Originally Posted by
josephforsberg
THANKS FOR THE HELP! I posted on bikeradar and they were completely snobby.
blue book is $588, so I wouldn't mind paying 600 to be honest. What should I look for in the tires? That could give me a little leverage if I had to replace them. I actually know someone that could tune everything up for me at no charge, so that is not a very big deal.
Yeah, no problem =]
Tires have a couple tell-tales. If they have tread that goes over the top of the tire and it's worn flat, then they need to be replaced. In most cases, and I'm guessing with this bike, the tires wouldn't have had tread over the top from the beginning. They'll have tread on the sides and bald on top. What you should do is make sure they're up to acceptable pressure to test-ride (~100 psig) and run a thumb over the arch of the tire. If you feel any bit of an angle on the top of the tire, that means they have been worn down pretty far and should be replaced. If you can't feel anything and it seems pretty rounded still, don't worry about them.
When I bought a bike about this old, the tires needed to be replaced, so it's not unlikely that you will need new ones. Still, you can get them pretty cheap, so it's not terrible.