Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I called all of my LBS to ask about tire prices and they all said that 25s start at $28. I was thinking about just going to a sporting goods store. A store near me has some "Michelin dynamic sport"tires for $15.99, are they okay? I may go out in the heat and get them today.
I used to get the gum-walled tires at K-Mart, for my Varsity. I think they were around $5.00 - back in the day. They were fine - on my Varsity, just trying to get to class.
I called all of my LBS to ask about tire prices and they all said that 25s start at $28. I was thinking about just going to a sporting goods store. A store near me has some "Michelin dynamic sport"tires for $15.99, are they okay? I may go out in the heat and get them today.
I am sure those Michelins will be fine. They are probably not as supple a casing and not ride as well, but they will do in a pinch. Looking at the Michelin website, even though they are called "sport" their rating only gives them one star for sport. They recommend for usage more for touring and best usage for leisure. So don't expect any kind of performance. But that is probably not what you are looking for.
Just as a side note - You don't necessarily have to feel that since you got your Raleigh for so little, that any upgrades to it, such as tires, have to be just as cheap to keep it in line with its actual cost - to you. That bike, when new was not cheap, so don't feel that new components, parts or accessories, should somehow reflect your initial cost of the bike and get the cheapest you can find.
I am sure those Michelins will be fine. They are probably not as supple a casing and not ride as well, but they will do in a pinch. Looking at the Michelin website, even though they are called "sport" their rating only gives them one star for sport. They recommend for usage more for touring and best usage for leisure. So don't expect any kind of performance. But that is probably not what you are looking for.
Just as a side note - You don't necessarily have to feel that since you got your Raleigh for so little, that any upgrades to it, such as tires, have to be just as cheap to keep it in line with its actual cost - to you. That bike, when new was not cheap, so don't feel that new components, parts or accessories, should somehow reflect your initial cost of the bike and get the cheapest you can find.
I was kind of thinking like that. If I buy $30 tires that is over half what I paid for the bike, I guess I need to look at it as you said and get that out of my mind. Is $30 a tire the norm? I thought tires would be from $15-$20.
Who doesn't? It is easy to do that. I do it too. I have a real nice suede leather baseball style jacket, I got it at Sam's for 30 bucks 10 or more years ago (I've seen it retail for $150), but the zipper went out pretty early in its life. It was going to cost me over $50 to have a tailor put a new zipper in. WWHHHAAAAATTT??! But I only paid $30 for it. Guess what...it is still hanging in a closet. I just need to go get it repaired and realize that if I just spend $50, I'll have a brand new $150 jacket. But as hot as it has been in Dallas, It is not a priority. Getting new derailleur cables installed my Serotta is a priority.
Quote:
If I buy $30 tires that is over half what I paid for the bike, I guess I need to look at it as you said and get that out of my mind. Is $30 a tire the norm? I thought tires would be from $15-$20.
You can get into decent tires for $30. Just get wire bead. Folding tires are for carrying as a spare.
I'll echo PanTerra and say not to worry too much about the cost of parts for your bike. You got a good deal on it, and good parts are usually worth the price. I paid $50 for my bike and I've probably spent $1000+ on it, and for me it's been worth every penny. In my case I simply viewed that $50 bike as a base for what I had planned. Good tires are generally worth the money, but since you're just starting out you probably don't need to worry about buying very expensive tires. You can limit yourself to $25 each and get some awesome tires. One thing you might want to consider if the budget allows is a puncture resistant tire. Where I used to live I could hardly ride down the street without getting a flat, so I pretty much HAD to buy puncture resistant tires. But for me they were well worth the higher price. I always used Continental Gator Skins until I discovered Paselas. The Continentals were fine but I much prefer the Paselas. I also used a couple of brands' super heavy duty 26 inch tires on my commuter, but those offered no performance whatsoever and I only used them to avoid flats at all costs. But there are lots of different puncture resistant tires out there, I'm just not sure about prices. I know you can get the puncture resistant Paselas for $27 each. But a quick search for the Gatorskins showed some surprisingly high prices. I could have sworn I used to get them for no more than $30 each at my local bike shop, but I was a regular customer there so they often gave me cheaper-than-normal prices.
I'll echo PanTerra and say not to worry too much about the cost of parts for your bike. You got a good deal on it, and good parts are usually worth the price. I paid $50 for my bike and I've probably spent $1000+ on it, and for me it's been worth every penny. In my case I simply viewed that $50 bike as a base for what I had planned. Good tires are generally worth the money, but since you're just starting out you probably don't need to worry about buying very expensive tires. You can limit yourself to $25 each and get some awesome tires. One thing you might want to consider if the budget allows is a puncture resistant tire. Where I used to live I could hardly ride down the street without getting a flat, so I pretty much HAD to buy puncture resistant tires. But for me they were well worth the higher price. I always used Continental Gator Skins until I discovered Paselas. The Continentals were fine but I much prefer the Paselas. I also used a couple of brands' super heavy duty 26 inch tires on my commuter, but those offered no performance whatsoever and I only used them to avoid flats at all costs. But there are lots of different puncture resistant tires out there, I'm just not sure about prices. I know you can get the puncture resistant Paselas for $27 each. But a quick search for the Gatorskins showed some surprisingly high prices. I could have sworn I used to get them for no more than $30 each at my local bike shop, but I was a regular customer there so they often gave me cheaper-than-normal prices.
One of the bike shops I went in earlier today had some Gatorskins for $55 a piece. Do you know if those self sealing tubes really work? I saw some in Wal-mart and was thinking about getting them and returning the tubes I already have.
I'll echo PanTerra and say not to worry too much about the cost of parts for your bike. You got a good deal on it, and good parts are usually worth the price. I paid $50 for my bike and I've probably spent $1000+ on it, and for me it's been worth every penny. In my case I simply viewed that $50 bike as a base for what I had planned. Good tires are generally worth the money, but since you're just starting out you probably don't need to worry about buying very expensive tires. You can limit yourself to $25 each and get some awesome tires. One thing you might want to consider if the budget allows is a puncture resistant tire. Where I used to live I could hardly ride down the street without getting a flat, so I pretty much HAD to buy puncture resistant tires. But for me they were well worth the higher price. I always used Continental Gator Skins until I discovered Paselas. The Continentals were fine but I much prefer the Paselas. I also used a couple of brands' super heavy duty 26 inch tires on my commuter, but those offered no performance whatsoever and I only used them to avoid flats at all costs. But there are lots of different puncture resistant tires out there, I'm just not sure about prices. I know you can get the puncture resistant Paselas for $27 each. But a quick search for the Gatorskins showed some surprisingly high prices. I could have sworn I used to get them for no more than $30 each at my local bike shop, but I was a regular customer there so they often gave me cheaper-than-normal prices.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
