Braxt

So I am a brand new rider. Just started this summer, and now that it is cold, I am forced not to ride which is saving me some $$$. Looking back at my riding experiences I NEED NEW TIRES. 2 to 3 Tubes a week is ridiculous. I ride in areas that have no bike trails and bad roads. I need something puncture resistant for sure, but also made with price in mind. I do understand you get what you pay for but what is the best bang for my buck? So far I have been recommended Continental Gatorskin, but I heard the have sidewall blowout problems. so im asking for any other suggestions

veloboy971

GP4000's are expensive but are very puncture resistant in my experience...

DXchulo

Duranos work for me and they're pretty cheap considering how long they last: https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...tm_medium=base

I've had better luck with them than with Gatorskins, but YMMV.

frpax

The Conti GP4000 is probably the most popular tire in this forum. I've been riding on them for quite some time, and love them. Best combination (for me) of puncture resistance/road feel/grip of anything else I've tried.

But for pure puncture resistance, I'd go with the Gatorskin.

mihlbach

First of all, learn to patch your tires....much cheaper and works just as well as a new tube.

Gatorskins are very durable. In my experience, the sidewall tends to develop bulges after many thousand miles. This happens because the tire actually lasts long enough for the sidewall to fatigue, whereas many other tires wear out before this happens. I've never had a catastrophic sidewall blowout with a gatorskin, nor have I ever had a puncture flat with one either.

Gatorskins are a great beginner tire...they are cheap, last a long time, offer good puncture protection, and aren't going to slow you down. Later, if you feel like you want a more expensive racier tire move up to a GP4000 or something similar but don't expect it to make you faster or offer dramatic improvement in the way your ride feels.

GP4000's and other more costly performance oriented road tires are going to be imperceptibly lighter, roll imperceptibly better, and grip imperceptibly better, but aren't going to last as long or offer additional puncture protection. Don't be fooled by the near unanimous recommendation by BF users for only using the most expensive racing tires money can buy. There's a whole lot of placebo effect going on around here.

Quel

Schwalbe Ultremos.


I mean GP4000s.

Bob Dopolina 

I'd agree. I suspect there may be other factors involved and that new tires may not be the answer.

A few questions:

What is your weight?

What tire pressure do you run?

How often and how do you pump your tires?

What size are the tires you have now?

This might help get you pointed in the right direction before you shell out cash on high end race tires.

coasting 

vittoria rubino pro 3

get them. you won't regret it. no puncture all year for me.

mihlbach

I dunno... tire pressure and proper installation are certainly important, but there are some pretty ****ty tires out there. 2-3 flats per week sounds about right for Conti Ultrasports or any Performance Forte tire.

roccobike

I know this is kind of basic, but did you check your rim tape to be sure that you don't have a sharp edge contributing the flat problem? Just asking.

bradtx

Braxt, Any tire marketed to the touring crowd will generally be more puncture resistant than a performance clincher. The benefit of a performance tire really only shines when railing a turn. Michelin, Vittoria and Schwalbe have tires that've worked well for me, as well as Continental.

Brad

Braxt

yes tires have been installed properly and all sharp objects removed. the pressure is never under 120psi and the tire says 130max. i am not overweight at all only 170lbs, and the tire size is 700x23c. I know the basic mechanics of bikes as how to change a tire repair flats and so forth. like I said before I believe new tires are the way to go. Riding in the city with not many bike routes and poor roads hasnt fared well

Bob Dopolina 

It sounds like you have the basics covered.

I have put tens of thousands of kms on broken up, gravel filled, pothole riddled, hard mud and asphalt roads over the years and this has rarely been the cause of flats.

Where are the flats occurring? By this I mean where are the holes in the tubes? Are they always in the same place? Are they on the inside (valve side) of the tube or on the side where the tread would be? Is it always a front or rear tire or is it a grab bag of flats?

Seriously, this many flats is not normal even when riding crappy tires. I really suspect that there is something else at work here.

Other posters have given you good suggestions about tires to upgrade to (I'd add Conti GatorSkins) but it would certainly be worth your while to eliminate all other possibilities before spending a dime.

Trek760

I like the Kenda C2C Tinker Juarez tires. Bombproof for me on the bad roads where I live.

Al1943

Yes you need to know exactly what is causing the flats and don't do that.
Puncture resistant tires carry a bi weight and performance penalty.

miyata man

I had the same problem for a while as I refused to give up on a pair of Michelin Carbon Krylons I got for free. There was literally no way to escape riding through one of two ghettos to cross a major river to get where I wanted to go on a daily basis. Glass, broken lighters, a never ending stream of trash reduced to small sharp bits by car tires. I finally gave up and put my good nonfoldable Winter tires on early and had zero flats. If some additional weight, and you will notice additional rolling weight, is not to big a deal you can get some tire liners. More of a mountain biking in goathead country solution but those tubes add up.

dspilot

Noob here too. I have been riding since the summer as well, and I had to get new tires on my new bike after about 400 miles. After reading on here for a while, I went with the Gatorskins. 850 miles in and no trouble so far, and the roads around here are terrible. I am 5'10", weigh 180, and I run them at 115PSI front and rear. I am noob enough though that I can't really give you a comparison.....only to say that I am quite happy with the Gatorskins.

MegaTom

Off topic, but related question:

Why do Conti 4000's and other slick road tires have a 'Direction' ?

StanSeven

Yes. This is important. When you flat, take the tube out and check where the hole is. Then match the hole with the tire. A sliver of metal or a piece of glass embedded in the tire can cause multiple flats. Also plastic rim tape (non-cloth type) with splits can also cause flats.

Bob Dopolina 

Marketing. It's the same reason they have a tread pattern to begin with.

It's to make you feel 'safe'.

Seriously.

MegaTom

Cool. That's about what I surmised. And honestly, I have noticed and followed the direction on other tires; but in two years of using Conti 4000S tires, I hadn't noticed the marking until tonight while inspecting one that I had recently booted. Of course it was pointing the wrong way, and I had no intention of dismounting and flipping it.

Braxt

I agree. I have taken them to my LBS and had everything checked out. Worn out tires+a lot of miles=flats. I think I will go with the gatorskins, and have my LBS install everything.

appreciate all the help everyone

coasting 

did i mention vittoria rubino pros yet?

RT

Like in the current locked Schwalbe thread, you may just have a tube issue. I have always thought it was silly to pay so much for a tire to try and solve the flat issue. $10 will get you (yes, with a little weight) tire liners that will protect your tube (for the most part) from the elements. Of course if you are obsessed with weight (this is the Road Forum, right?), this may not be for you, but I'll take some weight over the uncertainty of a flat any day.

Practical experience speaking.

dman-ebike

I'd say its for water deflection. Even though the middle is a slick, The sides have some indentations that probably would throw the water in the right direction. Remember the Goodyear aquatread? Those only work one way.