$45 for a set of puncture-resistant tires and it paid for itself in 3 weeks on the Pittsburgh commute

Bought Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires for my commuter after getting three flats in two months from all the glass and gravel on the Penn Ave bike lane. They are heavy as bricks and make my bike feel like a tank, but I haven't had a single flat since. The peace of mind alone is worth it, especially when I'm running late for a 9 AM ticket in the help desk queue. Has anyone else dealt with the tradeoff between weight and reliability on a city commute?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy20528d ago

That whole heavy-but-reliable thing is just life in a nutshell though, isn't it? You pick your hard. Either you deal with the weight of the tires or you deal with the hassle of patching tubes on the side of the road. Same reason why I buy the thick wool socks even though they make my boots feel clunky, because blisters are way more annoying than a little extra weight. It’s like choosing between a slow computer that never crashes or a fast one that freezes every five minutes. The smooth reliable option always comes with a tradeoff, but it’s the one that actually gets you through the day.

stella61428d ago

I mean, I get what you're saying about picking your hard, but that slow computer analogy doesn't really work for me. A slow computer that never crashes still crashes, it just takes forever to do it. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have the fast one and just deal with the occasional freeze, because at least when it's working it's actually getting things done.