Hello...I was just wondering where does everyone buy their tires? LBS or online? Any recommendations on specific manufacturers that you'd swear by?

I've had some Nimbus (?) tires that had kevlar in them that worked great, but I need to get new ones for my new bike...

Mike, I know you've got some thoughts about this, right?

thanks y'all!

TG,
I buy from my LBS, unless an online retailer has a really good deal.
I figure that buy the time I pay shipping, the price comes out to be about the same. And quite often I can find them at a bike shop for less than the online retailer.
Good luck.

I vote for buying online. For me there is only 2 reasons for some one to buy at a LBS.
1. You are some what well off ($$$$) and dont miss the extra $2.00 to $500.00.
2. You dont know how to work on your bike yourself.

Having worked in shops off and on for the past 15 years, I know there are enough people out there who meet one or both of the above, to keep shops in buisness.

So if you do not meet one or both of the above go a head and buy online.

Just my opinion, just dont tell any of my former or future employers.
Thanks

Servus!

For me, the killer would be having to a) pay for shipping and handling, b) having to wait until the goods actually arrive, and c) having to deal with a non-existasnt Customer service should the goods be defective, not in stock, got lost, postman stole 'em, etc.

Why should your bucks go to keep a industry giant's pockets lined when you can have the warm'n'fuzzy feeling of keeping your local LBS alive.

I personally can't wait and go nutz when the stuff isn't in my hands.

I usually buy online. Price is one reason, but the main reason is selection. I am very particular about the tires I ride, and it seems most of the local shops don't carry the tires I ride or don't have them in stock.

Servus!

So, what tires do you ride riderx? I am a big Conti fan, but that's cause they're cheap and plentiful ( and I like the performance from the big 'ol 2.3 in the rear)

I don't like the Conti's because the beads are so tight they are a pain to get on and off the rim. Otherwise, I like some of their treads. For my single speed I use a WTB Motoraptor 2.4 (helps make up for the lack of a suspension fork) up front and a Panaracer Smoke Classic 2.1 on the rear. On my geared MTB I run a WTB Velociraptor 2.1 in front and a Panaracer Smoke II 2.1 in the rear (LBS was out of the Smoke Classic - see what I mean about choice!). In the snow or extreme mud I will throw a Panaracer Spike 2.1 on the rear of either bike.

A big part of the reason I bicycle is for environmental reasons.

Thus, I try as much as possible to use old discarded tires. Yes, this limits my wheels to 27" or 26" and I don't get the performance of some of the newer tires, but I put up with it. Some of the tires I get are really nice, some were never good - it is pot luck. Anyway, I put on enough bike miles that I eat-up tires. Perhaps unlike many of the readers of this forum, I have a big supply of old discarded tires which makes them affordable and convenient as well.

When I am fixing a bike for someone who needs 700mm tires or wants something special, I usually get them from the LBS. This is because the price is almost the same as if ordering on-line once you factor in shipping.

I noticed that not LBS are created equal. One LBS here charges twice as much for parts and service as others. Still, they do a lot of business despite there limited knowledge high school student minimum wage staff (who have plenty of wrong and bad advice if you need some).

It pays to shop around for a good LBS if you have that option where you live.

I am trialling Contis now and they seem to be working alright. I generally buy from LBS rather than on-line for a few reasons:

1. My LBS usually lets me have a bit of a discount as a regular customer

2. I don't feel like waiting for the on-line stuff to arrive, or pay for shipping

3. Most of the on-line shops are US based, and the Australian currency doesn't stack up too well here, so it would end up costing me heaps more anyway.

Chris

Thanks for all the good advice. I was at my LBS this morning getting a cable fixed (don't know how that happened), still under warranty of course, so they got that fixed. They've been pretty darn good with advice. I've been lucky. I have at least 3 or 4 LBSs around me within a 10 - 20 mile radius, and it's great that I can pick and choose which one I like. I have LBS that's only 3 miles from me, but he's not that great on the advice. He likes to sell me things I don't need, or sell me something more expensive than I need.

Anyway, the bike shop where I got my bike, has been really good so far. They know what they're doing, and they give some really solid advice. They have a pretty good inventory of stuff, too.

tg... I am looking for new tires as well and I plan to get my first set at the LBS because I am going from a 700x38 to a 700x... as small as I can on hybrid rims and am not sure what I can get down to. After that I may be on my own.

I also have a good LBS to hang out, but the fellow that owns it quit riding years ago and that sort of bothers me when getting his advice???

