Individuals all the time ask me, “What sort of bicycle tires do you employ in your travels all all over the world?”
They normally go on to inform me that their pal… or the man at their native bike store… or some random stranger on the Web really useful a selected sort of tire (normally the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires), however they need my opinion on the matter.
My response is normally a one thing like this: “These tires that you just had been instructed about are an excellent tire to start out out with. However for those who’re planning to spend a number of months in your bicycle (such as you would throughout a motorbike tour throughout a complete continent… or all over the world) then these are merely the tires you’ll begin out with. In some unspecified time in the future throughout your bike tour, these tires will have to be changed. It doesn’t matter how good your tires are – in some unspecified time in the future, they’ll have to be changed with new ones! And when that point comes, you’ll have to use no matter varieties of tires you will discover within the a part of the world that you’re at present in. And also you most likely received’t be capable of discover that specific model/sort of tire when you’re away from residence. As a substitute, you’re going to have to make use of the most effective tire you will discover within the space you occur to be.”
When you have the luxurious of ordering any tire you need and having it shipped to your private home (or your native bike store)… and you’ve got the time to attend round for days or perhaps weeks for that tire to reach. Then nice! Go for it!
However whenever you’re in the midst of a motorbike tour, removed from residence, out of the country, and so on… then you definitely’ll have to make use of the most effective tires you will discover in that specific a part of the world.
Since I began bicycle touring in 2001, I’ve gone by way of dozens and dozens of various units of bicycle tires. There isn’t a one model that I’m loyal to. I merely purchase the most effective bicycle tires I can discover within the a part of the world I occur to be passing by way of. Generally costly tires fail after only a brief time period. Different occasions, an inexpensive set of tires can final a complete yr or extra.
Within the video above I present you the Innova bicycle tires I bought final yr (2014) throughout my bicycle tour throughout Latvia and Estonia. These tires value about $20 USD every and I used to be nervous about them on the time, as a result of I wasn’t certain how lengthy they’d final me. In the long run, they lasted greater than a yr… and I most likely may have ridden them a complete lot longer if I needed to. They began to develop some cracks within the exterior partitions and alongside the tire tread, nonetheless, so I made a decision to interchange them with an excellent cheaper tire that I picked up in my present location (Romania.)
My new Rubena bicycle tires (made within the Czech Republic) value me solely $9 USD every. I’m hoping they’ll get me by way of the following 4 months, however you simply by no means know. Keep tuned for a future replace… and I’ll let you understand how effectively these new bike tires carry out throughout my bicycle tour throughout Romania, Serbia, Bosnia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden this summer season.
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