Billydog

folding means there is a kevlar bead and also is a clincher. A clincher can also have a wire bead and would not be folding.
Which is better a clincher that folds or a clincher with a wire bead that doesn't fold?

veganbikes

A folding tire will be lighter weight and can fold easily should you need to carry a spare and most wire bead tires are a little cheaper other than that no real big difference. I wouldn't worry about it or let it keep you up at night.

Billydog

Thanks for the quick reply.

veganbikes

No worries, you wrote it at the right moment and I logged in at the right time!

base2 

Folding tires tend to weigh a bit less, too.
Folding tires can also *maybe* be a bit tougher to install because the Kevlar bead stretch is assumed upon inflation. So they *may* be manufactured a touch on the smaller end of the tolerance. All will be well upon first inflation.

Wire bead tires can be coiled in triplicate to fit in a pannier. It's hard & takes up a lot of room.

Other than that, there isn't any functional difference.

Iride01 

You'll find a better selection of tires that are folding. Wire bead tires might be a better choice for old bikes with 27" wheels and a smooth bead seat. However I don't think they have any advantage for a rim that has a crochet or hook type bead seat. Most wire bead tires I've seen tend to be budget low cost tires. But maybe I'm just not noticing the better tires with wire bead.

Billydog

It is an older style vintage 80's bike.... Would a folding tire mount an 80's road bike?

Iride01 

Unless you have some oddball size rim that they only make tires with wire beads for.

Folding tires have been around longer than your old bike from the 80's.

If your old bike is a 700C wheel, which many road bikes in the 80's were, then you likely have a rim with a crochet bead seat. If you have a old Schwinn bike in their "looks-like-a-light-weight" bikes series of inexpensive bikes, then it might have 27" wheels and they might be smooth bead rims. My '78 Schwinn Varsity was one of those type Schwinn's and it had a steel rim with a smooth bead seat. I usually bought 27" x 1¼" Kenda's for it. They had a wire bead. Were they the best tire? Probably not, but they were inexpensive.

BlazingPedals

Generally, steel rims have a rolled bead and aluminum rims have a hook bead; Regardless of the "High pressure" moniker, rolled beads were suitable up to about 65 psi. Over that you want a hook bead to prevent the tire from blowing off. The material in the bead really didn't matter much.

Edit: Some newer rims are a third kind: hookless. The inside mounting surface area is smooth, nothing holds the tire on except the tire's bead. These are designed for *lower pressure* tubeless tires.

KerryIrons

While not 100%, folding tires are generally of better performance in the tire company's line. Lighter, more compliant casing, etc.

smd4

Given the choice, I'd always go with folding. Just for the lighter weight.