this past weekend my girlfriend was in a local art show. It was located in a highly congested area so I decided to ride there each of the three days taking the same exact path using three different bikes all with three different types of tires. I know this is not very scientific, if I really wanted a better comparison I should have used the same bike all three days and switched the tires.
Day 1: 1971 raleigh international with rolly poly tires Day 2: 1969 raleigh pro avocet fas grip 28mm (more like 27 or 26) Day 3: 1975 raleigh competition (kenda, forget the model it's their top pro kevalr from bead to bead tire and 23mm wide.
I believe the rolly poly is the best tire overall. It felt fast, didn't seem to drag along, but was still very comfortable handling imperfections in the road with ease.
the kendas came in second. They felt the fastest and the lightest(I guess because they are) but the ride was as expected a little rougher but not as harsh as some other clinchers like verdenstein or michelin. It's actually a pretty good tire, might be hard to find for some. Not that I'm that concerned with weight, but the sales rep who sold them to me at the bike show I got them at told me that switching to these tires from more basic tires would save me as much weight as switching from my "old" a.k.a. obsolete (to him not me) road wheels that I ride, to more modern lightweight wheels. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but still it's a decent tire. And while it doesn't have a nice tan sidewall, it's not an offensive color like red or yellow, it's at least all black.
I won't say the avocets were last, I'll just say they get honorable mention. They're comfortable tires and they do grip the road, but perhaps a bit too much. The tires feel like they drag along, too much rolling resistance for my taste. This leads the tires to have a bit of a dead feeling. I would recommend them for riding around town but for their price, around 35.00, you can find a better deal.
I guess I might be ordering some more rolly polys. I might check some of the other panaracer tires already recommended. I'm sure my opinions aren't a big surprise but I thought I'd share anyway.
marc garcia
chicago IL