commuter bike questions

[kilara]

So a good friend of mine had his bike stolen while at work, sadly it was not even a nice bike, just his beater commuter (no car). Anyways I am giving him a bike to replace it and wanna set it up with some decent stuff for commuting. Does anyone have any ideas what would be good tires etc for urban commuting? He wold be commuting in inner city Philly.
Thanks!

[Brizn]

So a good friend of mine had his bike stolen while at work, sadly it was not even a nice bike, just his beater commuter (no car). Anyways I am giving him a bike to replace it and wanna set it up with some decent stuff for commuting. Does anyone have any ideas what would be good tires etc for urban commuting? He wold be commuting in inner city Philly.
Thanks!I always liked the Continental Town & Country tires with the recessed tread. They rolled well and had nice thickish sidewalls for the glass and debris. I'm not a hardcore commuter, tho.. so others will surely chime in.

[jabberwocky]

I've been happy with Panaracer Pasela Tourguard 28m tires on my commuters. They have a light kevlar liner and resist punctures pretty well, but they aren't real heavy and roll well.

[jon_baler]

What kind of bike/wheel? Mountain or Road?

Continental gatorskins are well liked in urban environments for their toughness.

Most anything should work well for the casual commuter, but I wouldn't recommend skinny roadie tires (23 mm). I rode a century within NYC a few weeks ago, and saw people getting all kinds of flats with their skinny racing tires.

[kilara]

What kind of bike/wheel? Mountain or Road?

Continental gatorskins are well liked in urban environments for their toughness.

Most anything should work well for the casual commuter, but I wouldn't recommend skinny roadie tires (23 mm). I rode a century within NYC a few weeks ago, and saw people getting all kinds of flats with their skinny racing tires.

its a mountain bike, a schwinn mesa with XT , solid bike.

[crack monkey]

I'm using Conti Gatorskins (700x25C). It would have used 28s or wider, but 25s are all that will fit (and really, all I need, since I'm on decent pavement the entire commute).

If you do a search on bikeforums, you'll see the Gatorskin, Specialized Armadillo, and a few of the Schwalbes seem to get the most positive reviews.

Edit - I see it's a 26er - I think most of the tires I listed are available in 26 as well as 700C.

Editx2 - Aren't those XT bits going to make this bike a theft magnet as well?

[mcgrathgp]

I have a pair of 1.25 inch Continental Contacts that have about 2000 miles on them and look like I'll get at least another 2500 miles, maybe more. They seem to resist glass and similar well. They also seem to roll OK. I'll probably get another pair when these go. Maybe a little pricey for a beater commuter. I think paid $30/each.

[riderx]

Just about any smooth tire with "flat protection" (kevlar lining, etc.) or an inverted tread will work fine. There's lots of options, some already listed.

Make sure he gets a good lock and knows how to use it properly. Here's a quick reference (http://urbanvelo.org/download/downloadissue1).

[kilara]

Aren't those XT bits going to make this bike a theft magnet as well?

maybe, but its what I have on it :( I was gonna cover up the XT part on em, then sticker the frame up. I wish they had Lo jack for bikes, I have it for my car and would gladly pay for it for my bike

[walsh]

I really like the Serfas commuters. Very flat resistant, easy on the wallet.
http://www.serfas.com/tires/CTR-125.shtml

Editx2 - Aren't those XT bits going to make this bike a theft magnet as well?

Hate to say it, but in inner-city Philly, bike theft may be pretty low on your overall list of worries.

I also think that 90% of bike theives don't know one component group from another. True, there are pros out there, but the average crook doesn't steal bike to strip components.

[Auger N]

I hate flats on the way to work.

I run tires with a kevlar belt, a Slime anti-flat tire liner, AND Slime-filled tubes!

Throw on some REFLECTIVE stickers, some flashing doo-dads, and a Nightrider Enduro HID and your friend will be very happy!

[gsmolin]

I have a pair of 1.25 inch Continental Contacts that have about 2000 miles on them and look like I'll get at least another 2500 miles, maybe more. They seem to resist glass and similar well. They also seem to roll OK. I'll probably get another pair when these go. Maybe a little pricey for a beater commuter. I think paid $30/each.


got the conti contacts (1500 mi on them) and like 'em too. seem to shed water quite well, too (no falls during the rain (yet)). the only flat w/ them i've had was a direct hit from a roofing nail.

most places will have their commuter tires going on sale soon w/ fewer people commuting in the winter. if he's a hard core commuter, though, maybe get him a set of ice tires as well (nashbar's got good ones) and let the fun begin!

[wiggy]

I bought a pair of Panaracer Tserv 28s on the advice of TBL for commuting on my cross bike. They're are supposed to be puncture resistant and non-slip, and they do feel pretty secure. Expensive though. LBS will be glad to tell you what the couriers run.


[QUOTE=walsh]Hate to say it, but in inner-city Philly, bike theft may be pretty low on your overall list of worries.http://www.serfas.com/tires/CTR-125.shtml

OK, can't resist. Depends on what you mean by inner city, like there's rich "inner city" Society HIll and poor "inner-city" North Phila. I commuted for several years between W. Phila and N. Philly to the heart of ghetto and had no problems. OK, once a guy jumped into the street w/ piano wire stretched between his hands, but he was just playing. I think.

Phila in many ways is easier to commute in than DC because there are a lot of one-way streets that are just wide enough for a bike and a car, and slow enough that you can match the speed of the traffic.

[eloach]

On the 26 inch commuter I like Continental Traffic tires. Fast, Strong, good in bad weather and can be found cheap (...if they still make them).

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Tire/product_87418.shtml

Just for the record, I mounted them on the dreaded Sun Rhino rims. It was a pain, but not as bad as a few others I have tried.

[eloach]

Another choice is Specialized Armadillo tires. There are ones with some tread and slicker versions. I have ridden the 38+ wide ones through broken glass gardens and survived. I am talking jagged busted beer bottles when not looking at the ground ahead.

This tire is pretty close to indestructible and is also reflective:

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=26415