Bicycle Mechanics - Tire recommendations?

It happened today - I was out for a long ride and heard the 'hiss' that none of us want to hear. First flat for me - I'm still relatively new to cycling, but really loving it - commute 20 miles round trip to work 3 times a week plus take a long ride on Saturday and a 'joy ride' on Sunday.

Repaired it no problem, but I notice that my OE Continental Ultrasport tires are starting to get 'flat' in the center. Just a pinhole caused the leak, but it's obvious that the rubber is getting pretty thin...

I think it's time to replace the tires. I like the 'go fast' 700x23 tires, but I want something 'robust' that'll hold up and deal with the occasional commute - I only ride this bike to work once a week 'cause I fear excessive weight on the bike. On that trip I'll travel on 8 miles of rail trail (smooth asphault) and some northern Virginia neighborhood roads (okay, but not great.) Incidentally, the other 2 days I ride a Giant bike more suited to the loaded commute.

Probably TMI.

Still, would anyone please clear the confusion and recommend a tire? Looking at the Nashbar and Performance sites only confuses me more.......

Thanks

This thread may get ugly, but, I'd go with Continental Gatorskins. Keep them properly inflated and you'll never get a flat.

When you say properly inflated what tire pressures are yo recomending

the specialized armadillo line of tires are the best tires a person can buy if the don't want to play around with patches.
the first set of armadillo tires i bought were for my commuter. I went with 25c, but they make a 23c. I have almost 2000 miles on these tires and i have yet to get a flat. believe me, if i were on any other tire i would have had many, many flats by now.
you are going to pay a bit for a set, $100-$120, but you will never, ever have to worry about a flat.
i recently put a pair of these on my racing/century rig.
i couldn't tell you were my patch kit is, not really worried about it anymore.

If you're not riding on glass roads, i'd suggest something a little bit wider, perhaps 25's or 28's.

I have 2,000 miles on these. No Flats.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=4664&estore_ID=1472

25's are a lovely compromise between the go fast and the load carriers. 28's are pretty nice too. Which you choose will depend on the rims you currently have on your bike. If you have nice narrow rims with 25's or 23 now then you can easily go 25. If yoiu are running up around 30-something then there's a good chance that 25's will not be all that happy on your rims and 28's would be a better choice. And of course if you're willing to invest in another wheel set then you can use whatever is appropriate.

My own choice is 25's for commuting but I've got the rims that allow me to use that size. If I was "hotrodding" a hybrid bike I'd just stay with 28mm so they fit the rims better. But whichever size you go with find the tires that have a thin and supple sidewall and not too thick a tread belt. Thick tires just don't roll as nicely IME. Not to mention they are heavier so they hold you back when spinning them up to speed off the line.

Use the Search function for "flat resistant tire" and read through some of the many threads that come up. Lots have gone before you and all the responses have been typed over and over and nothing is new on this particular front.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#pressure

I'll let Sheldon field this one.

http://www.rivbike.com/images/products/full/0000/0748/10-043_Ruftuf_label.jpg

http://chicogino.blogspot.com/2007/07/product-review-rivendell-ruffy-tuffy.html

There will a hundred different suggestions on this thread, but I'll make it easy: Continental Gatorskins 700X23 (110 - 120psi). Or: Continental Grand Prix 4000 S 700X23 (110 - 120psi). I'd go with the Grand Prix 4000 S, but I don't know how well they stand up to flat-provoking nasties along the way - the Gatorskins have a long, established track record for being tough-as-nails. Or on. The GP 4000 S has lower rolling-resistance and feels almost like you're riding a tubular. They claim to be as tough as the Gators.

Regards 700X28 (105psi) - I'm running the Panaracer Pasela TourGuard in this size on my Trek FX 7.5 (it came with Bontrager 32's). I like 'em. They have a Kevlar-belt.

That's my 2 cents.

+1 for Specialized Armadillo, but I'll add "Elite" to the end of it. Good ride, small weight penalty for the flat resistance. I've got 2 sets - Borough CX Armadillo Elite (700x32) on my Tricross, and All-Condition Armadillo Elite (700x23) on my road bike. The All-Condition is available in several widths.

Like operator, I like 25s and like 10 Wheels, I'm cheap, so I got 6 Michelin Dynamics @ $9.40 apiece. They don't ride as nice as Vittorias, Continentals or the tires on my sewups, but I got six for the price I've paid for a single fancy tire in the past.

Oh, I hate flats so much I even roll with Mr. Tuffy's on my road bike.

If I want plush I'll throw the tubulars on. I'm really not likely to do that again unless I decide to take up racing on well-swept crit courses, however.

This thread may get ugly, but, I'd go with Continental Gatorskins. Keep them properly inflated and you'll never get a flat.

Got the 700x25 wirebead Gatorskins. Did my first commute Friday - took it easy going out 'cause I had some doubts about my job replacing front and rear tires.....

Says recommended pressure 95 - max 120 - I split the diff and went 110.

I love the tires - didn't take long to trust that they were not going to explode off the rims and off I went. Great ride - they 'feel' just as fast as the old 23s, but seem to have a better ride.

Thanks for the advice - I think this was a great choice!

This will be a good guide for you to determine your optimal tire pressure.

http://www.rivbike.com/assets/full/0000/0006/rivbike_pick_a_tire.pdf

This thread may get ugly, but, I'd go with Continental Gatorskins. Keep them properly inflated and you'll never get a flat.

The road bike I built last spring has Gatorskins.
I ride it ~100 miles/week.
I fill the tires before every ride.
I have 4 perforated tubes hanging on the garage wall that say you are wrong.

I think you'd want to determine what CAUSED the flat in the 1st place and then take appropriate actions to deal with that issue. Punctures from foreign objects like thorns, glass and nails require different deterrents than pinched flats. Other issues can be bad rim-strips or sharp edges on the rim or inflation techniques.

Shimagnolo said: I have 4 perforated tubes hanging on the garage wall that say you are wrong.


Other issues can be bad rim-strips or sharp edges on the rim or inflation techniques.

I guess we can only speak from our own experience, but I've only ever had pinch flats with mine. I'm not doing 100miles/week (I do ~50-60), but my place of employment does share an alley with a scrap yard which is full of broken glass and little bits of wire. I HATE flats and LOVE Gatorskins. To each their own.

The OP is happy, I'm happy, you're happy. Right on.