Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Any new tires out there?

Aside from the usual tires (rondos, gatorskin, ultra, etc); What's new out there and promising?

Cheng Shin Tires (CST) are pretty sweet if you're looking for a cheap generic tire that comes in a variety of colors.

http://store.comcycle-usa.com/pictures/_9/8676/8675318.jpg

secca serfas are what i use

Since we are talking about tires, and I don't want to make a new thread. Anybody know any good road/mountain tires? I got some terrainasauraus tires.

Since we are talking about tires, and I don't want to make a new thread. Anybody know any good road/mountain tires? I got some terrainasauraus tires.
when you say road/mountain do you mean skinny but knobbie, like cyclocross tires or do you just mean any road and mountain tires in general?

CSTs aren't as bad as everyone makes them out to be. I had some Super HPs for a while and didn't get one single flat. They were a bit heavy, but mine were 28s. My wife has a set of Chen Shin CZAR tires on one of her bikes and they're quite good.

cheng shin tires are crap
about as ****ty as the hutchinson equinox.

wtf, shindokie? do you have any manners at all?
wow that's a record in my book- hijacked in 2.
I laughed at that for a second, and I shouldn't have. Sorry :(

Cheng Shin Tires (CST) are pretty sweet if you're looking for a cheap generic tire that comes in a variety of colors.


Woah! Dirt cheap! :twitchy:

How's the durability for these guys? Do they just disintegrate with skids?

I only skidded a few times with mine so I can't really say.

O.... how about whip skidding? Did you/ would you dare pull one of those on them?

And is this a reputable site for them?
http://store.comcycle-usa.com/ProductInfo.aspx?id=5619811

Only one whip skid but no bad results. Wheel & Sprocket's eBay store has them in pairs for around 35 bucks shipped.

CST is the equivalent of dollar store products in the cycling world.

bla bla bla...

bla bla bla...

Not even going to refute anything based on actual facts eh? Of course. Rid us of your ignorance.

CST is the equivalent of dollar store products in the cycling world.

Another reason to order a set of them for one longgggg rubber torturing skidding session :D


Thanks for the heads up on the ebay store scrodzilla ;)

I wonder how the color of the white colored ones go with wear and tear....

Those CST tires are heavy and wear quickly. They came on my bike and I replaced them after 3 weeks or so with some Kenda Kalientes, which weigh half as much.

The only good thing the CSTs have going for them is how freakishly quiet they roll.

limited experience here on tires.
but
I know ya get what ya pay for.

ya think ya snagged an awesome deal on bonktown or 1/8" inch on them super cheap tires
think again
they will disappoint in one way or another.

The Kenda Kontenders on my first fixed gear were great- got a full year out of 'em. plenty of skidding on 'em.

Soma Everwear- got them because COG(magazine) in their tests declared the everwear the winner in
the how-many-skids-till-she-pops-wear-and-tear-test.
expensive and truth be told the stripe of color you may opt for looks like it was drawn on by a drunk 6 year old.

Continental GP 4000- super awesome mutha****in' tires bro.
expensive but worth every damn cent.

No prob, Happy. Yeah...they're cheap tires and "you get what you pay for" but they're really not that bad compared to other stuff that's out there. I had white ones...they turned a little grey but stayed relatively clean under normal circumstances. Skid away!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320231491130&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WXF%3F&GUID=a03d95cc1250a0b58fc1e151ff9c318e&itemid=320231491130&ff4=263602_263622Although
I've had my CST compressor for about 3 weeks with constant skidding before I burned through the rubber. They don't last that long but that's why they're cheap. I think any tire that lasts close to a month with my skidding is a deserving tire. (My heavy ass x28 Randonneur has lasted me 2 weeks so far, probably going to hold up for months.)

I've tired the more expensive Vittoria Zaffiro and Continental sport and they both only lasted about a week and a half.
So sometimes, you don't always get what you pay for.

If you constantly need to replace your tires because you skid so much, I would just get budget tires like the CSTs.
But if you don't, you can get decently priced ones which are lighter, lower rolling resistance, etc...for performance, but for extra $.

So just don't spend a whole bunch on a tire you plan to skid to death anyway. There's no magical tire that's going to last you forever, so might as well save so you can actually maintain a bike with tires.
(and sometimes cheaper tires actually last longer than "high end" tires)

I know ya get what ya pay for.

