Monday, October 13, 2008

Time for a new tire

Cleaning my bike off after the grimy, rainy commute home, I saw this:


This tire lasted 3,000 miles. Not too bad at all, considering the kinds of roads I ride on and how short the life span of the original tires were. The whole center line is very thin all the way around and there are a few other spots on the tire kind of like this one, but this is the biggest. This is the same tire that took a nail through the kevlar and sidewall back in September. The Park Tool Glueless patch is still holding well, and the tire is structurally just fine where the puncture happened.

They might not be the best for racers that need to corner or brake hard (as I found out in May) but I've been more than happy with them for their durability. The next tire I buy for this bike will be a Bonti Hard-Case.

Unfortunately, I can't afford a new tire until Wednesday's homeward commute. I may see if I have one of my OEM Tires (Bontrager Select) laying around until then. I'd rather spend the cash gearing up the Goat for winter, so I may finish out the season with one of the gimpy Bonti Selects if I can find one in my pile of bike parts.

4 comments:

Robert Johnson said...

I would recommend a Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire. Mine have about 4,000 miles on them and still look great. So far I have had ZERO punctures and I know of three other people with them and none of them have had a puncture either.

They are heavy and expensive but WELL worth it.

For what its worth I am a car free full time bicycle commuter and LCI. : )

Chuong Doan said...

Yeah, let me second the Schwalbes!
I bought 28's for my wife. Dunno if those will fit your Trek though.

kG said...

I third the Schwalbes, but only in spirit: we don't have any local dealers, but I've heard they are great. This looks a lot like my Specialized ACAE tires, but mine unfortunately had a LOT more tread left when I got the big flap that wouldn't stay put. YOURS, from the shot above - well, you got every dime's worth! I've been happy with my Panaracers - with about 2200 miles, and lots of tread left.

Chuong Doan said...

Actually I saw a set at Family Bikes the other day. Givem a call.

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