(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best bike tires & tubes

Great find. I'd take the wheels off and take the tires off the rims and clean the rims using barkeeper's friend. It's better to do that without the tires on, and then rinse well and wipe dry. You can apply wax to the rims after they are cleaned if you'd like.

There's always a chance there's rust on the inside of the rim if you see some on the outside. I'd not obsess over cleaning out the inside of the rim, but if the rust is bad and flaking I'd maybe want to steel brush that then put the new rim strip in. Yes, you're on the right track with switching out the rim strips. If the rim strips are rubber they'll likely break apart from being old and dried out, so it's good to replace those along with a fresh tube and tire. There are quite a few options in the 27" size. Continental makes a nice touring tire that I think would go good with this as it's more durable than what this bike would have originally come with.

https://www.amazon.com/Continental-Tour-Ride-Urban-Bicycle/dp/B002XYTLMY/

Keep in mind that the hubs may need new grease, or they may be overly tight. You can feel the resistance when turning the axle. It's a worthwhile servicing, but it requires a number of tools including cone wrenches and possible a chain/vise whip to remove the rear cassette.

This is a great project bike and will be an outstanding ride once you take care of the immediate issues. Tires and maybe replacing cables and tuning seem like good first steps. If you do replace the cables and you're OK doing grease work you can take the opportunity to clean and re-grease the bearing cages for the fork when you have the cables removed. You may need wrenches for that.

I'm lucky that I don't have a long commute. But this is by far the best way to get to work!

Edit: with links!

Little info on the bike for any others who are curios.

Bike: 2016 Raleigh Furley (on discount was ~$750 with tax). I love this bike it's awesome. Chromoly steel, real soft ride. Single speed so it's 0 maintenance. Last but not least, disc brakes. Not the best, but they are much better than rims especially in weather of New England.

Tires: Gatorskins 25mm

Honjo Fenders: Superb, takes a while to install. I could have a used a few more brackets to hold everything together better too. Definitely going to get a mudguard for the front maybe the back as well.

Rack is the Topeak explorer for disc brakes. Two Ortlieb back roller city panniers.

Misc: I have a cateye volt 700 for front light and the cateye rapid x3 for a tail light, both are super bright even in the daytime!

Bike computer: Old nexus 5 that I hold on with a quadlock to track everything to strava. I use Ipbike which hooks up to my duotrap and my scosche heartrate monitor.

As far as tires go, CX tires on pavement can definitely feel a little squirrely, especially when descending. I'd say have two sets of tires, one for road and one for off-road endeavors, but it's really up to you. I mean, I'm not the one spending your money.

When you're looking at CX tires, there are basically three categories: "file tread" tires, "all-around" tires, and mud tires. File tread tires have smaller, closely spaced knobs/grooves and are good for fire roads and dry trails. All-around tires tend to have a slightly more aggressive tread pattern than file tread tires, particularly with more pronounced side knobs. These tires are good for lots of conditions. Mud tires have super chunky tread patterns for sloppy racing conditions. They won't be very fun on pavement, and they'll be overkill for most trails.

Your current tires fall into the "all-around" category. Challenge Grifo tires are used by a lot of racers and they have a pretty good reputation. I don't have any personal experience with them, however.

If you want to use the same tires for road and trail riding you'll probably want a file tread tire. Michelin Jet and Kenda Small Block Eight are the first two that come to mind, but there are lots of other options too. And if you want to matchy-match your tire brands, you can always get the Challenge Grifo XS. File treads are definitely viable race tires for drier races with lots of hard-pack and grass sections and not very much mud or sand. A lot of people race with a file tread tire on their rear wheel with a slightly chunkier tire on the front to take advantage of both low rolling resistance in the rear and cornering "bite" in the front.

And as far as my personal recommendations: Michelin Mud 2's are the jamz. Great all-around tire which I would definitely recommend for CX racing if you end up not liking the Grifos. For road tires: Continental Grand Prix 4000S

For the bike itself I recommend you get a used old roadbike. That will offer plenty of fun already (you might never feel the need to upgrade) and it will give you time to figure if and what else you might want.

In addition to that I recommend: (All amazon links)

A bicycle tool with a chainbreaker tool, this will allow you to fix anything and everything that can go wrong on a bicycle. Not that the one I linked is very pricy, there are cheaper versions but with tools I always prefer having good stuff.

