Originally Posted by
LarDasse74
As long as the tires are inflated nice and hard (65 - 85 psi) then they will offer a benefit. The weight of the tires makes very little difference - the construction of the tire and its ability to rebound without absorbing too much energy is the reall difference, and you can't measure that quality with a scale.
I'd have to disagree. Lowering the rotational weight in your wheels and tires is one of the most noticeable changes you can make to your bike. His stock tires are ~800 g apiece. Switching to a 400 g tire will be a change/upgrade that he can feel. I agree that you can't measure quality with a scale. But a $13 wire bead tire with no details on weight or tpi sends a pretty strong signal of low quality. I only mention this because the thread topic is about worthwhile upgrades.
By the way, I wouldn't run a 700x38c tire anywhere near 85 psi unless you really want the pavement to beat you up.