# Looking For Good Gumwall, Vintage-Style Tires



## RB1Pro (Feb 13, 2012)

My current tires are the original ones that came with the bike and are blistering. I went to the lbs and did not find much of a selection. Do you know any places with a good selection of gumwall tires and any recommendations on which gumwall tires to select? 

Also, if it can help, my preferences are on tires with excellent durability and puncture protection. Plus, I purely want tires with gumwalls - I want to retain the retro-vintage look of my road bike.


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## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

If you are looking for a wider selection of gumwall tires, check out:

BikeTiresDirect.com - Discount bicycle tires, components and accessories
BicycleTires.com - bike tires, tubes, pumps and accessories
Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more

However, I will warn you, the selection of gumwall tires is quite limited, especially when compared to 700c tires. 

If you are looking for tires that have excellent, solid durability, especially against common road hazards, be sure to check out tires with low TPI (Threads Per Inch). My last set of tires (which came with the bike) had a low, 24 TPI and I never got any flats or damages, despite riding over broken glass, rough, uneven pavement and even some nails. Recently, I bought a new set of tires (Kenda K36) and the TPI is even lower (22). I have riden over the common, street dangers as noted above and have not gotten any flats. Just like the last tires, flats and punctures are the least of my concerns. :thumbsup:


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Try these guys. Not cheap, but the Grand Bois Cerf tires I bought from them are outstanding.

Compass Bicycles - Tires


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## MMinSC (Nov 19, 2011)

Vittoria Open Corsa SC
Veloflex Master

Both @$50 and both 320tpi. Neither will last long, but both have sublime ride quality.


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## RB1Pro (Feb 13, 2012)

Thank you all for the recommendations.

@sevensracer - thank you for those links, for they are very helpful. Also, the TPI info is dead-on accurate. I asked my lbs mechanic about TPI and he gave me similar advice.

I see the TPI on the Kenda K36 is pretty low and ideal for my needs. Would it be possible for you to give abit of feedback on them? Thanks.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

MMinSC said:


> Vittoria Open Corsa SC
> Veloflex Master
> 
> Both @$50 and both 320tpi. Neither will last long, but both have sublime ride quality.


Hard to go wrong here. These are some of the best natural sidewall tires available. The ride is supurb. 

Also look at the Ruffy Tuffys and Jack browns if you dould run a larger tire. 

As far as the low TPI hoppla believe waht you want but some of the best tires out there are alot higher than that on TPI. 

Look at the Gatorskins at 180 TPI and 4 seasons at 330 tpi. These are some of the best tires going when it comes to puncture resistance.


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## Squiffy (Dec 18, 2009)

RB1Pro,

I can totally recommend Panaracer Pasela in Tourguard flavour. Great tyre, they ride extremely well and last a long time, and puncture protection is excellent. Have put many miles on these commuting and touring.


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

Continental Bicycle -Grand Prix Classic


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

ewitz said:


> Continental Bicycle -Grand Prix Classic


Wow. Thats a good looking tire.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Torelli sells some really nice tires with high thread-count and tan sidewalls for a very reasonable price. I got some through my LBS for about $30/tire, which is not bad. Only downside is they only come in 23 mm, but they ride very nice and have never flatted.

Panaracer Pasela TGs are a good option if you want a wider tire, but they won't roll as nice as the Torellis.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

A couple with gum walls from Challenge: 
23 mm: Criterium Open
27 mm: Paris-Roubaix Open
Note that both are high TPI (320 and 290) racing oriented tires. Expect comfort, souplesse and low rolling restistance, but not long life.

That Conti GP Classic looks the part, essentially a brown sidewall 25mm version of the GP, which seems to be a very common training tire for several Conti sponsored pro teams.


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## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

RB1Pro said:


> Thank you all for the recommendations.
> 
> @sevensracer - thank you for those links, for they are very helpful. Also, the TPI info is dead-on accurate. I asked my lbs mechanic about TPI and he gave me similar advice.
> 
> I see the TPI on the Kenda K36 is pretty low and ideal for my needs. Would it be possible for you to give abit of feedback on them? Thanks.


I would be very glad to. 

I have been using the Kenda K36 a little over a week now. I learned about them from a fast, skilled cyclist who uses them. On the first day riding them, I learned a lesson about properly breaking-in tires - you don't ride them fast or at higher PSI levels when they are new, or you will wipeout - period. As Kenda Inc. themselves noted, there is a mold on the tires that are slick, as it prevents the tires from sticking on the machinery during production. To get this layer off, you need to use the tires at a lower pace and at a lower PSI for a brief time. For my scenario, the Kenda rep recommended an observed break-in period of 60-100 miles.

