brucedelta

I bought a Trex FX4 Disc last year and have put about 1500 Mi on it. In my 50s I decided to take up bike riding and do not know much, but I am a big guy at about 275#. I have been using the stock tires that came with the bike which are the Kenada 700x32C and I run them at about 75PSI (I know the bike is spec'd for the Bontrager H2, but this came with Kenda). Maybe this is too high, but somehow I got it in my mind that as a big guy I need higher pressure. I went to take a ride yesterday and found my rear tire flat, but it seemed fine when I put the bike away after a ride on Sunday. I removed the tube and found a small hole near the valve stem. The attached image shows the separation of the tire and bead I discovered in this same area of the tire. It is worst near the stem, but the entire tire side shows issues with the bead separating. I assume I need to replace this tire, but thought I could put a new tube in and take a small ride around the neighborhood where I would stay on paved streets. I had trouble seating the new tube and getting the tire to feel like it was seated in the damaged area, but it is my first time attempting to replace a tube so maybe I do not know what I am doing. As I inflated it the tube suddenly popped when I got up to about 70 PSI and it has a puncture that looks just about the same as the original tube and in approximately the same place.

So my question is why did this tube pop so easily and am I doing something wrong with the inflation. I am thoroughly confused about tire options and seeking advice. I mainly ride on paved trails and streets but have gone on the boardwalk and some trails with crushed shells or gravel. I tend to ride for 15 or more miles at a time and have done the 40-mile NYC Five Boro ride or Bike MS 75-mile city-to-shore ride. In general, I would like it easy to maintain and manage. I do not think I am very price sensitive on this but do not want to go crazy and throw away money. Buying a $40 tire vs a $100 tire is not going to make a big difference to my budget. I would appreciate thoughts about what to get.

1) From what I can tell the big decision is tube vs tubeless - what is easier for me to manage and control in the long run. The bike is listed as tubeless ready.

2) Foldable vs round tires - Not sure what the appeal is for foldable but a lot of people seem to like this. Any reason I should look for foldable tires?

3) Width - Stick with 32c or go a bit wider for more comfort and ease when I do try gravel. I have avoided going to where there are gravel trails thinking that my bike was not set up for that.

4) Comfort - Obviously, I want comfort to be reasonable but also want puncture resistance and durability.


Appreciate the thoughts and suggestions that the experts out there have.


Bruce

t2p

my two cents

1 - stick with tubes - and make sure your wheels have a quality run strip

2 - foldable bead

3 - for 275 lbs go larger than OEM 32mm ... 35-38 mm at least (if your bike will handle these widths and possibly larger ?)


there are a number of quality tires you can consider ...

including Panaracer Gravelking SS (semi-slick) ... 35 or 38 mm should work well ... quality all purpose / versatile tire
.

hokiefyd 

Unless you're out there for beating personal bests on Stava or comparing average speeds with your buddies (and even if you are...), wider is generally better with respect to comfort and puncture resistance. Given the stated wants and needs, I'd probably fit as large of a tire as possible. You start adding really good puncture protection with touring tires from Continental and Schwalbe, but the tradeoff is the tires start to become heavier and don't ride as nicely.

Tubeless is generally regarded as an attack against both of those notions -- the ability of a light weight tire to seal small punctures...so you have light-and-supple and the puncture protection you want. Despite this, I prefer tubes myself, paired with a tire of reasonable puncture protection.

I have a pair of Continental Ride Tour tires on one of my bikes and they feel absolutely bomb proof. The tread itself is very thick, and so is the underlayment in the tire carcass. Continental tires in particular tend to run narrow, so a tire labeled 42mm might inflate up to only 38mm, so buy accordingly. One tire that might meet your needs, that's a little less stout than the Ride Tour, is the Continental Speed Ride. Get the foldable version -- it's light, it's relatively supple, it's relatively inexpensive, and it should fit your bike pretty well. It's labeled 700x42, but it'll likely inflate to less than 40mm on your rims. You might also like any of Schwalbe's Marathon series of tires. They're available in a variety of widths, tread patterns, and puncture protection levels.

Trav1s

I can relate to the big guy reality but I can speak to tire upgrades. My Quick 1 came with Schwalbe Spicer K-Guard 700x30 and around 2,200 miles I swapped them for Schwalbe Marathon GT Tour 700x35. I love the more forgiving ride with lower pressures as I do ride surface streets. They are heavier but I’ll take the durability and comfort at a slight weight and speed penalty.

Was considering 700x38s but was concerned about clearance and the 700x35s were the safe upgrade. Also, the GT Tour was discontinued after I purchased them.