The tire thread
 

What's your favorite tire/tyre, and why?

Fyxation Session 500 28s. I've had one flat in some 500+ miles and that was riding through pure hell (deep south Texas doesn't have the friendliest plants) off roading. They always seem to have lots of traction, look great and are bulletproof. I've skidded them, but not without a serious amount of locking it up to get there. They grip like I expect a quality tire to do.

Continental GP4000S's. They roll for days, and the ride is incredibly smooth and plush, even on 23c tires. Even though the are fast and smooth, they still grip amazingly well. Love them!

vittoria randonneur. if you ride real-world roads it's just the best feeling/lasting/performing tire for the money i'd say.

Continental Gatorskin at the front for a good compromise between puncture resistance and rolling resistance but whose cost to skid durability ratio is bit a too high to run in the rear. Soma Everwear in the rear for the generous 5mm thick thread to last a long long time riding brakeless and resist punctures via brute force; get a smaller diameter size and inflate to a higher PSI if rolling resistance is important to you.

not really worth stating that you like a certain tire unless you list all of the tires you've tried.

-michelin pro race 3: great feel around 20mph. not that supple at low speed. wouldn't use in city for daily use unless for ****s.
-continental gatorskin wire bead (700cx25): haven't had a flat yet. a little heavy with the wire bead, but good rolling resistance. not much feel. find myself going slower in corners.
-vittoria rubino pro 2: awesome, sticky feel at all speeds. takes some getting used to with the dual compound. finding cuts in the tread but no flats.
-low end kendas: came stock on my old redline 925. was going to upgrade to vittoria randonneurs, but they've held up surprisingly well.
-continental ultrasport: worst pos tire i've ever owned. tread life is nil. feel absolutely awful in the rain. avoid at all costs.
-challenge criterium tubulars: great cornering feel but not nearly enough sidewall protection for city use.
-continental sprinter tubulars: good compromise for a useable tubular. significantly better feel than a gatorskin clincher.
-vittoria rally tubulars: pos tubulars that are the same as many other low-end tires. it'll get you buy. at least they look nice.
-fps seca rs: great road feel but subpar tread life.

my favorite tires out of these are probably the vittoria rubino pro 2.

if you are comparing kendas to randos you need to try randos so you stop expousing such nonsense:lol:

agreed on gatorskins.

I like clown sous bong.

Conti gp4ks, kenda kaliente iron cloak

100% agree! I think I got about a month of ride time on mine until there was nothing left.

I'm looking forward to trying the Randonneur (and Rubino) as well as some Paselas.

that's not what i meant. i just meant that they're not something i need to replace asap. i'd rather have them run their course. if they were ultrasports, for example, i'd feel differently.

For touring/commuting-Continental contact 37mm Hold up super well, I've got about 2500 miles on mine and they still look like new. Roll super fast at about 70psi, corner well grip well in the rain, etc

For cross all a-rounder/gravel/snow- maxis raze 33mm Not ultra lightweight but not a pig either. These grip well off road but have a near continuous center tread so they roll pretty quick. For mostly road rides I'll keep them at about 65 psi in the rear and 55 in front, if I know I'm going to be spending most of my time off road I like about 10-15psi lower in each tire.

For value vitoria zafiros 23-28mm They retail for $18 at the shop I work at, they have pretty good flat protection, roll pretty quick and once again are cheap. Not great in the rain, but again are cheap.

For road riding challenge parigi-roubaix 27mm. Not every road bike can take these but if possible they are awesome! I find they run best around 105-110psi in the rear and 95-100 in front. They corner great, are fairly lightweight, and roll very quickly.

These are just a few tires that I really dig, different situations require different tires.
One topic that isn't very exciting and doesn't get talked about much is tire pressure. I think that some of my favorite tires feel like crap with the wrong pressure. The maxis raze for example feels like crap if you go much over 70-75psi. I'd be interested to hear if people have specific pressures that they like to run, or if they just go to max psi like the majority of the riding public does.

ib4 carleton asplodes on the thread title.

gatorskins are naise.

So far Panaracer Pasela TGs are my favorite. Not one flat except from a goat head(which will puncture anything) and I know I have ridden through glass and a lot of other crap. They roll nicely, aren't that heavy, look good, and dont cost a ton. I'm not such a fan of Gatorskins because I got a flat on the very first ride.

Gp400s are the best I have tried. Great tires in every way but they cost a lot.

Sport: Continental GP4000S
Sport/Durable: Continental Gatorskin or Continental Gatorskin Hardshell
Durable/Gumwall: Panaracer Pasela TG (Tourguard)

I used to be all about Panaracer T-Servs, but I've been warming up to Gatorskins recently, especially since I switched over to 23s. 25 just felt like too much rubber.

Uh oh! - what's wrong with the thread title?...

Nothing, IMO.

But in his opinion...

Serfas Seca RS. I've tried these, thickslicks, and whatever cambodian sweatshop tires come on eighthinch amelias.

Serfas Seca RS are light (under 200g apiece) and in the entire time I've ridden them I have not had one flat. They're nice and grippy too. Oh and what's best is they only cost about $30 and come in a ton of colors!
http://bikonomics.com/images/library...rs_gy_10_m.jpg

What is the difference between the Pasela and the T-Serv? They look very similar.

only tire ive spent alot of time on are the serfas seca rs, They where grippy but ****ty flat protection. Flats all the friggin time.

i just recently bought gatorskins.

Just installed a set of Paselas (kevlar but not TGs, the white/cream ones). Huge improvement in ride over the big 35c Schwalbe Deltas I was riding. Like getting a new bike going from 35s to 28s. Have also had Specialized Armadillos a few years back that I thought rode like crap.

Paselas ride really nicely and the other pair I had lasted for a long time with not very many flats and they are inexpensive. Would like to try Duranos as well.

Do you pump them up to their max of 130 psi?

I've never had a problem while keeping them at 110...

yeah thats what i rode them at lol. ive pulled many a thorn out of them, two to three flats a month on them.
ive a closet full of tubes lol

Gum sidewalls? I haven't used the Paselas, but according to Panaracer's website they have the exact same TPI and similar weights between their respective folding bead versions. T-Serv is not available in steel bead, if that means anything to you. Might be different rubber compounds, not sure.