Once I finished the break-in period, I was very pleased with their performance. The low TPI is a nice assurance against the common road hazards - I have riden through rough pavement, jagged rocks, nuts, etc and the tires just simply run through them without a care. Thanks to these tires, flats and punctures are the least of my worries. 

For grip, while these are not racing tires and are emphasized more for durability, I have used these tires on downhills with fast corners and they hold on solidly. For instance, in an area near my place, there is a fast corner you can take at 40 mph. I tried it with these tires and it stayed firmly planted. Furthermore, I should also note that these tires helped me beat my best time. On the 17 mile route I usually do for my exercise and training, my best time was 1 hour 8 mins. However, on the Kenda K36, I was able to get that time down to a straight 1 hour.

Last, but not least, is the amazingly low price of the Kenda K36. They are typically just around $10 per tire. 

All-in-all, the Kenda K36 is a solid choice. You get tires with excellent durability (low TPI), good grip and the retro-look all packaged into a low price. What more do you need? :thumbsup:


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## RB1Pro (Feb 13, 2012)

@sevensracer & kbwh - I definitely agree with you guys on TPI. My lbs mechanic and virtually most cycling articles I have read show that the higher the TPI, the better the dynamics of the tire (lighter, more pliant, less rolling resistance, etc). However, higher TPI it comes at the cost of durability, especially when it comes to puncture resistance and thread life (which are my priorities).

@sevensracer - Thank you for the in-depth review on the Kenda K36. They seem to be perfect for what I need in tires: durable, long-lasting, sufficient grip and very affordable! I will purchase them tonight and give a review on them after I have completed the break-in period.

Thanks again everybody!


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## gordy748 (Feb 11, 2007)

Switch to tubulars and get FMBs?

fmbtires.com/fmb competition cx.htm

Your wishlist for "long lasting" and "very affordable" might not be ticked by these though...


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## droptop (Jan 26, 2012)

i highly recommend the panaracer pasela TG tires. used them in 32, 28, sizes. I normally get 3000+ miles per set, and with the TG belt, i get very few flats. After a few months of use, the tubes almost fuse to the inner gum wall, and pinch flats become a thing of the past. in my 3+ years of riding them, I have gotten less than a half dozen flats, two from valve stems ripping thru the rim. The jack brown and ruffy tuffy tires are made by panaracer, and the ones with the kevlar belt are nearly the same tire.


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## RB1Pro (Feb 13, 2012)

*Kenda K36 - AWESOME Tires!*

I finished the break-in period of my K36 earlier this week, and I must say, sevensracer is totally right about these tires - they ROCK! 

First thing I would like to point out is the bulletproof durability of these tires. I have ridden these tires on pretty rough pavement and even on debris (twigs, rocks, glass, etc) that were scattered from a storm and these just kept rolling without any problems. I even ran into a rider that suffered a flat on the same areas I was riding through (FYI - he was using Continental Gatorskins). In regards to tires with low TPI having outstanding durability, my bicycle mechanic, sevensracer, kbwh and virtually most cycling sources are absolutely *correct*. If you don't factor TPI into the picture, you are missing a good deal of information into the tire puzzle.

The other thing is grip. As sevensracer mentioned, these are not racing tires, but they hold on to the pavement quite solidly. I have gone through curves at 25+ mph and they stick like glue. You will not be afraid to push hard with these tires - their excellent grip will give you confidence no matter where you go.

Last, but not least, is the gumwall look. The photos on biketiresdirect.com do not do them much justice - they look amazing in person! They retained the classic, retro-look of my bike and I simply love it! 

I am very satisfied with these tires. The Kenda K36 provides me with bulletproof durability that protects me from the common road obstacles, solid, dependable grip that you can confidently trust in and a fresh, retro-look that keeps the character of your vintage bike for just $10 a tire. How can anyone complain?

P.S. I would like to thank everyone for their suggestions, especially sevensracer and kbwh. They definitely have good sources and know what they are talking about. :thumbsup:


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Thanks for your kind words and your thorough report.


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## SevensRacer (Dec 14, 2011)

Thank you for the nice review and mention - glad you like the Kenda K36 tires!


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