Newbie Tire Recommendations?
 

I want to commute to work and I need to choose some tires. My job is only a mile from where I live, which is great, BUT… I live on a desert mountain. The road is very steep—both uphill and downhill—and while it is nicely paved, there are some gravel patches that might be dangerous. The conditions are dry here, and honestly I’ll just drive if it ever rains. I want tires that will grip well but still go fast. Oh, and I ride a road bike. Any tips?

Nashbar Streetwire tires, I been running these tires since starting commuting and they just simply work in all conditions. I use 700ccx35mm and am happy with it, you would have to be a bit careful on gravel though, but I run on gravel with those and it was fine.

Panaracer Ruffy Tuffys. I've used them for years and have never had a flat. They ride well, too.

If a typical road bike your choice of sizes likely to be somewhat limited, and probably too narrow to make a gravel section any kind of fun.

What size tires do you currently have?
How wide are your rims?
How wide a tire can be fitted in the frame and fork?

Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Continental-Cy...8193430&sr=1-5 with a smooth center section for fast pavement action, on tread on the side for the sand and gravel would be effective.

I like the idea of something with a smooth center and a tread on the side, but I don't think the fork allows space for it. The current (original) tires are 700x23c and they fit with little extra room.

I'm thinking of going with the Nashbar (nice and cheap!) and maybe upgrade on the next pair. Thanks for all the ideas!

Are there tires that grip on gravel? I think you mostly just need to be careful there. If the gravel is extensive enough that you'd need an aggressive tread, the road bike may be a problem unless it's an old road bike that will take a decent size tire (32-ish). If it's just a little bit of gravel that strays onto otherwise good pavement, I wouldn't let that determine my tire choice.

When you say 'desert' I hear 'goathead'. Is puncture protection a priority? If you have goatheads, the Schwalbe Marathon Plus is the obvious recommendation, but it's awfully heavy for a hilly route. For a non-goathead level of puncture protection, I like the Continental Gatorskins or Grand Prix 4 Seasons.

Good point, Andy_K. I guess it doesn't really makes sense to choose the tire based on the gravel. As far as goatheads and other pointy things, I'm not sure what to expect. I guess I'll just start out cheap and see where to go from there. Thanks for the recommendations!

I just used a leaf blower to wipe clean 7 miles of paved bike trail. It took 2 weekends but my commute should be wonderful for a couple years anyway. HAhahhhaAha
I also just mounted Continental Gatorskins. I knew they would be MUCH more puncture resistant but I had no idea they'd handle this much better than the OEM Kendra tires.

Lol, I actually thought about taking a broom to my stretch of road :D. I may go with some Gatorskins for my next pair.