You will likely need new tires if you get an old bike, this is one point where you can drastically enhance performance by buying good ones. Ever since I bought Continental GP4000SII I haven't even thought about trying others. A set of these will last you for several years on a 3 Mile distance so the cost is neglible. Note that tyre sizes differ somewhat, if you get something really old these won't fit. Get the bike first and then buy the right size tyres (should be listed on the rubber of the old tyre, most road bikes use 700x25c).

In addition to that I would normally recommend a book on bicycle repairs, but if you head over to BikeMan4U on youtube he's one of the best people to learn that stuff from, very down to earth guy.

You will also need some way to transport your stuff to work, I recommend getting a simple wire basket and putting your backpack into there. Note that most road bikes are not built to accomodate a rear rack, you might need something like this.

That is basically what you will need to get started, maybe grab a cheap rain jacket and -trousers if you plan to really bike every day. I myself am no friend of cycle clothing and commute either in jeans / tshirt or aforementioned rain gear, which works just fine for my ~6 miles one way.

Of course that's just my opinion and you might end up buying something completely different, but this will get you on the road to happiness for 500 or less and I think at that point you do nothing wrong.

I agree with /u/DoOgSauce 100%.

I'd also say they aren't necessarily that much of an upgrade from the ATX Lite as adding suspension forks means you need to spend significantly more to get something good quality vs a fully rigid bike. The ATX Lite is also more suitable as a commuter than any of those, it would be a downgrade in many respects for everything except actual mountain biking. Snow use would be debatable, like I wouldn't be surprised if the forks on several of those bikes would sieze and go rusty the first winter, and I wouldn't like to bet on cheap Tektro hydraulic brakes in freezing temps.
A large proportion of mountain bikers don't use their proper MTB to commute on but have a bike like an ATX Lite or a hybrid or road bike as a second bike to use on the road and light trails that doesn't have suspension or knobbly offroad specific tires.

It's also not true that the ATX Lite isn't designed for trails, just not more extreme offroad like anything tougher than 'intermediate' grade MTB trails in good conditions. I've done offroad cycle touring in the mountains on a similar bike in preference to my modern expensive MTB, here's a photo I took when I was 50km from the nearest sealed road.

Edit - should clarify what makes a difference to snow performance is tires, that's like 95% of it - and you could run the same tires on all the bikes except the Cujo as you could on the ATX Lite, as the ATX Lite has the same tire clearance as a regular MTB. Only a plus tire MTB like the Cujo that can fit 2.8 or 3.0 tires would give you superior performance in the snow, and that would come with even bigger drawbacks with use on the road the rest of the year compared to the ATX Lite. Extra fat tires are also perhaps more if you're riding offroad or in fresh powdery snow - for icey conditions more often seen on the roads many riders prefer narrower spiked tires like these.

>...am I better off getting a cheap used road bike to see if I like it...?

​

Honestly, it sounds like you and I are coming from the exact same place. So I'm going to answer this with a conditional yes. That condition is this: I may be biased. I say that because that's what I did and I'm VERY happy with it. Now, I truly do prefer my 37 yo 10-speed over my hybrid any day of the week... but I pretty much only ride on paved roads. I currently ride on these tires but I used to ride on these, which worked well for local hardpack trails and nearby greenways. So it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

​

I checked out the Rochester Criagslist (since you linked to it, I assume that's you area) for some older road bikes, and there are quite a few available, but many of them are $200+. Occasionally you can find one like this one for $20. That's cheap enough that you can get a new seat (the originals were like medieval torture devices), pedals (I like these), brake levers, cables, chain, etc. all for under ~$100. (Of course, I also would do my own servicing of the bottom bracket, which saves the cost of an LBS doing it.)

Then I'd give it two weeks' worth of riding to see how it feels. If you don't like it, then you're out $100 and you post the upgraded and improved bike back on Craigslist for $200-300 like most people seem to. Then turn those profits into upgrades for your hybrid.

If you decide to keep the hybrid, but are uncomfortable with drop bars, you may want to consider butterfly bars. If I hadn't made the move to a road bike, I would have done this with my hybrid just to have more hand position options.

No problem! better to ask when you can, i couldn't find a single person to talk to and had to buy my set blindly.

