Classic & Vintage - Help with tires

Hey everyone, I've been shopping around on CL for an older road bike. I've found a lot of great ones in just a week, but most of them say they need new tires. I'm fine with that, but I was wondering how much getting new tires and getting them put on would cost total? I'm not looking for anything special, just tires that can handle a 7 mile round trip a few times a week, and maybe a 15-20 mile trip rarely. So how much would that cost?

thanks for the help

Tires, Install them yourself.
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1089790_-1_1590008_20000_400013

Is that hard to do? I really know nothing about bikes. And I found a lbs that installs for $8, which is really cheap. but if it is easy I have no problem doing it myself

There are two things that go with bike riding. Wind and flat tires.
You need to know how to change tires and tubes.

Is that hard to do? I really know nothing about bikes. And I found a lbs that installs for $8, which is really cheap. but if it is easy I have no problem doing it myself

It's not hard to do and it's fun to know how to do it.

Here's my favorite tire. Also good in the 28mm width. You can also get a good Kenda tire for about 10 bucks on Amazon (and you'll need tubes too...would recommend presta valves):

http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=13864

Here's a decent video on how to change a tire:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm-SvNPFR4E

Hey well thanks for all the help and quick replies... I really appreciate it! I'll be posting pics as soon as I find the right bike

Oh and are the tire levers necessary to remove the tire? Or is there something else you can use that would be around the house?

I can't think of anything around the house. Some tires you can get off with your fingers, and some you need huge amount of force. It needs to not puncture the tube. Those blue park ones only cost like $3-4 for 3 might be good investment. If you don't have a bike shop around maybe you can get by with something hard plastic like the back end of a permanent marker? (and here come the flame posts :D)

Haha well i was just wondering if they were even necessary. But fortunately I have a bike shop right down the street, so I can pick them up tomorrow!

There are two things that go with bike riding. Wind and flat tires.
You need to know how to change tires and tubes.

yep
there will be wind
you will flat

being prepared helps make it suck less

Don't forget a good pump.

Is that hard to do? I really know nothing about bikes. And I found a lbs that installs for $8, which is really cheap. but if it is easy I have no problem doing it myself

Yes, as everyone has said, you can do it. I got my first flat less than a mile into my first ride on my first bicycle purchased as an adult. DH said "Awesome! You get to practice a roadside repair." It *was* awesome -- took the fear out of flat tires, and working on bikes in general.

Yes, tire levers are pretty essential to get most tires off. I used to use a couple of flat head screwdrivers when I was a kid but I would not recommend them.

$8 bucks a pop to put a tire on? I guess that is reasonable, I wouldn't know, shop wrenches can't do everything for free. But I would suggest if you were to pay the money let them know you would like them to show you how to do it.

... $8 bucks a pop to put a tire on? I guess that is reasonable, I wouldn't know, shop wrenches can't do everything for free. But I would suggest if you were to pay the money let them know you would like them to show you how to do it.

That's pretty much what I charge but I will be more than happy to show anyone how to change a tube/tire if they're willing to learn.

While $8 is a decent price,, like others said, you NEED to know how to do this,,,, sooner or later. I had 3 flats in one day on a lonely back road !

Besides, it's FUN working on bikes!

funny thing when u pick up an old 10speed
tires are often the least of your issues
bikes often are listed as rtr
but havent been overhauled in many years (if ever)
my experience has been a great one since i have enjoyed all the bike mechanics i have learned
but it requires time, educating yourself, patience and tooling up
you can get lucky with an old bike and not have it act up for awhile but eventually it does and if you're not willing to learn the skills to maintain then get your wallet out at the LBS and be prepared to spend more than the bike is usually worth

Learning how to install a tire and fix a flat is basic bike maintenance 101 and every rider needs to know how to do this. Luckily it is not hard.

You are going to need to buy a decent bike pump anyhow. Bike tires tend to not hold pressure very well over time. Checking tire pressure and pumping them up is an almost daily ritual -especially for the newer high-pressure tires on road bikes.

Either buy your tires through a local bike shop (LBS) or do some research on how tires are sized BEFORE you attempt to buy one. Tire-sizing on bikes is really screwed up and getting the correct size is much more difficult that you would believe. Read Sheldon Browns tire-sizing article (http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html) which will help you get the right tire for your bike. The trick is to check for the ISO/ESTRO number and realize that decimal sizing is not the same as fractional sizing. Believe it or not, 26x1.25 and 26x1-1/4 are not even close to the same tire and are not interchangeable.

Amazon is good source for tires -especially decent low-cost value tires like the Kendas. Some sellers make it hard to order the right tire and don't even list the ISO number. Apparently they like getting returns and angry confused customers giving tires a bad rating. Amazon ratings are FULL of angry customers who didn't understand the tire sizing system and are still confused as to why a certain tire was "marked wrong."

Well I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get the tires through my LBS, just so I can be sure I'm getting the right size. But the cheapest road tire they have is the Bontrager T1... I have Bontrager tires on my mtn. bike and they have held up well for almost a year. But I really don't know how realiable these road ones would be. So does anyone know if these tires are okay?

I can't think of anything around the house....

The rounded back of a table spoon can do the trick.......but genuine tire levers are pretty cheap.

There are two things that go with bike riding. Wind and flat tires.
You need to know how to change tires and tubes.

+1

Man, that's pretty quotable! But I'd add sweat. And grease-stained pant cuffs.

Necessary safety skill. You do not want to be stranded these days.
We're not always around to scare away the bad folks and the other normal people.

Takes minutes.
Saves money.
Connects you to the bike.

I'd learn to use a CO2 inflator, too.
They sure are handy.

The rounded back of a table spoon can do the trick.......but genuine tire levers are pretty cheap.

+1 I use spoons instead of tire levers when Tire Levers aren't handy. Works just as well for me.

i should list all the stuff that is in my backpack - i will later - better safe then sorry imo (plus the extra weight only makes the workout that much more intnense imo)- my goal is to never have to make the pickup call to the wife

I've managed to pop a tube with a spoon, I'm still not positive how.

I've managed to pop a tube with a spoon, I'm still not positive how.
That must have been a negative experience.

I have a few spoons that I use at times. I have had a couple of bikes that were harder to get the tires off . All spoons have very smooth handles, & I have bent a couple of the spoons to the side to where I can hook the spoon end behind a spoke.

I've had a few OEM 590 tires on E3S's that were so tough that I had to use motorcycle tire levers on to get them off. I don't know if there was an issue with some of the tires that came out of Nottingham or their suppliers but those babies were TIGHT. It's really easy to pinch a tube with levers andwhen they are this tight that they fight you getting them off it is best to pull off one bead at a time so at least you can pull the tube out after you get the first bead over the rim.

I've been changing motorcycle tires since I was was a kid. I grew up racing motorcycles and I didn't have a mechanic. My dad was the kind of teacher who thought that once he showed you how to do something you were responsible for knowing how and doing it from that point on. Most motorcycle tires are tough and the levers used on them are srs bsns.

Bicycle tires are almost always easy enough to remove and install to never need spoons/levers -or the cheap plastic ones at the very most which are less likely to pinch a tube. I've got pretty strong thumbs too but some of those older tires just don't want to come off. Funny thing is the new-production kendas I use always pop on without a fuss. I thought at first that was just a function of the rims being cleaned up/derusted but I've tried putting those old tires back on and they are still just as tight. Maybe they had larger millimeters back then?

You will not get a Hutchinson Fusion on or off without two levers, in my experience.
Major, major PITA.
Once they're on, you will feel somewhat "committed."