How many miles can one expect to ride on a 700 x 23 tire before it needs changing?

Question

I understand that there different manufacturers, qualities and specifications, but in general terms with a "training tire", what can one expect?

I consider a tire requires changing when the rubber surface gets worn out and/or when you start getting punctures.

Answer 1

It totally depends on the type of tire you are running.  I've gone through soft compound, racing tires in as little as 750 miles.  While grippy and fun to ride, most racing tires are not very durable.

That said, I've found Michelin Pro Race 2 tires to be quite durable.  I have not tried the new Pro Race 3 tires, yet.

I've put close to 4000 miles on Vredestein Fortezza SE training tires.  Although they are inexpensive and tough, they are fairly light and feel nice to ride.  These tires get really cut up over time but keep right on rolling.

In my experience, rear tires wear out the quickest.  Furthermore it is pretty easy to stay upright if your rear tire flats.  It is a lot more tricky to stay upright if your front tire goes flat.  Thus, I always want to have the best rubber on my front wheel.  To this end, I always put a new tire on my front wheel.  I then take the slightly worn front tire and put it on the back wheel.  This ensures I have the rubber up front where I need it and maximizes overall tire life.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Front or rear tire? I go through a rear tire about every 1200 miles or so, but because of the weight distribution I will change 3 or 4 back tires before the front needs replacing.

Edit: About 90% of my flats are on the rear. I rarely get a flat in the front which is why I'm OK with only changing the front tire for each 3 or 4 back tires.

Answer 3

If you keep it inflated properly it'll really help the life of the tire. I use Vittoria Diamante Pro's/ProLight's on my tri bike and had about 750 miles on my rear tire before it got sliced up the other day. It was starting to develop a flat strip in the center of the tread, but still had plenty of life left in it I think. I would imagine you should be able to get 1000 miles out of a tire before they wear out, I just had the misfortune of dumba$$'s throwing beer bottles on to the road in front of me and running over the broken glass. It looked like I had taken a cheese grater to my rear tire, luckily my front made it through unscathed somehow.