What kind of race? For an IM, then yes. 500 miles is not much mileage for a set of tires. I have ridden shy of 3,000 miles this year on the same set of tires and they still look great. However, I don't buy junk tires. I spend the few extra dollars and get a good tire that will last.

----->Trent

Thanks, Trent

The race is 40K.

I am using Specialized S-works.

What are you using? I would like to a find high reliability tire.

I am willing to sacrifice other performance characteristics, a little.



Jeff

It's perfectly reasonable to do that. I, sadly just put a new rear tire on my bike for IM this weekend even though the existing tire(Conti GP3000's) only has around 500 miles on it. Why? Because it has noticable nicks and cuts. A few of them are pretty deep, and I'd feel pretty stupid if I got a blowout because I didn't want to spend $35 on a new tire. Is a blowout likely? No. But $35 is cheap insurance with race day approaching.

If the treads look bald to you, replace them. If they show a lot of cuts, replace them. If you aren't sure, take your bike to the LBS and ask them for their opinion. Mine is pretty good about telling me when a part is, or isn't, in need of replacement(and they usually say the part in question is fine.)

Keep in mind, even good tires may wear out quickly. Often, very high performance tires have a life of just a few hundred miles. It's the trade-off for exceptional grip and handling. My last tires, Conti Ultra 3000's, were okay tires, but lasted a few thousand miles, compared to the GP3000's, which show significant wear after just a few hundred. (I should clarify: The GP3000's still have plenty of tread left, but being a softer compound than the Ultras, they show wear sooner.)

Good luck at your race.

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I use Vredestein Fortezzas (Spelling?) for training. They have been a great training tire. On my race wheels, I am running Conti Comp 650x19s. I have also used Conti GP3000s on my training wheels and liked them as well. I don't use "race" tires like Vredestein's Fortezza TriComps because I am more concerned with getting mileage out of them. The Fortezza is a great training tire, and if I were racing on clinchers I wouldn't hesitate to use them.

----->Trent

I tried the Specilized tires and like the way they ride, but they wear out fast and for that reason - I have to say are complete junk. I stick with the Conti GPs like others above.