I went with the IRC just based on a recommendation from a shop, Specifically the RBCC version as it's seemed like a good trade off between speed and puncture resistance. I think its a good tire for the fall/summer/spring season, i have an tubeless compatible aluminum wheelset that i'll switch too once the salt starts going down on the road and for that i'm looking into the hutchinson sector and fusion 5 all season. Its a bit of trial and error at this point, which can get expensive but there isn't not enough data or user feedback on what works/doesn't work.

I don't know the difference between Road tubeless and tubeless ready. Both the Sector (Road tubeless) and Fusion 5 (Road Tubeless ready) are on ENVE's approved list. I'd trust either one

I used the diamondback steel core tire levers and they worked well. It looks like IRC has pretty interesting looking levers and hutchinson has levers that you can fill with soapy water to help with installation. All you really need is a lever that has a nice wide/flat hook to prevent damage to the tire bead because without a tube any imperfection in the tire bead can cause a leak. ENVE actually recommends against tire levers all together, but from my experience getting a tire on (At least the IRC formula pros) is impossible.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

IN a city far far away, once upon a time and very early in the morning before everyone woke up, I used to don my armour, mount my trusty steed and ride forth! I would take the curves, conquer the hills till eventually I arrived at the cave of the beast. With my wallet drawn I would advance upon the lair of the bagel beast! battle was fierce, for there were many bagels! Sesame! Salted! Cinnamon raisin! Multitudes of their brethren for 79c each. Less by the dozen. The math never quite worked out. How could it be easier to slay many than to slay one!

It boggled the mind, but my wallet didn't care. My wallet struck true, gathering a dozen, still warm, still breathing out heat into the cool california air! I stuffed their fresh bake carcasses into a bag making sure that I had also remembered to gather their cream cheese blood. For some, it was lactose gold.

And with my bounty strapped to the back of my steed, I would ride to the other den of the evil starbucks to secure the appropriate gravy with which I could return a triumphant bearer of vittles and carbs. I was lauded in my village as I would stop at neighbours and drop off my hard earned slaughter. Then I would tuck my steed away, silence my chorus of angels that serenaded me from my personal communication device. I would creep back into my domicile and placed the remains of the bagel beasts upon a platter still warm. The cream cheese blood slipped into the fridge to ensure it's continued edibility.

And the smell would waft through our cramped quarters, rousing the head of our household, ripping apart the cheesy underbelly of one of the beasts before he triumphantly marched off to face his king.

But we have moved, and my trusty steed was injured by the carelessness of peons hands. They MANHANDLES HER! They WOUNDED HER! The valve to her innards is broken, unable to contain her air so necessary to keep her moving and alive! But I have found a transplant for her. It's under $15. Imagine! The solution to what ails her. It's an uncommon part for most people steeds as she's :cough: A little one the... robust side. So Prisaneify, I need to get my steed's inner tire transplanted. She gets me everywhere since I do not drive, to where I cannot walk. To the farmers market, to the pool in the summer. She has waited patiently in my garage this cold northern winter, her first time braving these cold winds and snow as opposed to the climes and sun of southern California. But the snow has receded and she whimpers in my garage. Her companion steed answers to my spawn is begging to be turned loose but cannot, until the transplant.

OKay, all fancy story - which is totally true and how we played it in our family when I'd come home with bagels and the kid would want to know what i had been doing - the movers screwed up my bike, bending the valve and all attempts to fix it failed. So it needs to be replaced, but it's an uncommon size. It's how I get around when my husband is at work. Post office, grocery store, to the pool, geocache with the kid, to neighbours. Rain or snow, I'm going somewhere on it all the time. Bonus is that it's 14 dollars and thus someone else can also have a need fulfilled.

Slautes you for the consideration and eases back off to the depths of reddit: Also, sorry for the length!

You don't need specific tires, especially starting out. If you're committed to a training program and don't want to flatten out your good tire, a trainer tire like this is something to consider if you've got a spare rear wheel lying around but it's certainly not a necessity.

With a trainer, you lock the rear wheel into the trainer and make contact between your tire and some sort of cylinder that drives a flywheel which provides resistance. With rollers, you put your bike on top of three cylinders and keep it there through balance, patience, attention, and sheer force of will. If you're asking about the difference between rollers and trainers, you don't need rollers. Most training programs take for granted that you're using a trainer and not rollers - especially ones that focus on your power zones (rollers typically don't have any resistance on them - SportCrafters being a notable exception). Rollers are also harder to learn how to use properly and typically significantly more expensive than trainers of similar quality.

