Originally Posted by
Bluechip
I'm just a little frustrated at the broken glass that has been on the road lately. I ride from home but at a point I end up out in the country in an area that is frequented by a large cycling population. Some major club rides leave from this area. It seems like someone is breaking glass purposely in certain spots (mostly at the exit of turns). I know that some of the local population is not happy with all the riders invading "their" roads because I am on that towns Facebook page. It could just be random but it's been pretty consistent lately. I think the club sweeps up the glass on Friday evenings because it is usually clear on Saturday mornings. The glass is back and by midweek I am familiar with the location of the glass but I always forget until it's too late and I go through it. So far, I've been pretty lucky with only one flat that didn't present itself until the next morning. Sorry, just a little rant.
Broken glass is pretty common in my area. At least here I doubt it's deliberately directed at cyclists. Most of the glass is near redneck bars and stripper joints, or county lines between wet and dry counties. As a redneck in recovery, I know the mindset. Guys get liquored up, think they're gonna get lucky, and when it doesn't happen they get pissy and smash glass everywhere while peeling out. There's usually a fresh stripe of rubber alongside the busted glass.
I haven't given in to resigning myself to riding lead filled garden hose like Gatorskin hardshells, but I can understand why most folks I ride with do use Gatorskins. My compromise is to use Conti Ultra Sport II, which ride surprisingly well, are durable, and cheap to replace if they get sliced up by broken glass. Usually they last a year or more, pretty good for $15 tires.
Out of curiosity I just installed some Conti Grand Prix Classics for the fancy skinwalls and a bit of tread and thin puncture shield. They don't ride a bit better than the Ultra Sport II. They look good. But I'm glad I got 'em at nearly half price. I'd be disappointed at full price. Had 'em for a few hundred miles now, rides up to 60 miles at a time. I may put 'em away for a future bike project that might benefit from a classic skinwall. They don't really add anything to my purple '93 Trek 5900.