Tyres

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Johnhewitson
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Joined: 9 Jun 2021, 9:06pm

Tyres

Post by Johnhewitson »

Hi all, I'm still pretty new to road cycling, so just after some tyre advice here.
Firstly, roughly how often do you change tyres? I have a couple of little splits in mine now but only 2mm. (if that).
Secondly, where is best to get tyres from and what's a decent price? Mine are 700x28c. I don't really want to be spending loads but the old saying of 'buy cheap, buy twice' comes to mind.
I do have a bike shop near me so I will call into there.
Thanks,
John
Jdsk
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Re: Tyres

Post by Jdsk »

I most often buy tyres from SJS Cycles. In emergencies sometimes from Halfords (NB discount).

SJS Cycles because I sometimes need their advice and stock of other goodies and I need them to stay in business, even though I could probably get the tyres cheaper elsewhere.

Jonathan
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chris_suffolk
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Re: Tyres

Post by chris_suffolk »

I guess it depends what you want out of a tyre.

- Longevity
- Puncture resistance
- Weight
- Rolling resistance
- Price

Many people I know, me included, use Continental GP4000 or the new GP5000, but they are not cheap, and need to be ridden carefully as they can cut up. That said, my current front has done in excess of 6500 miles.

For winter / rough roads I use Schwalbe Durano Plus, which offer very good puncture resistance, but they are noticeably heavier and slower on the road - drops my speed maybe 1.5mph average.

So, I'd decide what you want out of a tyre, and then search accordingly.

This site is very good - https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/
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TrevA
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Re: Tyres

Post by TrevA »

Tyres do tend to pick up small cuts without compromising the tyre or getting a puncture. Worth checking whether the cut has penetrated through the carcass of the tyre - (you can only do this by removing the tyre). Cheaper alternatives include Vittoria Rubino or Zaffiro, Continental Gatorskins (good puncture resistance but not as fast rolling as some other tyres).

Most shops sell Gatorskins, but you may need to buy the others online.
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Cyclo2022
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Joined: 28 Jan 2022, 4:31pm

Re: Tyres

Post by Cyclo2022 »

A puncture is going to happen at some time no matter how careful you are though if you stick to mainly road riding then that reduces the possibility of getting a flat. Slime tubes are great for eliminating punctures and combine them with a good puncture Proof Tyre like a Fincci and your onto a winner. The other obvious option is to go tubeless.
Jupestar
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Re: Tyres

Post by Jupestar »

I used two be exclusive Panaracer. Most recently Evo A in summer, in winter Evo D or Gravelkings.

Price increase and availability made me branch out, GP5000’s are great, currently running Schwalbe Pro One TT, and they are really good too.

Can’t tell you which is best, other than that first ride when you out the summer tyres on, is always the best of the year…

Full retail price is really expensive £50+ per tyre. So I wait for them to come up reduced.
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andrew_s
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Re: Tyres

Post by andrew_s »

Johnhewitson wrote: 22 Jun 2022, 9:04pm
Firstly, roughly how often do you change tyres? I have a couple of little splits in mine now but only 2mm. (if that).
When they are worn out (unless I want to swap to a different tyre, such as a Conti Top Contact Winter, in that season).

Mileage isn't a very good measure of a tyre being worn out, as it depends on so many things.
By way of an example, I figure I wore my tyres at about 4 times the mileage rate on a camping tour in the Alps as at home. Same tyres, same bike, same me, all clean tarmac, but 1000 km touring put in as much wear as 4000 km did at home.

Keep an eye out for signs of the fabric casing under the rubber. If the tyre is off for a puncture, feel the thickness and compare the centre of the tread with the thicker tread either side, If the tyre originally had a noticeable tread (either knobs or grooves), watch out for them vanishing. A worn tyre will puncture more than a less worn tyre,
etc etc.

As an indication, for a road bike with 28 mm tyres, I normally reckon on 2-3000 miles front, 5-7000 rear.
I don't generally try evening up the wear by swapping tyres front and rear. Apart from anything else, a worn rear tyre goes flat across the middle of the tread, and then putting it on the front doesn't help the steering any.

The most I ever knew of someone getting out of a pair of bike tyres was 42,000 miles (Conti Top Touring 26x1.75), and it was age that got them in the end, rather than wear.
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Cugel
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Re: Tyres

Post by Cugel »

andrew_s wrote: 22 Jun 2022, 11:56pm (snip)

As an indication, for a road bike with 28 mm tyres, I normally reckon on 2-3000 miles front, 5-7000 rear.
I don't generally try evening up the wear by swapping tyres front and rear. Apart from anything else, a worn rear tyre goes flat across the middle of the tread, and then putting it on the front doesn't help the steering any.

