martian_

Hi,

I've been riding my 08 Poprad for about half a year now, and its stock tires are dangerously thin. What kind of tires should I get to replace them?

How I ride:
Casual rides, usually 4-5 a week at 20-30 miles each. I'm often on pavement, but I love diving onto fire trails or single track when I can, so I definitely want a tire that can handle some (albeit minor) abuse.

I'm also training for RAGBRAI this summer (~450 miles). This will be all highway and street riding, so I'm thinking that I should also invest in slicks and get used to riding them early in the season.

I'm still a novice cyclist and am not really sure where to start. Thanks in advance for any tips or recommendations.

CM

10 Wheels

What size are your tires?
Do you like the tires you have now?

flargle

Panaracer Pasela TG 700x35c

chalex

What makes you say that? I ride on 700x28 slicks, and they can handle dirt trails, gravel trails, cobblestone just fine. Not that I like to ride on those surfaces as it's awfully rough on my arms on a rigid bike, but it works fine.

If you already have 700x35, can you even fit fatter tires in the frame/fork? Have you tried lowering the pressure a bit? That will give you a softer ride and more grip off-pavement.

knobster

How about getting a second wheelset to put a set of cross tires on? Something like Mavic Open Pro can be picked up quite cheaply. I've seen them on here for $100. You can a new set from some online retailers for $150-200. Might be able to find some other wheels on craigslist pretty cheaply also.

M_S

Ritchey Speedmax on the offroad end, any touring tire, like the pasela mentioned above, if road is more of a priority.