Originally Posted by
ScottCommutes
So I went to a bike parts site, looked at 26" tires for my bike and found over 800 different tires. This blew me away because 26" isn't even cool anymore.
So I put together some tire choice related questions. if you have any wisdom, do feel free to chime in. I'm not necessarily interested in specific choices - more interested in the selection process.
1. Do you get what you pay for? Is a more expensive tire typically better? How much better? How do you know? How does the mileage you will get out of a tire relate to the initial price?
2. What percentage of those tires are really good? What percentage are crap?
3. What attributes make the biggest difference in tire performance? How many riders notice these differences?
4. Do tires react differently on different wheels, bikes, or riders? I mean many would put a sketchy tire on a loose wonky wheel and a good tire on a good wheel, right?
5. What is the right amount to spend on a tire?
6. How can you narrow a selection of 800 down to a reasonable number and make an informed choice? Why are there so many options?
For reference, my commute to work is 16 miles.
1. yes you get what you pay for otherwise it was free or you stole it. In other words there are too many variables for definitive answers. How do I know? I bought them and used them. Mileage and price are not related. More often high prices are for tires that promise “performance” and the opposite characteristics of durability and puncture resistance. In otherwords heavier mid priced tires designed for durability and puncture resistance cost less and last longer than lighter tires that are designed for less rolling resistance and some degree of durability beyond racing tires.
2. “really good” based on what criteria? How about 60% are really good for what they’re designed for, 5% are crap, 10% are mediocre 10% are amazing but they don’t make them anymore and they were overpricced anyway, 5% came in the color you wanted and 10% feel funny.
3. The right pressure, Lots but if you don’t notice it doesn’t matter.
4. A little. Don’t use sketchy tires. Just don’t. That’s like riding with a loose stem. Once it’s sketchy replace it.
5. The amount you want to spend. $30-$75 will get you a lot of very different tires. You can spend $100 just like you can buy $25/lb domestic cheese. Tire prices can vary according to inventory and size of production so you may not necessarily get a “better” tire for more money.
6. Don’t start with 800. That’s like saying you can’t figure out whether to get a racing slick or a super heavy off road touring tire. So pick the size and type and your choices are less than a dozen. Then just buy one. If you really want to have fun and you’re getting two get a heavytire for the rear and a nice light one for the front. Front tires last almost three times longer and have fewer flats.