If you want a suggestion, go with the CycleOps Magneto trainer - it's about $250, pretty solid, easy to set up, provides progressive resistance (no knobs or levers to fiddle with) and is relatively quiet. If you can find one on Craigslist or something, so much the better. After a couple years you may want to upgrade and you'll probably have a better idea of what you're looking for based on your personal preferences.

"Hiplok Gold" is a good lock to get. The lock clips around your waist (it is adjustable) so it will not damage your bike or take extra space on the bike.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hiplok-Gold-Wearable-Bike-Security-Anti-Theft-Chain-Lock-Black/361941914798?epid=1838061535&hash=item54456b54ae:g:YuwAAOSwf4BcohCI

Hiplok make several versions of the Hiplok - The best one they make is the "Gold" because the chain links are 10mm thick and the shackle is 12mm thick.

Our advice would be to always use at least 2 locks (same advice as djhurryupnbuy) so you can secure both wheels & the frame to a fixed object (lamp post, bike rack etc) or you could use something like this for the non locked wheel:

https://hexlox.com/collections/single-hexlox

We use the "Mr Tuffy" (4XL) tire liners between the tires & tubes to help stop punctures:

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Tuffy-Bike-4-1-5-0-4X-Large/dp/B00SM1OW5S/ref=pd_cp_468_3?pd_rd_w=PdK7t&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=ZNT38DCP3NNZC58DTQ73&pd_rd_r=2130f3f9-a96c-4abc-9bdc-100d08fa34d0&pd_rd_wg=h9Tsw&pd_rd_i=B00SM1OW5S&psc=1&refRID=ZNT38DCP3NNZC58DTQ73

Happy riding and welcome to The Squad!

​

(We are not an official UK dealer)

Piggybacking on this

The contents of your saddle bag should include:

• Mini-pump or C02 inflator with a couple extra cartridges (your preference).

• Spare tube (make sure the valve is long enough for your rims)

• Tire levers (The pedros ones are the best imo). You can make do with 1, but you should really carry 2.

• Patch kit (park tool makes nice self-adhesive ones)


• A multi-tool with hex keys, a phillips head, T25 Torx wrench, and a chain tool (the chain tool is sort of optional, but it's good to have just in case).

• A $20 bill. A 20 is useful in case you need to buy something, and in an emergency can also be placed between the tube and the inside of the tire to temporarily prevent your tube from bubbling out if you get a big gash in the tire.

• Valve extenders (Only if you have deep section rims, you'll need these if you ever have to borrow a tube from someone on the road)

• A ziploc bag for your cell phone in case it rains. Protip, put the $20 in the ziploc.

• If you have room, a package of peanut butter crackers or an extra gel/energy bar. If you bonk on a ride, you'll be happy to remember you have some extra food in your bag.

Happy Birthday, and Happy Zambambo!

I could use new bike tires more than anything in the whole wide world

Hope you're having a WONDERFUL day!!!

You should give /u/sillygirlsarah one of these because she mentioned needing them a while ago, and it'll be bike season soon. She's a super nice, super generous lady and she should get something she needs, because she's always giving to others.

Thanks for the contest!

Edit: I was trying to bring hers up to 15, but she doesn't have anything small that would get there without going over. This Is the closest, but it's 12 cents over. On an unrelated note, I have one of those, and it works surprisingly well.

Thanks, really appreciate this.

On yours and u/5200mAh's recommendations I went with a Schwalbe Marathon HS 420 in the end: http://www.amazon.com/Schwalbe-Marathon-Wire-Bead-700X35/dp/B004T0GCYU since it was $40 shipped from Amazon and should be here Wednesday. And these also came in 700x35.

This will be my first time changing a tyre, so I guess I have some Youtubing ahead of me. I'll probably just skip riding tomorrow and do some weightlifting instead. Or maybe just stick to riding around here for a few blocks.

And yeah, the roads are pretty bad where I live. It's been my #1 gripe since I started cycling. I live in a small rural area in North Texas, and a lot of the roads are just garbage. As you said, I have been riding on the shoulder a lot, so maybe this is where I picked up the nail if it had been flicked off the road. Perhaps I should just stick to riding on the road even if there's a perfectly good shoulder there?

Hard to say, but the razor slit sounds right. The tires aren't supposed to hold air, and sometimes can fail like that.

