Vittoria Zaffiro. Stocked by Kraynik's and advertises in Urban Velo. I love them.
Some may advocate wider tires and I think they are probably right. Your frame (and fenders) will dictate tire size more than your rim.
2010-02-17 20:03:20
13
best road tire for pgh
i'm sure this has been discussed before, but i'm building a new bike and want to get a tire that will hopefully last me awhile. my new wheels will be mavic cxp 33s which can use 19-28mm tires.
2010-02-17 19:50:26
Personally, I don't think there's any reason to run less than 25mm tires unless you are a weight-weenie road racer (personally, I raced on 28s and can confidently say tire width was not the reason I am so slow).
If you can run 28mm tires (can you get Zaffiros that wide?), then go for it. The ride will be a bit more comfortable and your performance won't really suffer.
I've also had very good luck with Vittoria Randonneur tires, though they can be a bit difficult to mount on some rims.
2010-02-17 20:13:34
Seconding Vittoria Randonneurs. They're what I've been riding, in 28mm, for about a year on my daily commuter. No problems whatsoever during that time. ('course I've just jinxed that, I'm sure).
They're even doing reasonably OK in the slush we have on the roads now.
2010-02-17 20:52:21
I've enjoyed my time on Panaracer Pasela Tourguards and Continental Gatorskins. Both can be had at pretty reasonable prices.
2010-02-17 20:57:41
A couple of companies have been advertising tires with reflective sidewalls, Duro, Panaracer, that just seems like pure genius. Anybody used any of those?
2010-02-17 21:47:05
I think the Vittoria Randos have them, and my Schwalbe Marathon Winters have them, too. Pretty slick, and they generally work well as long as your sidewall isn't covered with muck.
2010-02-17 21:52:55
I'm not sure what threat they're supposed to address.
2010-02-17 22:15:56
I have a set of Schwalbe big apples (from when I lived in a flatland) with reflective side walls. The tires wore down before the reflective stuff did. They look pretty cool, and make it easy to find your bike at night in a massive pile of bike parking, provided you took your headlight with you. I suppose it is easier for cars to see that, hey, that's a bike! when they see the two big glowly rings moving along in front of them.
2010-02-17 22:32:43
@Lyle; Really?
2010-02-18 01:07:02
My next set of tires for my long haul are going to have the reflective side walls.
2010-02-18 14:12:42
If you like the reflective sidewalls, want a good all-around tire, and don't mind spending a few bucks, Schwalbe's Marathon Racers are the bee's knees. They roll well, wear well, handle slick surfaces well, and don't easily puncture. Not cheap, but worth it in my experience.
2010-02-18 17:59:29
i love the reflective side walls!
2010-02-18 19:52:30