I may try to find one with a more avid biker/proprietor.

I buy my tire at my LBS, if there is a Factory defect I can easily change it

Go to your favorite LBS and get advice from them because they can see what type of rim you have and can ask you a few questions about the type of riding you do, so they can give you the best advise on what type of tire to buy. It is always best to get tire that has a larger cross section than that of your rim.

Knowing the type of rim is important because some tire/rim combinations work better than others. One of the above threads mentioned a dislike of Continentals because they were hard to get on and off, by girlfriend has contis on her bike and I can get them off and on WITHOUT levers. I used to work in a shop that sold Specailized tires and I had to use "28s" because "23s" were very difficult to mount/dismount, tire size makes a difference too.

the smallest I can get on my rims will be 700x28's, but that will make a huge difference I am sure. The diameter of the whole wheel will be a bit smaller and I may have to adjust the brakes as well... I didn't really think about that until talking with my LBS today.

My LBS does not carry clothes.I ordered a pair of shorts and gloves from Performance on July 16th,they just arrived today August 3rd.This would not have been too big a deal if I had not been coming back from a 10 year layoff and had no shorts.I did a lot of business with Performance 10+ years ago because I lived in rural Texas and the nearest bike shop was 60 miles away.Back then I could order something and have it in a week.
The other day I decided I wanted to swap my knobbies out for some road tires.I took a look in the Performance catalog and thought the Michelin WildGripper City tires looked pretty good.My knobbies are 2" so I figured I would need a pair of 1.5" tubes and tire levers also.With shipping this totaled up to $50.95.I thought about how long it was taking my shorts to arrive and went to the LBS.I told the guy what I wanted;he had the tires!Total $54.00.With the Performance order I would have gotten 3 tubes....but the wait!$3.05 worth of instant gratification.
BTW my average speed is up 2.5 mph

Hi, Paige! I've been pretty lucky that two of my LBSs carries women's clothes, so I haven't had any problems in that department, yet. However, I like to find a good deal, so I'll shop around at the local SportChalet to find any clearance shorts or tops. I found my last pair of shorts there for under 40. I won't pay for any shorts over that price. I know I can get it cheaper. However, if it's an item that I'm interested in, then I'll pay--over much hand-wringing and pacing.

As far as the tires go, a few of the LBSs had tires on sale that were pretty decent, but I'm going to attempt to put my old tires on my new bike. The LBS mentioned that I could get them on with the correct inner tube with the slicks that I have. I haven't swapped them out yet, but I've been pretty busy riding around. I think I spent more time last week fixing tires, than I did riding, so I'm trying to make up for lost time!

I prefer to see my tyres before I buy them. Tyre sizes are so variable that you can't trust the specs.
I replaced some 28mm with the same size from another make. I measured the width in the shop, and they were more like 25mm, so I ordered their 32mm instead. When they arrived, they were still narrower than my old 28mm, but good enough to use. By using an LBS, I didnt have to pay any postage, and the LBS will be there when I really need it.

That's true Michael. I had 28 mm Continentals on my bike at purchase. I tried to replace them with 700/28 Michelins. They were so big, they rubbed (had not enough clearance.)

Turns out, the 700/25 Michelins were comparable.

I got my Continental 3000's today at the LBS (700x28) and installed them myself. Cleaned up my rims and adjusted the bearings while I was there. I could have definitely saved a few bucks if I'd have ordered them over the web but I wanted to support the LBS. Its nice to not have to wait on FedEx/UPS!

I have recalculated my VELO2 and as soon as the evening cool gets here... I'm gonna do a few laps to see what changes!

after several days of riding on my new 700x28's there is absolutely no difference is speed that I can tell. The bike does look leaner/meaner though. I am not sure why... but getting rid of the 700x38's did not make much difference?

either my computer is lying or the hybrid frame geometry is not very effective past a certain point?

No difference? I'm surprised... They should be a good bit lighter, and if you're pumping them up to the 100-120 psi range, way less rolling resistance! Going from 700x35s to 700x25s on my commuter makes a significant difference.

...and the smaller diameter of the tyres SHOULD screw-up the computer enough to make it think you are going faster!

I can't see why you would have to adjust the brakes, as the rim diameter won't change

my bust... the LBS did say that I would NOT have to adjust the brakes, only the computer. We discussed the purchase of several other bikes, accessories, etc, so my pee-brain was in overload!