Retire

I made a mistake. I bought some expensive-ass tires, Schwalbe Marathon Supremes. I'm sure they're great tires, but still a mistake.

Back in May, when I noticed my tires getting a bit ragged (despite the fact they were brand new in September), I started doing some homework. Times past, when I needed tires, I felt like I was at the mercy of what a given bike store kept in inventory. The first pair I bought weren't really what I wanted.

When these crumbled in a short period (I suspect very old inventory), I got new ones as a warranty claim. The tires I got on that deal were more like what I'd wanted in the first place.

I went through a period last winter when I seemed to constantly be getting flats, especially after riding on gravel roads and levies. Inevitably I'd fish shards of flint out of the tire that worked through to the tube. This with Hardcase anti-flat tires.

The chain of thoughts that followed is probably something befitting Stuff White People Like. It's important to know there's more expensive things out there and to covet them.

Asking other riders who toured and commuted, reading blogs and Urban Velo reviews, I came to the conclusion that instead of another pair of Hardcase Race Lite Bontragers, I should either get Vittoria Randonneurs, Continental Touring Plus or Schwalbe Marathons.

I guess I must be white since I special-ordered the most expensive of these. This was before my car was stolen, before I broke both my and my daughter's cameras in the span of a week, and realized my front wheel was breaking spokes at a rate that indicated it needed replacement.

On the plus side, they're foldable. Meaning I had one with me in my panniers when my Hardcase Race Lite in the back gave out. I thought maybe I could boot it, but it had seven or eight large gashes in it including one that would accommodate a quarter. Time to retire that tire.

But checking my cycling log, since I put these Hardcases on in September, I've gotten 3,361 miles. Not flat-free miles (the promise of these Schwalbes according to some reviewers), but still. Given that the new tire cost almost exactly double what it's replacing, I'd have to get over 6,500 miles on it to break even.

No, I don't believe for a second that there is any six thousand mile bike tire out there. Maybe I'll have fewer flats, I hope so. And since my old tire wasn't a foldable bead, I might not do it again since I commute and tour: it's important to have a spare in your panniers.

Anyway, if I discover somehow these tires seem to be worth every penny, I'll be sure to tell you here. But I'm pretty sure there are plenty of $40 and $50 tires out there that will do everything an $80 tire will.

I do plan to move the new tire to the front and rotate the old Bontrager to the back, since I hear it's more dangerous to have a blowout up front.