roubaix-pro-tyre
Having said all that mumbo jumbo, I use Specialized Roubaix Pro tires, these tires have better flat and cut protection than either of those tires I mentioned above, they are also very long wearing. My first set I got 3,200 miles out of them and didn't flat one time; my newer set has 2,000 some odd miles and no flats yet. After 40 some odd years of riding bikes these are the best all around tires I ever used, they grip well on dry or wet pavement, have a high degree of flat protection, last a long time, and they seem to roll well but they haven't been tested for that yet. Here is a review of the tire: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/tyres/specialized-roubaix-pro-tyre
For me, I use Continental GP4000 or 5000.
I'm a heavy rider, riding streets, trails and haven't had any issues in years. The 3000 model had a thread like sidewall that used to scuff but since then, not one issue.
I pay anywhere from $36-$42 depending on where I can find them on sale. PAY FULL PRICE AT A BIKE SHOP?? HECK NO!!!! They will soak you for $80 each.
I like ebay now, guaranteed delivery dates and free shipping from the right sellers. Some the more you buy, the cheaper the price.
Heck, picked up 3 more few weeks ago. Have 5 in my stash and a couple others for the tandem. Never had any problems using the Continental GP tires. The low end, yes. I think it was RACE several years ago, too soft and several flats. That's what I get for trying to go too cheap.
I'm a heavy rider, riding streets, trails and haven't had any issues in years. The 3000 model had a thread like sidewall that used to scuff but since then, not one issue.
I pay anywhere from $36-$42 depending on where I can find them on sale. PAY FULL PRICE AT A BIKE SHOP?? HECK NO!!!! They will soak you for $80 each.
I like ebay now, guaranteed delivery dates and free shipping from the right sellers. Some the more you buy, the cheaper the price.
Heck, picked up 3 more few weeks ago. Have 5 in my stash and a couple others for the tandem. Never had any problems using the Continental GP tires. The low end, yes. I think it was RACE several years ago, too soft and several flats. That's what I get for trying to go too cheap.
Similar threads
