The only draw back to the Park Boot, besides the adhesive not lasting more then a few days is that is thick like you said, and on thin lightweight tires you do get a slight bump as it rolls you back home, but at least you will make it back home vs other stuff I've tried; and since I like to ride 50 or so miles from home I prefer to get back home without any further hassle with a flimsy dollar bill or candy wrapper.


Your experience matches mine. I have Conti tires on a C&V Raleigh Road Racer. I didn't want to convert it to 700C and Conti is one of very few still making narrow section tires in the 27" size. Both those tires needed boots in the first riding season! There is so much love online for Conti tires notwithstanding the universal acknowledgement of their ... 'delicacy'. I don't get it. I won't ever buy Conti tires again. [/QUOTE]

Like an idiot it took me at 3 different times with 3 sets of Conti tires that all failed due to sidewall damage before I finally wised up and said no more, the last time I tried a set of Conti's was about 6 years ago, at least you learned the first time! LOL!! I got caught up with LBS yo yo's telling me that try them now they're great, they won't do that...yes they did. It's funny, but I never in 30 years of riding had other tires fail due to sidewall rips and tears. Granted sometimes I have to ride on gravel roads, but sidewalls should be stout enough to take that, but not the last set of Conti's I tried. The other two sets also all failed due to rips from stones, I'm coming down a mountain pass doing 50 or mph around a curve, I can't just swerve around a small rock (usually a bunch of rocks) that fell off the side of the mountain onto the road, so sometimes I have to hit them, Conti's will rip others will not.

The tire thing I have already figured out: Bontrager Hardcase series clinchers.[/QUOTE]

I've never used the Bontrager tires but I've had friends who have and they like them, so I think, or hope, you will too. Someday I want to try them but right now I'm doing the Specialized Roubaix Pro tire thing, so far I really like them, they seem to roll well, no cuts or flats either, but I only have about 1,000 miles on them so more miles will be needed for a better idea. I have another bike with the Schwalbe Marathon Green Guards (I think that's what they're called) and those things are tough, tad heavy but for touring purposes they're idea, but they roll better then my last set of touring tires and those were about 100 grams lighter!