Are expensive tyres worth it?

[nightoff]

I have done about 1200 miles on my road bike which I bought in July. It came with stock Vittoria Zaffiro 23mm tyres which have performed admirably throughout with no p***tures and no offs in the recent frosts or wet weather.

I can get like for like replacements for about £7 each which seems like good value. My head says buy the same again but my heart says buy something more exciting.

I am after recommendations for a good value upgrade to improve performance whilst not sacrificing p***ture resistance.

To give an indication of the type of cycling I do, I commute about 3000 miles per year, all on tarmac of varying quality.
I average about 18mph over 8 miles to work and weigh about 90kgs.

Like most people, I like bang for buck for don't mind paying a bit more for something special.

Any ideas for the perfect replacement?

 

[gaz]

I like the Vittoria Diamante Pro's. Around £30 a pair but can be had for less if you go for wire bead.
They have a higher thread count per inch when compared to the Zaffiro so they are lighter. I believe the p protection is also better.
Certainly a much better option over something like the Bontrager hardcase imo. As the rubber is much grippier, it may not offer the same puncture protection but it's much easier to get on and off so if i do get a puncture i can be up and running again in under 10mins without having sore thumbs.

 

[tyred]

For tyres, you really need to decide if you want to sacrifice some speed for puncture resistance, or vice-versa. Really strong puncture resistant touring tyres tend to be very heavy.

Most cheap tyres are perfectly serviceable in my experience.

From a personal point of view, I live in a part of Ireland which is infamous for terrible roads, and they've got even worse since the thaw (there are places where my bike sinks into what's left of the road surface), I have a preference for cheap and cheerful tyres. If I damage one, it's not the end of the world.

 

[Kestevan]

I've run the last 3k miles on Michelin Krylion Carbon tyres.

They're reasonably light, roll incredibly well, and they've proven to be pretty much bomb proof on the collection of cratered rubble my local council laughingly refers to as "roads".

The only drawback is the price... 20 - 25 quid a piece.

 

[Moodyman]

Tyres are the best single improvement that you can make to any bike.

It depends on your priorities, but I have the following on my three bikes:

Marathon plus on winter commuter - absolute puncture protection, though not the nippiest. Expensive (ish)

Bontrager racelite Hardcase on my nice weather commuter - about the best compromise between speed and protection.

Krylion Carbons on my nice weather weekend bike - excellent and expensive - but a bit of an indulgence for commuting

 

[nightoff]

These Michelin Krylion Carbon's look like they might fall into the "something special" category. Just had a quick read up and they seem highly regarded. I like the fact they come in different colours so I can pimp up my bike.

 

[raindog]

Why change them at 1200 miles? I got about 4500 kilometers out of my Zaffiros. And why buy expensive tyres for commuting? Just curious.

 

[nightoff]

Just ordered the Krylion Carbons.

Thanks for the replies.