Yep, that's them all right. There is a sharp side always sticking up as they lie on the ground. Not only are they bad for your tires, they will actually penetrate some shoes and give you a nasty jolt.

Nice! I recognize the Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tread.

I got a lot of mileage out of some contis (country ride I think) that I got for $5 ea used. When they wore through, I decided to take everybody else's enthusiastic recommendation and lay out the long green for the Supremes. I got 700x50 for my CrossCheck, and they seem great. Super comfy, that's for sure. No flats yet, I'm nearing 1000mi and the front tire is just now shedding the last of its central molding ridge.

The cheap tires I use on one of my bikes are Performance Forte Metro K (K for Kevlar belt) 26x1.25"/559-32 tires and they have provided excellent performance and flat protection. Reasonably light, smooth tread, no on-the-road flats since I started used them 2-3 years ago.

I went to the big fall GABA bikeswap in downtown Tucson many years ago. I picked up some semi-knobby 26in x 1.5in tires for $3 each. One said Swiss Army on it the other was some chinese name. I thought I'd put them on my commuter bike and get a year or two out of them. Last year, after about 8 years, I finally took them off the commuter bike and put some better road tires on the bike. Those old tires still have plenty of tread on them. I may use them again in winter or just give them to someone that can use them. I got my $6 worth out of them.

Conti Ultra Gatorskins (700x28C) - I just put 8,000 commuting miles in two years on the rear tire with no flats. Wet traction sucks, but they are good for dry conditions. Ride quality is okay.

Vittoria Randonneur Pro (700x35C) - I've got almost 4,000 commuting and levee road miles with no flats so far. Great puncture protection, and they float over gravel pretty well. Great all around tire, but they are heavy and slow for their size. That's the price you pay for durability and puncture protection.

Panaracer Pasela (700X32C) - I got these for $5/pair at a Bike Swap Meet. Best feeling ride I've felt on a tire. I plan on purchasing them again for other bikes.

Forte Pro+ (700X25C) - Okay feel, too many flats, only lasted 1,000-2,000 miles. A total waste of money.

Ritchey Speedmax Comp (700X35C) - Picked these up used for $1 per tire. Great feel on gravel. No flats in about 100 miles.

I'm loving the Panaracer RiBMo right now. $37 for a 1.25x26.

Well if we're Totally Telling Terrific Tire Tales, here, I mentioned my current Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700x50 above, but, a tire I truly LOVE is the Nashbar Slick City Tire (on sale for $12 right now). Really cheap, terrifically reviewed, great, sticky traction, fast-rolling.

I hadn't biked for probably 15 years, and I bought an old mongoose mtb off CL for $50. Before long one of the tires asploded, so I had to get some replacements. On kind of a whim, I got a pair of those slicks. Put them on, this mtb looked like a porn star, i.e. shockingly bald down below. But I got on and rode and WOW biking was fun again! It is well known around BF what a difference it makes switching from knobs to slicks on the road, but I knew almost nothing about bikes back then and had no idea.

I credit those tires with launching be back into cycling again, to the point that I'm a full-time bike-commuter now, almost living as a single-car family. (I still have "my" car, but it lives in the parking deck at work for months at a time, waiting for something to come up where my wife and I both need to drive different places at the same time).

At the moment, those tires are all that stand between my middle son and needing a second bike! Oldest already has road+mtb, but for now I am able to save space in the garage so he has only his Gary Fisher rigid mtb, I put on slicks or knobs depending on whether we're going on a road or trail ride.

Serfas Seca Survivor 700x25 - Great underrated tire at a decent price.

I've about 700 miles on Michelin Pro 4 Endurance 23mm. First day STP; after the swarm left the start line and about 1/4 mile out, I drilled about a 9"+ diameter 4" deep concrete chuckhole straight on. The kind of chuck hole with a sharp edge far side & I going about 15 downhill. I weigh 197 and my Colnago's pretty stiff. My buddy saw me hit the chuck hole and I expected a "BAM", but nothing happened. The 115 psi & light hands likely saved the tire, tube, possibly rim, from a nasty pinch. Nonetheless I was impressed though I'm glad that chuckhole wasn't any bigger. After two days of 200 miles comprising various & nasty bridge expansion joints, rail road crossings, chip seal, more chuckholes, glass, etc. I've no complaints.

Continental Country Tour Plus in 700X35. Put them on my cross bike that I commute on after several flats on the stock Sammy Slicks. When I first put them on I thought I had made a dreadfull mistake. They are quite heavy. But I (over) inflate them to 75 and that really seemed to help them roll faster. Not one flat in about one solid year of commuting, mixed surface and lot's of road debris. I'm happy with them but when I do replace them I'll look for something lighter.

Panaracer Gravel King 700x28: This tire has an amazingly supple ride while still rolling well and is super tough. I am super excited about this one when I feel the need for skinny tires. Even descending a 14k foot mountain I felt nothing but confident in my available traction.

Panaracer Pasela 700x38: I love this tire because it works well in so many places for me. It rolls well for its size, it has enough volume to handle most gravel/dirt roads well and it seems nearly impossible to wear out, it just lasts and lasts.