An improved tube like this
https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-1-90-2-35-Schrader-Downhill-Thornproof/dp/B0190OZHOA/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?crid=2P8ISIZXQQX2Q&keywords=thick+bike+tubes&qid=1554515363&s=gateway&sprefix=thick+bike+tu&sr=8-7

And tire like this
https://www.amazon.com/Bell-Comfort-Glide-Bike-Tires/dp/B0012RJSXK/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?keywords=26%2Binch%2Bbike%2Btires%2Bkevlar&qid=1554515819&s=gateway&sr=8-16&th=1&psc=1

May be a welcome upgrade

I would keep your tires for now, just to make sure you'll actually start using the bike. Then, definitely upgrade the tires, it'll feel like a new bike. If you want flats to be rarer than solar eclipses, these tires are highly spoken of. But any 25x1.75 tire in the $50 range is likely to be great, you can also go cheaper with still a huge upgrade in rolling resistance.

Right on, thanks for the input! I'm looking forward to these gatorskins. It seems amazon has some pretty good deals as well!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NGT2X2/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_Ponmtb02M2V3P

I doubt you blew a tire (more likely just the tube), but if you're looking for new tires then I recommend Continental Gatorskins. Since I sorted out my rimtape issue I haven't gotten a puncture, and my local roads are awfull. As for innertubes, i don't think that it really matters what innertubes you get - I thought it would be good to spend more and get Continental tubes but at the end of the day they still punctured as easy as some cheapo ones from my lbs.

Don't cheap out on the tyres. Schwalbe is a good brand, but spend the money on something better like the Marathon Plus. Not having to fix a flat on the side of the road, in the rain and cold, will be worth it.

I'm quickly realizing I want less knobby tires for my Raleigh RX 1.0, and instead, want something that will let me get a bit more go than the tires it came with.

Vittoria Cross XG Pro 700x32 - This is what I'm currently riding on. I'm still going to be using my bike as a commuter, for light trails, riding the roads for fun, etc. I just don't feel like I need knobby tires for what I'm doing though.

So I figured I'd go for more of a smooth tire. I'm considering:

• Continental Gator Hardshell Duraskin Urban Premium Bicycle Tire, 700x28
  
• Michelin Lithion 2 Road Tire, 700x25
  
• Schwalbe Marathon GG RLX Wire Bead Tire, 700x32
  
• Vittoria Randonneur City Tire, 700x32
  
  Any recommendations? Better options for me?

Thank you so much for your response! I believe I'll just order the second product you linked to me as they're within budget and look cool.

Would I be fine ordering two of these tires for that wheel as well? Thanks again for everything.

Buy some good tyre levers (I love the Continental or Michelin) like the ones pictured here:

https://www.amazon.com/Continental-28-700x20-25c-Bicycle-Inner/dp/B001EIE288/ref=sr_1_27?keywords=continental+tire+lever&qid=1567026518&s=gateway&sr=8-27

And then you can get the $2 puncture repair kits with patches and rubber cement. You'll also need a pump. Mini for on the bike and floor (optional) for at home.

I bought [this] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006WRWEJU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.cuEzbK6NKEB8) kit on Amazon 3 years ago and although it is pretty cheap it has never failed me. Its a great starting place at least

> and use what is essentially fix-a-flat to retain air

Well the air is mostly retained by the air pressure itself -- if you mount a new tubeless tire and it's well sealed and the diameters match up it'll work just fine without sealant.

You should take a tube for sure, ideally a Tubolito which is smaller, stronger, lighter. http://www.tubolito.com/en/

Also should take some tubeless slugs. These: https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-Tubeless-Plug-Patch/dp/B00B139BA0 work really well for plugging up larger punctures should you get some

Some would also take a needle + thread to sew up very large sidewall cuts.

Cheap plug kit

Also, if you are unaware, the issue with running tubeless is that if you get a flat, it can be very hard/impossible to re-seat the tire bead with a hand pump, especially a travel pump. So you always need to have an innertube incase you get a flat. For your house pump, if you dont have a compressor, make sure you get a higher volume pump like the topeak joe blow mountain, or even better, something that has a charge cylinder.

I've installed the mr tuffy tire liner after getting 4 flats in 1 week. I live in LA and we have the little spiky thorns that cut straight through the thin Kenda tires that come on the z1.

I got this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SM1OW5S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It honestly was easy to install, and was long enough to wrap around twice, which I think would just offer more protection. No flats so far, and supposedly weighs less than slime sealants or armored tubes.

