Originally Posted by
ItsJustMe
I get a little baffled when people buy $50+ tires and say how great they are that they're only just starting to fail at 1500 miles. I've bought $15 tires that lasted 3000. My just plain old Marathons lasted 4500 on the back and the front is still going and looks almost new at 6000. Maybe riding a loaded touring bike wears them out that much faster, but I've read journals of people who rode 5000+ miles per tire while fully loaded.
Cheap tires don't really last longer...it just feels longer.
Seriously though, the most expensive tires I've got are Schwalbe Ultremo R.1's. I bought them knowing they wouldn't last forever, being race tires, but I wanted to experience the ride quality. Right now, they've got about 900 miles on them, which means that to date they've cost me about 12 cents a mile. One tire has a couple of serious cuts in it, but the tread surface is still plenty thick. I'll be surprised if they don't last another 500 miles, and I wouldn't be surprised if they lasted another 1000. Even if I had to throw them away today, 12 cents per mile is well within the range of what I'm willing to pay for the kind of ride quality these tires give me.
As for the Marathon Supremes that bluefoxicy linked to, I had a pair of those that looked brand new after 1500 miles, at which point I sold the bike they were on. They also offer a very nice ride quality -- though not as nice as the Ultremos -- and have excellent grip on wet pavement and good puncture resistance. I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again.