Clement X'Plor MSO 700x40: This is my go to rough gravel tire. It has enough volume to take the edge off of fresh gravel, rolls almost as well as a true slick road tire and still has enough grip for the occasional run down some single track trails.

If you are wondering why my commuter tires all lean towards "gravel grinder" tires it is because my commute is about 5 miles dirt roads and 2.5 miles of pavement.

got a ton of these at western bike works during their mega-sale ($23). they feel exactly like tricomps (have raced on these) and seem quite durable. i'm also a big fan of rubino pros - esp the slicks.

(for racing i now use tufo s33s which are simply marvelous.)


i was an advocate of serfas seca survivors (e.g. the flat protection upgraded ones) but have found that the rubber really hardens over time.

Luckily have learned to not read posts while actually sipping beverage. Otherwise keboard would have been hopelessly soaked. Great story, and what a valuable tire to have actually made such a difference in your life!

It's tough to find a good priced road tire at all IMO. I paid like $ 7 more, but still feel this is a good deal, from how they perform.

My wife has always ran Marathon Plus tyres on her commuter... with the IGH and enclosed chain case you don't want to have to deal with a flat and she never has.

But they are heavy and slow.

I run Marathons on many of my bikes and since I don't live in goathead territory they have been nearly bulletproof save for a thumb sized piece of glass I picked up that caused a slow leak.

I have been most impressed with Schwalbe's CX Compe and had a set of those go 10,000 km before I sold the bike and the tyres with it since they were still in fine shape.

My favourite is probably the Schwalbe Hurricane 26 by 2.0... it rolls faster than any Marathon and these have gone 12,000 km plus with no punctures and the tread life is amazing.



Notable mention has to go to Avocet Cross tyres... I also run these and they are amazing in every respect.

it is a very good deal especially since i definitely prefer them to rubino pros, conti 4000s, and michelin pros.

A few years back, when I was putting 15 to 20 city miles a day on, my tire of choice was the Continental City Ride. I wore through one (1) front and two (2) rear tiers with zero (0) flats. I really liked how smooth their wide, solid center strip rolled. After five years away from commuting by bike, I sad to see that continental no longer makes the City Ride.

I would gladly take recommendations for another tier with a wide continuous center.

Best,
Willk57

Regular commuter tires of choice:

Schwalbe Marathon 26 x 1.5, 27 x 1-1/4: Fantastic flat protection, I like the road feel of them. Slightly heavy. I have the 27" tires on an old Burley Tandem and they are excellent even two-up.

Panaracer T-Serv 26 x 1.5: Best road feel, light; compared to other tires, not as good in the flat protection realm and my experience is sucky sidewall protection.

Panaracer RiBMo 26 x 1.5: Just right -- not as heavy as Marathon, better protection than T-Serv


Outliers:

Schwalbe Big Apple 26 x 2.35: Not the best flat protection, surprisingly light for so big a tire, fantastic balloon tire performance.

Maxxis Hookworn 26 x 2.5: Indestructo tires. One tire weighs as much as a lightweight wheelset. Super fun.

Dude, yer makin me regret spending so much money on Marathon Supremes! They're nice, but very spendy, and they look pretty tame. Hurricaines would have looked more appropriately aggressive on the CrossCheck, as well as saving me probably $100.

I recently fitted Marathon Racers to my touring bike and these are lighter and faster rolling than the standard Marathon but their ride is still pretty stiff due to the Kevlar belts.

With a little break in the work schedule I think I am going to swap in those old Hurricanes which are hanging on the rack... I feel these are an excellent touring and trekking tyre and have fitted them to a large number of bicycles in my shop with nothing but exceptional reviews from customers.

With a 35-75 psi range the Hurricane can be ride tuned for a lot of conditions and are excellent on gravel and hard pack as well as running out very well on the road (I have ridden centuries on them).

For me the best all around combination of cost,durability and performance comes from the Panaracer Pasela line. I use the PT 32 mm on my Hillborne for all around or charity rides, the Soma Express (a derivative of the Pasela with a beefed up sidewall) on both my club rider in 25mm and my city bike in 650bx38. I love 'em.

My newest love is the the 50mm Schwalbe Big Ben tires I put on my touring/29er. They are surprisingly fast on pavement and stable and useful on everything else.


I have been known to go 18 months of year round riding without a flat. I'm allergic to flats, I break out in embarrassing obscenity.
We don't have goat heads in Michigan.

Marc

Marathon

I took the day off to relax and spent a few minutes messing with my Cascade... gotta say I love those Hurricanes and they don't give up much to the Marathon Racers (if anything) and the ride quality is so much better.

Tire threads are pretty calm. They're all the same; we all suggest the tires that have worked for us, and then we go on with life. Lighting threads? DANG! They end up in internet fist fights! As a matter of fact, that's why I posted earlier in this thread, cuz I had to beat up somebody in a Lighting thread and needed a minute. Thanks for letting me have a bit of a rest.

Tires are the thing we all have in common. They make an incredible difference in the way your bike handles/ performs. As for lights... I like the cheapies from Wal Mart. They actually perform well. Not trying to start something here!