I heard kinda bad things online about it moving around and such, but maybe that's for larger wheel size, and smaller tires, like a street bike? On the fat tires it goes in really easy.

Not original commenter, but I'd typically recommend Specialized Fat Boys. With that being said, I wouldn't spend that much money on slicks for that bike, I'd save as much money as possible for your next bike. I'd go with some cheaper Kendas and just ride that bike till it dies.

Hell yeah wider tires.

It depends on the road quality in your area, but even my road bike gets 25mm. I like 28 or 32 (usually 32) on my commuter. Gatorskins that big still roll quite nicely and basically just don't flat at all. I'd say about half of them wear out before they flat, out of half a dozen pairs I've put on my bike and my SO's.

They ride so much more nicely; you feel it in your wrists and ass.

32$ for 32mm folders on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Continental-Gatorskin-Bicycle-700x28-Beaded/dp/B000NGT2X2

Depends what size tire you run, but if you're running 25c tires those are good. I'd recommend 25 or 28c Gatorskin or the 4 Seasons (feel smoother and faster but more expensive) http://www.amazon.com/Continental-Grand-Prix-Season-Road/dp/B000EX6IJK

> Been about 6 months with 2 tubes popping. Recently I had a tire pop

If you bought the bike new, it's likely the tires are still under warranty. Go back to LBS and get a replacement. Even if it's from road debris, you can give it a shot.

If you are buying a new, I'd recommend Panaracer RiBMo. This is my current fav over Conti's Top Contact II. Schwalbe Marathon is excellent. Any of these tires is fine.

I just took out the Top Contact II (37c) and put on RiBMo tires (32c). Nothing wrong with the tires but during summer time, I wanted to ride with narrower tires. Wider tires are heavier.

Understood it all! Thanks to you and /u/--Brad, I felt confident selecting this tire. Much obliged!

Tool kit like that are great but a smaller version is fine to start with.
I also recommend This Book. If you're stuck on a budget buy the book first and figure out what tools you'll need later.

For winter (in montana) I just pick up a beater bike, convert to single speed, and throw some Schwalbe Marathon Winter - studded tires. Low PSI for ice and Pump them up to a high PSI when the roads are clear. Disc brakes, while nice during winter are pretty unnecessary for the speeds I'm traveling at on ice.

http://www.amazon.com/Schwalbe-Marathon-Studded-Mountain-Bicycle/dp/B003TNOZV0

For me the absolute minimum is a tyre lever (or two), patches, self adhesive are nice and easy as well as small and a pump or CO2. Anything else is a bonus, like a multi-tool, spare tube (you could substitute this for the patch kit, but it takes more room), chain quick link, cable ties, etcetera.

Tube + Trainer tire. Be advised should you purchase the trainer tire. It's a real tight fit. The Amazon page has a nice exploded view.

https://www.amazon.com/Vittoria-Zaffiro-Home-Trainer-Fold/dp/B007IEHWDO

I didn't read the other response because it was too long. My advice: get a cheapo toolkit for beginners, and replace the tools you use up with nicer ones [1, 2]. These kits won't have everything, but they'll have most of what you need.

Regular maintenance, in decreasing order of frequency:

• Air up your tires ~ every week
  
  
• Clean the chain ~ every 100-200 miles, or as needed
  
  
• Replace the chain when it wears out [3]
  
  
• Replace brake pads when they wear out
  
  
• Replace the cables when they stick
  
  
• True wheels when they knock against your brakes
  
  
• Re grease bearings maybe once every 1-3 years
  
  
  Reasonable people disagree over the order and frequency, so take these as rules of thumb, not canon.
  
  
  1: http://www.pricepoint.com/Brand/Titan/Titan-Tool-Kit---21-Tools.axd
  
  2: http://www.amazon.com/BIKEHAND-Bike-Bicycle-Repair-Tools/dp/B006WRWEJU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1427267389&sr=8-4&keywords=bike+toolkit
  
  3: http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

~1,800 amazon reviews say otherwise:

https://www.amazon.com/Continental-GatorskinDuraSkin-Bicycle-700x28-Beaded/dp/B000NGT2X2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485711643&sr=8-1&keywords=gatorskins

never had an issue with them and theyve always treated me well. definitely not racing tires for sure, but ive never flatted one. what suggest you instead of gatorskins?!

