Biker2022

I'm hoping to get some responses on bike safety in 2023 -- in terms of what kind/type of tire I should buy. I looked on amazon.com and found a tire that resembles mine -- the Kenda Komfort -- which I've used for about 15 years with good results. My average (per day) for biking here in Northwestern Ohio is 5 miles -- mostly on dry, sometimes wet streets, but, during two weeks of the winter, there is some snow that can linger on the streets.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. My bike is a Mongoose Switchback (c. 2001), and my tires are size 26x1.95.

Iride01 

If you stick to name brands that are popular, then I don't think safety is any issue. One might be a little less grippy on wet roads than others, but certainly you'll figure that out when you ride those wet roads and can adjust your speed to remain safe. If that speed or something else about the tire isn't good enough for you, then get some others.

If you are going to get tires of unknown manufacture then it's going to be more of a guess than it already is. But even if the tire was to self destruct, what kind of threats to your safety are you imagining? I just slow to a stop and call for a ride home if the tire is toast.

Welcome to BF.

veganbikes

Get a good quality tire from your local shop. If you are stuck on a Kenda comfort that is a tire but not a great tire. The reason tires can get quite expensive is better rubber compounds which grip better or maybe more puncture protection or suppleness or some combination of those. Certainly don't go for no-name tires if you are somehow in the middle of nowhere and there is nothing around and the actual online brick and mortars won't ship to you other than that go for a high quality tire if you are worried. It is unlikely a cheap Kenda tire will failure miserably but they may not last as long or grip as well

Biker2022

I once imagined what someone might call a blowout, (If my calculations are correct, my tires have approximately 15,000 miles on them.) Thank you.

VegasTriker

If you like the Kenda brand, go with it but check out their website to see what other models they have available in the rim size and width you need. It's not a crap brand. They are made in Taiwan, not China like the cheapest budget brands. Another brand that you might consider is Tioga which is also made in Taiwan. I buy them on eBay as lots of bike shop are not interested in carrying brands that don't have a premium price and premium markup. These two brands replaced OEM Schwalbe tires of roughly the same design but at half the price. They last longer than the Schwalbe tires did and performed at least as well, possible handling better.
www.tiogausa.com kendatire.com

TiHabanero

Kenda is a big name in tires and does a good job making them. I use Kenda tires on my grocery getter and on my motorcycle. I use the Comfort model on the grocery getter. Never have had any issue with them at all.
I think of Kenda as the unsung hero of tires as they represent high value without seeking recognition for it.

Biker2022

Without this forum (and others like it?), I would probably be as confused as a goat on Astroturf. All kidding aside, thanks, guys!

I ordered the Kenda brand of tires, and the vendor sent me Sunlite tires. Are they essentially as good as the Kenda brand of tires?

Pratt

Although I don't know this for a fact, I would suspect that tire quality, adhesion, puncture resistance, etc. are far below the most important contributors to bicycle accidents. Perhaps others would like to comment.

Iride01 

I've never had an accident that resulted from a flat, blowout or any type of tire failure. Nor have I been scared when having a flat, blowout or some type of tire failure. All I had to do was slow down to a stop and then fix the flat.

On the other hand, I have had some accidents, wrecks, crashes or whatever you wish to call them. Right now for the last 3 years, I consider deer the biggest threat to my safety while on a bike.

Perhaps this particular discussion should be a new thread.

Arrowana

Sunlite is just a brand that JBI slaps on various cheap products made by many companies. If the tire itself says Kenda, then it's made by Kenda.

Biker2022

<<Nor have I been scared when having a flat, blowout or some type of tire failure. All I had to do was slow down to a stop and then fix the flat.>>

. . . sounds clear to me. I really didn't consider tire failure until three weeks ago when another enthusiast/devotee asked me if I was going to get new tires, pointing to my front tire (see attachment).

FBinNY 

In a general sense, all tires your likely to find fall within a narrow band of safety and reliability. In any case, ANY tire can have a sudden failure at ANY time, for ANY reason, so safely managing a tire failure is a necessary rider skill. It's hard to practice, you you won't know until tested. But you can think about in advance, ie. what you'd do if a tire blew out. That should include not only the bike handling skills, but also how, you'd get back home.

That said, the tire should be well matched to road or trail conditions. Light snow on the road, for example, means no slicks or baldies. The one thing that tires cannot help with is ice, so sometimes the best move you can make is to use discretion and not ride when ice is an issue. In my case, I can generally ride icy roads okay, and have done so when necessary. But know that if ice brings me down it will also keep any car following from being able to stop, so I don't commute to work when ice is likely.

Biker2022

For several years, I have been completely pulling off the road to a grassy area when a car approaches – especially when two cars approach. Some drivers will slow down when they see me. (Others seem to speed up!)

Iride01 

If you pull off the road, then you should check your tread for rock shards when you get back on the road. Back in the days of cheap tires, I use to have a flat soon after any time I went off the road if I didn't sweep the tire with a gloved hand to remove them or stop and remove them. Hasn't been an issue with the better tires I've been using that don't seem to hold on to rock shards. Essentially when you do have a rock shard or thorn that hasn't punctured the tube yet, every turn of the wheel is just hammering it deeper until it does puncture the tube. If you are tubeless, well then it's no issue.

As far as the person pointing at your worn tire... everyone has their own limits. I've ridden many a tire that others would balk at. I seldom replace them until the threads are showing most of the way around. Unless it gets a bad cut first. Or in the case of the tire I'm replacing today, because I riding a 65 mile charity ride this Saturday and the current rear tire is about to expose the threads.

As for pulling off the road for cars. Do what makes you feel comfortable and safe. However when I'm the driver and see a cyclist pulling off (very rare event around here), it does confuse me as to what that person is about to do. When cyclist remains part of the traffic, I know what to expect. Just some food for thought so you know how it looks from one person that drive a motor vehicle.