Your Favorite Road Tires You Never Knew About!

Hopefully you don't need this many hands on deck

When a rider gets a good gash in their tire there are a couple of initial thoughts. Most of them are spelled with several $%& and #@$'s. But after the frustration release, most people don't see the glass as half full.

Think of it like this: Now you can try out a new tire!

The first time I heard this reasoning it felt like somebody just asked, in serious, if I had a "case of the Mondays." But the more it happened, the more I realized how different a change in rubber can be. Now, as long as they are fairly spaced, I find a good tire cut can be a liberating change.
The key to getting this "zen" about flats and tire change-ups is knowing the tire market. Ask what the difference in tread, tire pressure and shape. What is this tire designed for? Like a good wine or beer, you can talk about it all day long, but it doesn't mean anything until you try it.

To start your journey away from a radial rut, I've enlisted John B. Our leading tire expert, to give the run down on a few road tires that everyone should try out at least once! We will be doing the same for mountain tires very soon!
Take it away, John!

One can say there are three avenues when it comes to tire selection; ride quality, flat protection and great all round performance.

Ride Quality

Vittorias are made with Egyptian
cotton. Really.

For ride quality you would look for the density of the fabric in threads per inch (TPI). Think of this the same as shopping for new bed sheets, we all look for the higher thread number because it feels better.  The higher the TPI the more flexible the tire to absorb micro impacts, increases grip thanks to greater contact surface with the road plus  faster speeds , thanks to low rolling resistance.

For ride quality, nothing beats Vittoria

Vittoria Tires offer the highest TPI of any manufacture with their Corsa range, boasting a TPI of 320 .
This family of cotton tires is incredibly tough and fine, makes for the lightest  supplest and fastest casing ever. For several of the Orange Cycle Staff, Vittoria has become their tire of choice due to the ride quality.


Protection & Distance

Now you can see why they're called
gatorskins.

If you are a high mileage rider and are looking for a high mileage tire with excellent puncture protection Continental may have what you need with their Gator Hardshell. This tire offers three levels of puncture protection, Duraskin is a bead to bead protection, then there is a extra wide  PolyX Breaker from their automotive tires which is a very dense fabric, highly resistant to any kind of foreign body without reducing the rol
ling resistance To finish it off, Hardshell Protection, providing added sidewall protection without compromising ride quality or adding unnecessary weight.

A Little of Both
For a great all round tire we look for a balance o
f ride quality and protection Specialized have the Espoir Elite. This tire has a dual compound rubber, a harder rubber for the center of the tire for low rolling resistance and longer wear, and softer rubber is used on the sides of the tread for better traction and more control in corners. Under the tread is 2 strips of Blackbelt puncture protection, this lightweight barrier protects against glass, nails, or whatever else the road throws in your way. and is highly flexible to keep rolling resistance low.

I hope this showed there are many options of ride and quality to be found between your wheel and the road. Have you tried any tires that you've fallen in love with, or will never unfold again? Let us know! If you have any other questions or comments, let us know or stop by the shop. We love talking about this stuff!

Coming Soon: your favorite Mountain Tires, you never knew about!