ncherry

I've never ridden a performance tire before. My previous bikes (except the Ti bike) had 'lesser' tires and I generally was purchasing heavier tires because the condition of the road surfaces where pretty hideous. Well they've improved a number of roads (finally). I was getting between 8K and 10K miles with the tires. The Ti bike had a nice set of tires but the bike was a 3 year old left over and the bike shop gave me a deal on it. After about 500 miles the tires developed a zig-zag (the center rubber shifted over to one side by about a 1/2 inch). I still have them. They're in my rollers pile (tires with plenty of rubber but with cracks in the rubber). I'm usually pretty cheap when it comes to tires. I prefer to purchase left overs but I really like these Michelin tires. They handle well and are comfortable. I'll see how well the Vredestein tires do and I'll make a decision then. My friend is certain that the 160 psi won't work with my rims (Aksium). He had a lot of trouble with the tubes blowing and went to wheel with no rim strips. I'll just replace the thin plastic with the good cloth one's I've always used.

So I guess that the answer is 'Yes, this is normal for this type of tire'.