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Schwalbe bicycle tires

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bonneyman:
Sadly, as far as I know there are no USA-made bicycle tires made anymore. (The last domestic manufacturer - Carlisle - ceased bike tire production in 1987).

Schwalbe offers a great product. Though made in Indonesia the guy I talked to on the phone (and be-friended) assured me that the foreign manufacturers use their proprietary materials and strictly adhere to Schwalbe's manufacturing processes. Though not cheap, they are good tires.

https://www.schwalbetires.com

bonneyman:
Just got a pair of new tires for the bicycle. Found some Schwalbe Fat Frank hybrid tires for about $36 a piece. Middle of the road in grip, durability, and built in puncture resistance. Local bike shop - go figure!

P.S. I'm reading all over the place bicycles and parts are in short supply worldwide - with extremely long delivery times. I guess I'm lucky to have found these when I did.

https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/fat_frank

oldnslo:
In todays global economy, I'm not concerned with COO (when it comes to bike tires). I'll ride my Conti's all day long, and go out of my way to swap out whatever came on my ride(s) to Conti's. All without question. I insist on Gatorskins, but everyone has their own preferences. I've had scads of Schwalbe's in the past. 

On a bike, 50% of the ride comfort/performance is tire related IMHO, followed by variables such as saddle, frame composition, geometry, blah blah. But that conversation is no different that "what do you prefer"? Blondes or Brunettes? Oh...did someone fail to mention Redheads?

stokester:
I've been off the road and trail for some time but used to put in a lot of miles.  I need to get back on the saddle.

Never tried the Schwalbe but settled on Vittoria after trying out Michelin and Hutchinson.  Had more flats on the one set of Michelin Krylion tires than on all the Vittoria sets I've gone through.

bonneyman:
I called Schwalbe years ago to talk to customer service. Actually got to know one of the guys there fairly well.

Been years now, but he told me they also moved production offshore (to Malaysia IIRC). Though the labor was foreign, they took steps to make sure the manufacture was according to their specific requirements, and used their own proprietary rubber compounds. (I still have those tires on my apocalypse bike).
My most recent purchase are made in Vietnam. Doesn't thrill me, but I'm not willing to sweat all day in a tire shop, so, I can't complain.

Ah, yes, the comfort factor. I used to ride a 10-speed racer with the ole 27 x 1 1/4" clinchers. Moved up to cruisers and then MTB's to get wider tires (26 x 2) and more upright position for comfort. Now the hybrid has 700c wheels, and (luckily) I started at 40-45c wide and have been able to go to 50c. And I've used gel technology at all points where the body touches the bike (gel seat cover, bar grips, gel-lined gloves, gel inserts in shoes). Helps alot.

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