Tyres for recreational road use

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?

 

There will be almost as many suggestions as there are riders.
Me, I’m not hugely troubled by flats, and have been quite pleased with Conti Sport Contact and Schwalbe Kojak.

 

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

 

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.