For a road bike I currently run the conti grand prix 4 seasons.

I've been rolling on a set of 700x38 Schwalbe Marathons for 4 years and they're still in great shape. (Maybe it's a sign I need to ride more)

I know I'm going to jinx myself, but I haven't had a flat since buying them.

https://www.amazon.com/Schwalbe-Marathon-Wire-Bead-700X25/dp/B004T02X8O

Thanks for the quick response and the education. So I think this should work:

• Wheel - $48 - http://www.bicycleoutfittersindy.com/product_p/we8677.htm (depth is 16mm, but as you said, brakes are not a concern for trainer)
  
• Cassette - $38 - http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-CS-4600-10-Speed-Bicycle-Cassette/dp/B0065FIE52
  
• Tire - $25 Vittoria-Zaffiro-Home-Trainer

Brakes would need changed too, too expensive probably. Also there are good tires, this continental gatorskin is 27 x32, but is also too expensive.

So, just to confirm, this should be a solid option for me? Slightly over $100 CAD, but so well reviewed it appears it is the right choice...

https://www.amazon.ca/Schwalbe-Marathon-Wire-Bead-700X32mm/dp/B004T02X8O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523996049&sr=8-1&keywords=schwalbe%2Bmarathon&th=1&psc=1

I also have a Bikehand kit. Same price, but different set. I have this one. I haven't used all the tools yet, but I want to replace the adjustable cup wrench, and crank puller with Park equivalents.

Gatorskins on sale for $25 at Amazon... Gatorskins

Plug them.

https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-Tubeless-Tire-Repair/dp/B00B139BA0/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tubeless+tire+plug+bike&qid=1555527324&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Where are you finding Marathon Winters for that much? Just buy them off Amazon.

Try [this]
(https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-Tubeless-Plug-Patch/dp/B00B139BA0).

you don't need to spend anywhere near $50 https://smile.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-Tubeless-Plug-Patch/dp/B00B139BA0

What you ran into on the trail is why I have one of these guys in my kit when I go riding (just in case the sealant doesn't quite hold it) https://smile.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-Tubeless-Plug-Patch/dp/B00B139BA0

Long term, I'd still patch the tire, but I'm probably a more conservative rider.

https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-Tubeless-Tire-Repair/dp/B00B139BA0/ref=pd_bxgy_263_img_2/131-6388880-2269259?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00B139BA0&pd_rd_r=0ff99f61-c801-11e8-8e16-130f854170ed&pd_rd_w=QzzV3&pd_rd_wg=OOvBg&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3f9889ac-6c45-46e8-b515-3af650557207&pf_rd_r=D93G299G50P5H233XMWP&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=D93G299G50P5H233XMWP

What is "black chili" referring to?

Rope type tar plugs. You push them into the hole from the outside with a needle and cut off what sticks out.

For commuting, I'd suggest Gatorskins. They're heavy and slow but really tough.

Any tool set that would have what I need to fix this reccomended? Preferably sometihng that's on amazon prime. Here is some I found. Let me know if any of them have both tools I'll need (the right type of coarse, all of there seems to have crank pullers and lockring tool but not sure if they are compatible)

Also if I am gonna re-lube it any recommendation on lube?

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Value-Professional-Bicycle-Tool/dp/B01C6ZQN02/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1465090558&sr=8-29&keywords=bike+repair+tool+kit

http://www.amazon.com/FANTASYCART-Universal-Mechanics-Bicycle-44pcs/dp/B0019J6ZLE/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&qid=1465090558&sr=8-30&keywords=bike+repair+tool+kit

http://www.amazon.com/BIKEHAND-Bike-Bicycle-Repair-Tool/dp/B00CW911XW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1465090417&sr=8-5&keywords=bike+repair+tool+kit

http://www.amazon.com/BIKEHAND-Bike-Bicycle-Repair-Tools/dp/B006WRWEJU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1465090417&sr=8-7&keywords=bike+repair+tool+kit

http://www.amazon.com/Venzo-Premium-Bike-Repair-Tools/dp/B011NJ5WP4/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1465090417&sr=8-14&keywords=bike+repair+tool+kit

Considering it needs some work and tlc 100-125. You are looking at a minimum of 30 for new tires and tubes, up to about 100 if you go with a tire like gatorskins

Without it being in a ridable condition you are taking a risk that there are other problems.