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Tire talk

05.06.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 10 Comments

I picked up my bike from the LBS today. I had run it in for one of the two free tune-ups I get this year, since I bought it new at the shop in February. I figured it was important to get this taken care of now, since on Saturday, I’m riding in the Armadillo Hill Country Classic, and I want to make sure everything is copacetic.

So I was surprised when the mechanic wheeled it out and called up the report on it. “Gash on rear tire — recommend replacement ASAP.”

I usually do a quick visual check of the tire tread and sidewalls before starting a ride, and I hadn’t seen anything. But then, I have not been as diligent lately about wiping the tires off with an old towel, to make sure no nasties are stuck to the rubber. They’ve been covered with a fine layer of dirt I’ve picked up on rides, which makes it harder to detect any problems.

Sure enough, the mechanic and I rotated the tire slowly, and we found the gash — really a cut, about a half-inch long. We also found several tinier cuts.

The Specialized Mondo Pro with the blue Gerolsteiner stripes.

I had been really happy with the stock tires that came with the bike. They’re Specialized Mondo Pro, with blue stripes in the Gerolsteiner team shade. (My bike is the blue/black Gerolsteiner color scheme.) The tires I had had on my old Raleigh flatted frequently, one time twice on the same day. That bothered me, because the tire that flatted most often was a Continental Ultra Sport on the rear, and I had been led to understand that these were more resistant to flats. But the Mondo Pros performed like champs. And I admit I rode them over some debris-filled roads. Besides, my old front tire on the Raleigh was also a Specialized, and it never flatted.

The shop was out of the Mondo Pros, so for a replacement I chose its close cousin, the Specialized All Condition Pro.

Specialized All Condition Pro

It doesn’t have the colored stripes, but does have a traction belt where the color would be. The tread itself, instead of being smooth like the Mondo Pro, is siped for added traction. I haven’t ridden it yet, but I was relieved to leave the shop with it after catching what could have been a problem.

When I got home, I took a wet rag to the front tire and cleaned off the road crud. I found a small cut that they’d missed at the bike shop. It’s small enough that I doubt it will cause trouble this weekend (knock wood), but I will be watching it closely as I do my rides over the next couple of days.

What really got me in this whole experience was that the tire was only a little over two months old, and had maybe 500 miles on it. This is way short of the mileage a tire should normally get, although the glass and such that caused the cuts would certainly cut the tire’s life span short. I paid $42 for the new tire, and don’t relish the thought of replacing tires at that price every two to three months.

What’s your experience been with tires? Do they flat too often, or do you get good wear? Any pet brands? Brands to avoid?

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Comments

  1. Jared says

    May 6, 2008 at 10:59 pm

    I’ve ran Conti Ultra Sports before…I got tons of flats on them. A friend of mine runs them as well and she got 2 flats this weekend, although one was probably the tube more than the tire. However I don’t think I’ll ever run Ultra Sports again! The Ultra GatorSkins are super tough but they ride like it too…Right now I’m running a set of Vredestein Fortezza SEs. You can pick them up for $25 a pop at Performance and they’re foldable which is a big plus for me. They ride really well too!

    What length ride are you planning on doing at the Armadillo Classic? Maybe you, me and Mike can all meet up.

    Reply
  2. rainycamp says

    May 6, 2008 at 11:13 pm

    I’m signed up for the 51 mile route. I’d love to do a meet up. I will be in a white jersey with blue shoulders and sleeves. Blue helmet with silver stripes. Blue and black bike. Blue socks. Do you see a pattern here?

    Reply
  3. Arlyn Asch says

    May 7, 2008 at 12:11 am

    I’ve used the Vredestein Fortezzas and liked them but didn’t get the mileage on them I was expecting. I am currently running Conti GP 4000’s and love them. Great wear and I only get flats when they wear out (re: get too thin).

    Reply
  4. Dave says

    May 7, 2008 at 7:44 am

    I run Conti Grand Prix 4000’s on my roady, and love them. No flats at all, and fantastic handling I run Conti Town and Country’s on my MTB, and have had one flat. It was a puncture wound in the side that would have hurt even my knobbies. I’ve not had them on long enough to really gauge the handling, since I tend to keep things a little more easy-going with the heavy panniers on the rack.

    A friend of mine bought his Conti Grand Prix 4000’s the same day I bought mine, and had a puncture flat the first ride out, within 5 miles. He had another puncture last weekend.

    I consider none of the above cases to be tire issues. Run over prickly things, and get a flat. It happens. Keep spare tubes and flat kits with you whenever possible.

    So far, I’m a fan of Conti, but I’m by no means a fan-boy. I may try another brand just to see how they go later this season.

    Reply
  5. joel says

    May 7, 2008 at 8:15 am

    I don’t have much of an option for tires on my commuter – it’s an older (’72) Schwinn and has Schwinn-sized wheels. I was having trouble with flats so I bought some liners and no more problems. I would love a set of reflective sidewalls, but nobody makes them in my size.

    Reply
  6. Charles Cushman says

    May 7, 2008 at 11:09 am

    I run the gator skins and have had no problems. They are on my steel bike so that may help smooth out the ride.

    Another thing to help with flats is to check your tire pressure regularly. I check mine at least once a week (with a gauge) before my group ride, and more if I am doing any rides over 20 miles.

    Reply
  7. Murali says

    May 7, 2008 at 11:47 am

    My Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase tires have worked well for me. They are on the heavier side, but have made up for it by being very durable. Over 1000 miles on the with no flats.

    Reply
  8. Michael says

    May 7, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    I’ve run Specialized Armadillo’s, Conti Four Season, Panaracer T-Serv, among others. Nothing holds a candle to the Schwalbe Marathon series of tires. The heaviest of the breed, the Matathon
    Plus last 8000+ miles before the amount of second layer rubber starts to make me nervous. That said, I have NEVER had a flat on the road using those tires. The tires I am using now are a fair bit lighter–the Marathon Supreme. Those have given me 6000 miles per tire before they looked too worn to trust and a total of three flats in a bit over 8000 miles of use. My trike came equipped with Marathons (no second name) but are too new to judge yet, I’ve only had time to put ~140 miles on them. My biggest problem with Schwalbe Marathon tires is flats are so far between that I have to insure there is a virgin tube of glue in my repair kit.

    Reply
  9. cccorlew says

    May 7, 2008 at 10:30 pm

    If I worried about cuts smaller than large gashes I’d be buying new tires every week here in the Land of Broken Glass.
    As long as I don’t have cord or tube hanging out I’m good to go.

    Reply

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