Good flat resistant tire on a budget?
 

Hey, just posted about a patch problem, took off the tire and it literally fell apart. Pics to come later.

But the problem now, is I'm looking for a good puncture resistant tire for around $30. I'm heading up to the LBS on my way to work. Any ideas?

Do you have a Performance shop near you? These are pretty good and you can get two for under 30 bucks.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes..._1089785_-1___

They are Forte Strada K's, make sure you get the 'K's' and not the regular Strada's, the 'K's' have a Kevlar belt in them.

I found the Nashbar Prima 2 road tires to be pretty flat resistant. I picked up a pair for $9.99 a couple of years ago and probably 3000 miles ago and they are still pretty flat resistant. I think they are higher end Chen Shing tires.

I've got these on my commuter and just put a set on my son's new commuter. I flatted twice (one front, one rear) shortly after putting them on my bike. Having never flatted on the road with the Forte GT2/Ks they replaced (PBS discontinued these), I was very disappointed. I stuck with them, however, and have not flatted on the road in the 500 miles since (though I did get a Michelin thorn a couple of weeks ago that gave me a slow leak but was able to make it home before patching).

I have Conti Gatorskins on my road bike as well as my wife's. They've been awesome but are a bit above your budget.

If you have 700's,Pararacer TG's are good.I ran them on my touring bike for years.

Panaracer TG also come in 26", but I think they may have a different name. It's what I run, and get a flat about every 1000-2000 miles, with 5000-6000 miles per tire.

Same name in 26" - Panaracer Pasela TG. That's what I have on my LHT. I've only got about a thousand miles on mine and they look brand new. No flats yet, but since I typed it, I'll probably get a flat tomorrow.

$20 pair of Regular Fortes at Performance (once they were on sale for $7.50 apiece)
$10 pair of Mr. Tuffy at Bike Tires Direct.

$30 Total.

When I went to the bike shop, apparently my only two options were Kenda Kwest's for 15.99 a piece or Conti gator skins for $44 a piece. Went ahead and got the kenda. Wish I went for the gators, but I had to buy a tire, tube, and patch kit with a $50. Figured I'll be sure to find something in the mid range online.

900+ miles on the Strada K's on my '88 Fuji with no flats. Nice tire.

I've been running a pair of these recently in 25mm and I like them. Haven't really had them long enough to say they're great as far as flat resistance goes, but they seem good so far. They also feel pretty nice, and seem to have good grip.

If they do prove to be flat resistant, and decently long-wearing, they are a steal.

It makes my eyes get misty when I hear about bike shops like that....

My LBS is absurdly expensive when it comes to tires, so I always order online. Niagra Cycle Works often has Schwable Marathon (not plus) tires for around $30.

This is how I roll and have over 3200 miles on these tires and love them will order another set for the up coming year I ride a 2008 Fuji Touring Bike.
http://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...andonneur-tire

Consider a heavier thorn resistant tube, 2x the cost, 3x the rubber.
so air retention improves too..

Then cheaper tires will be sturdier..

That's what I've done as well. Was using a regular tube and got 2 flats in one week. I do about 300-400 miles a month and with thorn resist tubes I assume I'll go 2k miles before a flat this time.

Just threw some Serfas Drifters on my commuter. They have Serfas Flat protection system in them. They cost me $29/ea at my local REI. They get fantastic reviews on REI.com and Amazon. I love them so far! Excellent on pavement as well as dirt.

Forte Pro+ tires are pretty good. I've got about 3k miles on them with only one flat. They've held up much better than I expected, and the price was reasonable.

I'm picking up a pair of Bontrager Hardcase tires from my LBS after work today. At $39 each it's only another $20 bill for the pair, and reviews seem pretty solid with long life and great puncture resistance. I hope I like them!

+1, plus they are fast thin tires.

The regular Schwalbe Marathon (not the same as Marathon Plus) is a good tire for the money. It comes in at under $40, and it's not insanely heavy and stiff, but still pretty puncture resistant. They won't survive nails or anything crazy, but broken glass seems to be survivable with these tires.

Get a tire liner. Mr. Tuffy is one I've personally used and had great luck with.

In my experience, these cause more flats by rubbing on the tube than they prevent. Use with caution. And lots of talc.

I commute on Specialized Nimbus Sports, about $25-$30 each. Blackbelt protection is basically the Armadillo protection, just not all the way down the sidewalls. Comes in a bunch of sizes (26x1.5 and 700x28-38) too.