Soma Everwear- got them because COG(magazine) in their tests declared the everwear the winner in
the how-many-skids-till-she-pops-wear-and-tear-test.
expensive and truth be told the stripe of color you may opt for looks like it was drawn on by a drunk 6 year old.


Yea good point on the "you get what you pay for", I can totally agree with that as the German made Conti's I have lasted me almost an entire year filled with bi - weekly or more (as time permits lol) skidding for fun and safety (you know what I mean....darn drivers)... as you might've guessed they're close to their end lol.... I might order some everwears also this time as a change...

By the way would you still remember the scoring of the tire longevity test?


Those CST tires are heavy and wear quickly.

Darn it win and lose..... the weight is good for skids (inertia FTW!) but the wear isn't =/

if you're just gonna be skidding a lot, go into the dumpster of your lbs and boost their discards. You can usually find something with enough life left for some skidding. No need to buy anything new for this.

if you're just gonna be skidding a lot, go into the dumpster of your lbs and boost their discards. You can usually find something with enough life left for some skidding. No need to buy anything new for this.

Good advice but I not the kind of person who just can't stand degrading themselves or being embarrassed in public.... :(

Best tire: Continental GP4000s. Amazing for road bikes.

Great tire: Michelin Krylion Carbon (all the puncture protetction of Gatorskin w/o feeling like crap)

Great fixie tire: Panaracer Messenger TServ (25c lasted a few months of daily brakeless riding)

Crap tires: Continental ultra sport and michelin speediums

Also, I've had good experiences w/ Bontrager race lite tire that I got for free. They lasted surprisingly long.

CST is the equivalent of dollar store products in the cycling world.

That's one of the most ignorant statements I've seen on here in a very long while. CST makes tires used by some of the top road, MTB, and BMX racers worldwide.

I use schwalbe tires here in Germany. The are quite awesome. I use the Marathon Plus Race, 25c with kevlar to help protect against flats. Works great,even with the tons of glass on the streets here. So far they hold up to skidding fairly well, but it has been wet/snowy for a while here now.

That's one of the most ignorant statements I've seen on here in a very long while. CST makes tires used by some of the top road, MTB, and BMX racers worldwide.

It may be but that doesn't matter. Operator said it.

Not even going to refute anything based on actual facts eh? Of course. Rid us of your ignorance.

Oh shut up. Your insightful post wasn't chock full of facts either. You've most likely never even ridden on a Chen Shin, yet you feel you're doing this forum a favor by spouting off some half-cocked "opinion" based on other things you've read on the internet and declaring it law.

Good advice but I not the kind of person who just can't stand degrading themselves or being embarrassed in public.... :(
you could always just go in an ask them, i bet they'd sell you take off's for cheap.

i vote for fat randonneurs.

vittoria zaffiros can be had for around $12 per just fyi.


about to try a 28c randonneur rear

I ride Panaracer Ribmo's that I got for pretty cheap...like $30 each. They're beasts. Heavy, but I don't care since I ride 32s anyway.

Crap tires: Continental ultra sport



why?

i love my armadillo 25c's. but i'm biased because that is all i've ever ran ss or fg.

Mavic Refuse.

I started riding a pair about 13 months ago. One flat in the front (huge piece of glass); replaced the rear after about 6 months when the tire was pretty squared off, felt crappy, and I had burned down to threads over most of the tire; my second rear tire is at like 5 or 6 months (the bike swent a few months off the road). I'm about 4 months into a set of these tires on another bike with no flats and not much visible wear.

The only tires I have ridden that were comparatively a good ride, didn't get flats, AND lasted a while were a pair of Schwable tires. That model was discontinued I think. Specialized Armadillos last a long time and don't get flats but they are a terrible ride.

Once you ride a nicer quality tire, you won't want to ride just any old tire. And stop skidding or skipping to slow as your only method of slowing down. I keep seeing racing from intersection to intersection and leaning way into skids as they hit a red light and have to stop again and again.

everyone says the ride on armadillos is horrible but i like it. just like the suspension i had on my civic. people complain but i like knowing whats going on under me. i can't roll over a dime without noticing it.

armadillos+alu frame= instant feedback

I got some Conti GP4k's that I'm going to throw on after roller season.

FWIW, I've been riding the same CST Compressor Comp on my rear wheel for about six months. I don't skid a ton, but definitely do some, and it's held up very well. Only a few flats in that time, too. Grip has always been good enough, even in the rain.

