Brutal.Roadrnr

Just got a Trek 1000, the tires didn't look great but I foolishly ignored it..that lead to a replaced tube and the LBS telling me my tires are rotted...

Well the Trek is on ice and I am back to riding on my MTB until such time as I get new tires which will be next month...the roadbike has shown me that I hate riding the MTB (sigh).

Of the old tires I am seeing some loss of material on the sidewall and threads breaking through to be visible. The sidewall rubber itself is brittle and shows signs of crumbling away around the threads as they get exposed.

So it appears I am going to need new tires and I thought I would ask for the pearls of wisdom that I can only find here...and here is the point where I give you some data.

The bike is a Trek 1000 with 700cc wheels, made probably in the 90's.
The old tires are 700ccx23 of some odd make, they could be original for all I know.
I ride around country roads in my area around 100 miles a week, but hoping for more.
For the most part they are decently paved, but there is one road that is just oil chip and nasty. There are a few spots of gravel where some industrial areas have driveways, the gravel is avoidable for the most part, potholes are not common and easily avoidable. What may not be avoidable are the occasional train-tracks and a few areas where there may be a bump due to very poor road construction.

As for me I weigh just about 220 lbs.

My LBS doesn't have the brands I hear talked about but I suspect I can order them online. I have heard that Conti Gators are good and so are Conti 4 seasons? But really I haven't much of a clue here..

Advice and Opinions very welcome.

hammond9705

Conti gatorskins are a bit heavier but will have fewer flats. Conti 4000 are lighter. I like either and would check prices on probikekit.com. Also, I would get 700x25 or even 28 if it looks like they would fit. These would be wider and a bit more comfy.

exile

Why would you wait a month for tires? My suggestion would be to get something cheap (in price & not necessarily in quality) and save up for the more expensive ones in the future.

Buy something from bike tires direct or nashbar and be on your way.

CraigB

I'd agree. Rather than delay riding until I could afford $50 or $60 tires, I'd get some inexpensive ones and just ride. Some Panaracers or something.

But that's just me. Or more accurately, me and exile.

Brutal.Roadrnr

You know, I figured I would get the 'Don't buy the cheap tires" response right off the bat. Fascinating...

10 Wheels

I ride with these in Texas 700 X 28's if your bike will take them that size.

https://www.rei.com/product/724618/se...2-001b2166becc

CraigB

I got some Serfases (if that's the right pluralization) for my wife's bike last season and they've been fine. As far as buying or not buying inexpensive tires, if you can afford expensive ones, sure, buy them. But I wouldn't delay riding because I couldn't afford it right now. Seriously, the only problem I ever had with cheap tires was back in the '80s when I was riding tubulars and couldn't afford the good, aged ones, and had to settle for cheap Vittorias that were so soft they picked up every little bit of road debris - cinders, sand, you name it - and clung to them until they worked their way through the rubber of the tire and the tube.

After ditching that wheelset for high-pressure clinchers, I've only had one other consistent tire problem in all the brands I've tried over 30 years, and that was with one of the early kevlar-beaded folding clinchers. Their grip on the rims was poor enough that acceleration caused them to shift on the wheel, putting stress on the tube's valve stem. In short order (like twice around the block) the base of the stem developed a fissure and failed.

Every other tire I've used has been fine.

Brutal.Roadrnr

Gentlemen...

I picked up a pair of inexpensive (Schwable Lugano), but not the bottom of the barrel tires last night. I came home with no experience of putting on tires, only with the knowledge that I need to learn how to do this because tubes and tires are a consumable.
A youtube video got me started and a little webpage got me finished when I ran into a snag with tube bulge around the valve area.

New tires mounted, a short ride and they are still holding pressure this morning!

Thanks for all the input and support guys.

zowie

Cheap tires from decent brands like Schwalbe or Michellin will be heavier and slower than their up-line, but if anything they will last longer. And for a lot of us, the cost-benefit of spending $120 on a set is questionable.