Two Wheel Blogs

Some may know that I am rather passionate about bikes and tires. It probably comes as little surprise that it is a major ordeal when it comes time to buy more tires for my bike.

Last night I finished my ride and noticed after close inspection, that my rear tire has exposed fabric. I really enjoyed the ride qualities of the Michelin Pro Race 3 tires. Just recently I was bragging to someone how well these tires performed (traction, ride quality, and durability). I am still quite happy with how well they performed, but I can not tell you how many miles I used them. I can report that I got about 3 months of riding from them which is pretty good for a true race tire.

I really do not expect that many will be all that interested in my shopping/quest for new tires, but I am going to try something new to explore the field a bit. It is hard to explain my expectations in a tire, but I really like the feeling I get from the right combination of tire, tube and inflation pressure. For me, there is a certain pleasure in having a bike that performs like it is an extension of me and the right contact between the machine and the road is a large part of that experience.

One thing I know for sure is I will continue using latex tubes. I started a case study a while back at about the same time I installed my Pro Race 3 tires. I guess that case study ends with replacement of these tires. For the record, I had no flats with latex tubes for the life of the tire, though I am not sure I would credit the tube with flat prevention. On the other hand, I have heard numerous reports of dissatisfied Pro Race 3 users that seemed to experience an inordinate number of flat tires.