Durable 23c or 25c Road Tires - Recommendations?

Steve Sr. wrote:

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.

Colin Campbell wrote:
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.

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" wrote in message
news
Steve Sr. wrote:

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.