even though i run a front brake, i really only use it very rarely, and that means i have to have tyres that maintain a balance of cost to durability, cause i’m gonna skid through them eventually.

for a long time now, i’ve been running vittoria randonneur tyres, which i reviewed over HERE. this was after trying vittoria rubinos for a while, also reviewed, HERE.

the former (randos) are about $25 a pop and last me anywhere from 2-3 weeks a tyre, or about 200-300 miles, which is totally reasonable.

i tried the vittorias based on the recommendations of the MASHSF crew, who know their way around a skidded tyre better than maybe anyone. and i respect that recommendation and it’s well-placed. however, i’ve come to realize that the reason they push the vittorias so hard is that they’ve been skidding the city since long before track bike parts and fixedGear-specific accessories were available. they had to work with what was available. at that time, randonneur tyres were the best they could find.

but that’s just not the case anymore, and i’ve found that the SOMA EVERWEAR tyre is a much more perfect a balance of cost, durability, and performance. they have 5mm of rubber between the street and the casing and what that’s translated to in my case is well over 900 miles on the same tyre. with skidding. at $45 a piece, that’s something like 3 times more efficient than the vittorias.

UPSIDES…
+ longer-lasting
+ cheaper, over time
+ higher pressure max (100psi) equals less rolling resistance
+ no tread pattern equals less rolling resistance

DOWNSIDES…
+ because there’s no shielding layer in there, when you burn through the rubber, you’re AT the casing, and that means you don’t have much time to get to another tyre
+ no aquaflow tread pattern equals more slippy in the wet conditions
+ much longer time riding on a squared-off point of contact

your specific mileage will vary (heh, see what i did there?), and that will be based on your gearing. if you’re only getting 3 skid patches, you’re gonna smoke tyres like method man smokes weed, and there’s nothing you can do about it. i have 16, so i wear my tyres down a lot more evenly and over a much greater period of time.

but the point is, these are 10/10 CLANK! tyres. get some.

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