(snip)
Have you got that wear rate the right way 'round, wheelwise? I've always found that the rear tyre wears long before the front tyre, presumably because one's thrusts going through it to propel the bicycle scrub off rubber to create those flats you mentioned.

I discovered long ago that my front tyre generally became due for a change with the effects of age, not wear. There's very little wear but perhaps an accumulation of wee cuts, some degradation of the rubber on the sidewalls or similar. These days I always swap a front tyre on to the rear when the rear tyre has worn a flat and gone too thin on the crown, putting a new tyre on the front. This means the one-time front tyre wears out on the back before it dies of perish on the front.

Another source of tyre wear is the skid. I rarely get the braking anticipation so wrong that I end up over-applying the brakes and perhaps skidding the back tyre. But when racing (long ago now) skids were not uncommon as one attempted to avoid hitting someone in front who had made a sudden and unanticipated move; or crashed.

A serious skid can wear a lightweight road tyre down to the carcass just like that! So, if you habitually skid, for whatever reason, it pays to look for the area of the skidded tyre that is probably worn much more than the rest of the tyre. Such areas can be a hidden thin spot that'll puncture much more easily. Sometimes they bleb and go bang!

Cugel
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Jamesh
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Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Tyres

Post by Jamesh »

andrew_s wrote: 22 Jun 2022, 11:56pm
Johnhewitson wrote: 22 Jun 2022, 9:04pm
Firstly, roughly how often do you change tyres? I have a couple of little splits in mine now but only 2mm. (if that).
When they are worn out (unless I want to swap to a different tyre, such as a Conti Top Contact Winter, in that season).

Mileage isn't a very good measure of a tyre being worn out, as it depends on so many things.
By way of an example, I figure I wore my tyres at about 4 times the mileage rate on a camping tour in the Alps as at home. Same tyres, same bike, same me, all clean tarmac, but 1000 km touring put in as much wear as 4000 km did at home.

Keep an eye out for signs of the fabric casing under the rubber. If the tyre is off for a puncture, feel the thickness and compare the centre of the tread with the thicker tread either side, If the tyre originally had a noticeable tread (either knobs or grooves), watch out for them vanishing. A worn tyre will puncture more than a less worn tyre,
etc etc.

As an indication, for a road bike with 28 mm tyres, I normally reckon on 2-3000 miles front, 5-7000 rear.
I don't generally try evening up the wear by swapping tyres front and rear. Apart from anything else, a worn rear tyre goes flat across the middle of the tread, and then putting it on the front doesn't help the steering any.

The most I ever knew of someone getting out of a pair of bike tyres was 42,000 miles (Conti Top Touring 26x1.75), and it was age that got them in the end, rather than wear.
I'm the opposite rears wear before the fronts! :?: :?: :?:
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andrew_s
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Re: Tyres

Post by andrew_s »

Cugel wrote: 23 Jun 2022, 9:14am
andrew_s wrote: 22 Jun 2022, 11:56pm As an indication, for a road bike with 28 mm tyres, I normally reckon on 2-3000 miles front, 5-7000 rear.
Have you got that wear rate the right way 'round, wheelwise?
Cugel
As you spotted, I got the wheels the wrong way round (i.e. 2-3000 rear, 5-7000 front)
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CyberKnight
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Re: Tyres

Post by CyberKnight »

from experience get one that you find works with your rim as some tyre/rim combos are a swine to change in the event of a puncture .
Currently running zaffiro pros on the commuter that offer a good balance between speed , protection and grip with the bonus that they are easy to change if needed ,
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gxaustin
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Re: Tyres

Post by gxaustin »

I changed my Conti 5000Tl rear tyre after 3,800 miles. I'm about to change its replacement on a fairly similar mileage. The front tyre has lasted out both rears and will be changed this time around too. Not because the tread has worn out but because there aare so many nicks and little cuts.
leftpoole
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Re: Tyres

Post by leftpoole »

Continental Gatorskins 700 x 28 are perfect and last well.
Johnhewitson
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Re: Tyres

Post by Johnhewitson »

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to have a good look around at the weekend. My tyres aren't worn out but I did a long ride on Saturday and noticed a slight bumping while riding. When I looked at the tyres the rear seemed warped at one point. They aren't even that old either.
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andrew_s
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Re: Tyres

Post by andrew_s »

What can happen is a flint cutting one or two of the tyre body strands, and them subsequently slipping over each other to give a deformed tyre, typically with a localised side to side wobble. You'd expect it to go with a previous puncture, but it isn't necessarily so.
There's no point trying to preserve the tyre; IME, the tyre wears through at the site of the wobble very quickly.
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