When considering how long a tire lasts under regular skidding, people also need to consider the number of skid patches. I run 47x18, which effectively gives me 36 skid patches (I skid both ways). People who are consistently putting wear in the same places on their tires are going to wear out any tire a lot faster than people with more skid patches to allow for more even wear.


CST is the equivalent of dollar store products in the cycling world.

No.

I second the vote for the GP4000. They are the best tires I've owned. I had a pair of Michelin Pro Race 3 on for a couple months, and while the ride was great, they flatted about every week. My GP4000s lasted almost as long as a set of gatorskins. Since gatorskins have gotten more expensive recently, I think my next set will be GP4000s again, unless I can find a good deal on these schwalbes that I keep hearing about (the Ultremos or something like that I think).

Can i just say for the 'which cheap tire is best' arguement... If you plan ahead and keep an eye out for deals i've gotten continental ultra sport's for less than $20 on multiple occasions, and those tires usually last me 2+ months of of frequent skidding. I understand going for the budget option but the price difference between continental (a well reputed brand) and the discount bottom of the barrel tire (cst) seems so small i don't know why you'd try to save in that area of your bike. Not to mention the quality of the rubber on the ultrasport is undoubtedly far superior to the chen shins.

If you've got the cash to skid through gp4000's... well i'm jealous. i personally like to run a gp4000 on the front with a size smaller ultrasport on the rear. Reasonably cost effective, with great performance.

Just a reminder: CST makes a lot of other tires (besides Super HPs) and they're not all of "dollar store" quality. I was simply saying that I had a set of Super HPs and they weren't the most terrible tire I've ever ridden on. In fact, they were pretty good and very durable for a low-priced tire. However, I'm not saying that everyone should roll on them because they're the best tire ever (or even the best "cheap" tire).

Not all of us are wannabe professional, die hard cyclists who spend multi-thousands of dollars on their bikes. Some people here just like to ride bikes and for these folks, Super HPs are perfectly acceptable.

Personally, arguing that a tire is crap because it doesn't hold up to a lot of skidding has to be one of the dumber arguments around.

every thread ends in a sigh.

Personally, arguing that a tire is crap because it doesn't hold up to a lot of skidding has to be one of the dumber arguments around.

True.

every thread ends in a sigh.

Also true.

everyone says the ride on armadillos is horrible but i like it. just like the suspension i had on my civic. people complain but i like knowing whats going on under me. i can't roll over a dime without noticing it.

armadillos+alu frame= instant feedback

I felt that armadillos rode well until I rode a nice tire. now I can't imagine going back to them and Ive been trying to find a use or give away a pretty good condition one I only used as a front tire.

I also didn't understand why people said they felt tacky and almost too grippy. Then I figured it out after moving to NYC. People here apparently used to love Armadillos and then moved onto Rubinos (I only had bad luck with them) and now I seem to know a lot of people riding the Refuse - sorry, I think my earlier post called them Mavic instead of Maxxis.

I only rode Armadillos on a Renyolds 531 frame so I can't comment on how the tires feel on an aluminum frame. I've riden the Refuses on the same 531 frame and a Columbus SLX frame.

i'm biased to armadillos because thats all i've ever ran ss or fg. they've served me well and i'm a student of the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' school. i've thought about changing tires but they've never slipped out from under me and i love the harsh ride. and i don't skid for the hell of it so i'm getting great wear from them. the only drawback in my eyes is getting the bead onto the rim. but i've only had one flat in a year from a nail so that is really a non issue...

i'm biased to armadillos because thats all i've ever ran ss or fg. they've served me well and i'm a student of the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' school. i've thought about changing tires but they've never slipped out from under me and i love the harsh ride. and i don't skid for the hell of it so i'm getting great wear from them. the only drawback in my eyes is getting the bead onto the rim. but i've only had one flat in a year from a nail so that is really a non issue...

you replace perfectly fine components of your civic.

you replace perfectly fine components of your civic.

i actually bought a theft recovery with cut springs and busted shocks. but thats neither here nor there.

I remain a big fan of rubinos. IMO best compromise between ride quality, puncture resistance and cost. Love the tires.


As for CST, I thought I remembered seeing they had a TPI count of 15. If that's the case then yes, that is a pretty lousy tire