More expensive tires tend to be
racer/competition oriented and to have thinner, lighter builds intended for
higher inflation pressure and grippier rubber on the tread that wears faster.
...
Higher weights on the tires increases wear rates (eg tandem bikes get 30-50%
less tire mileage than singletons). Was your 60-80 reference to psi or $ cost?
I assume psi.
Sorry about that, the 60 - 80 tires was supposed to be dollars. I do have four new tires that are on the way (160 psi, Vredestein Fortezza SE Road Tires). Right now I'm running on an old (unused) Continental fold up but I'll change that out for a Michelin later today (non-foldup). I like my tires to run around 120 psi. I find those work best for my riding skills.
The bald tire was definitely a grippier tire, I really liked the way it handled. I will see if I can get the identical tires a little later. I'll also be inspecting the tires more thoroughly from now on. The last few weeks the tire have been coming back with a lot of white powder (the color of the sand and debris in areas I tend to ride in) so I missed the wear. I always check both tires for slits and stuck debris but I'm still surprised I missed this.