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Great tire find

T

texson

Mini Bike
Because I go through tires so fast, I usually buy the cheapest thing I can find which is usually Shinko's.  Not a bad tire, but is not a great tire either...simply a cheap tire.

Anyway, I was invited to go on a ride in the Austin Hill country by a friend and was reluctant to go because my front tire was questionable.  He offered to buy me new tires if I'd go so I did.  Took the bike to Cycle Shack North in Conroe, Tx. and cannot say enough good about the place.  Great, knowledgable people there and the service guys are top shelf.

Anyway, they fitted a Michelin Commander II on back and a Bridgestone BT30 on the front.  Both radials.  Took the bike to the hill country and rode it as hard as I have ever ridden a bike and what I can say about the tires is this - I will never put anything else on the bike.  The grip and feel of these things completely transformed the bike.  So amazing, and so fun.  It took me a little while to adjust to them put once I did, I really pushed the bike into the turns.

These are soft tires, which accounts for the grip, so i don't expect them to last that long.  We will see.  I normally have to change tires every time I change oil - 5K miles.  The exception to this was the Kenda Kruze - an excellent tire that lasted me over 9K miles and was only changed because I was offered new tires.

The Michelin

20161125_094949_zpsvuwaixz9.jpg



The Bridgestone

20161125_094801_zpschlknp5d.jpg



The front tire after hard riding on some fantastic roads.  

20161126_125427_zpsa8hi8xyn.jpg



Can't think of a better place to put tires to the test than the Austin Hill country.  It was the best riding the 3 of us have ever done.  I highly recomend it to anyone.
 
Good looking tires. I have been hooked on the Avon AM-26's for several years but may have to consider this combo.
 
Rick, are you sure the Commander II is a radial? I ran one once, a bias in the stock size. I see no listing on Michelin's site for a radial except in a few in 15 and 17" sizes, none close to the size on a C-10.

Hopefully they have changed the tread compound. The one that I had on had a strong tendency to slip out in corners on wet roads to the point that I asked for and received a refund from Michelin, it was that bad. A good tire in most other respects though I did not get a chance to do any real twisties with it.


:beerchug:
 
Couldn't find a 16" radial rear Commander II on the Michelin site.  Are you running a 17" rim in the rear?
 
SteveJ. said:
Rick, are you sure the Commander II is a radial? I ran one once, a bias in the stock size. I see no listing on Michelin's site for a radial except in a few in 15 and 17" sizes, none close to the size on a C-10.

Hopefully they have changed the tread compound. The one that I had on had a strong tendency to slip out in corners on wet roads to the point that I asked for and received a refund from Michelin, it was that bad. A good tire in most other respects though I did not get a chance to do any real twisties with it.


:beerchug:
Click to expand...


I may have been mistaken about the Commander being a radial.  I was under the impression it was but could be wrong.  About wet riding - got my first opportunity last night but didn't experience anything weird...so far.  My thoughts on the matter is that it cannot be any worse in the wet than the Shinkos I run, which  is what I have put 10s of 1000s of miles on, so they have me trained to be careful on wet roads.

What I can say about the combination is this:  I recently completed a 3 hour trip I have made a gazillion times - know every inch of every turn, and it was like I was taking them for the first time.  Completely different.

The feel these tires give me has changed how I ride the bike, for sure.

The other factor is this - this combination is easily repeatable.  I spent and entire day on the phone with just about every bike shop in Louisiana, Mississippi and Houston looking for tires they had in stock.  Everyone could have tires in a day or 2, and then others had a front tire, mostly Metzler, or a rear tire - avon or metzler, but only Cycle Shack North in Conroe had a selection of both front and rear tires.  These, according to them, was the best choice for my style of riding.

And the price was unbelievable:

front - $93
rear - $139
install and balance - $20 each
total bill:  $316

This is only slightly more than what cheap Shinkos cost me to have installed.
 
Jim Snyder said:
DC Concours said:
where do you make friends that buy you tires just to take you with him on a ride?
Click to expand...

Yeah Rick, by all means you need to introduce us to this person.
Click to expand...

About Doug - my best friend for 30 years now.  He is not rich, but his company affords him any toy he wants - and he buys lots:  drones, dune buggies, bikes, the best accessories...everything top shelf.  Everything I have bike related that is nice is because of him and his hand-me-downs - radar detector, scala rider unit (2 G9x's), ram mount cup holder, first gear jackets (2), garmin helmet camera and navigator...

His problem is not the money to do stuff, but the people he really enjoys to do it with, and that's where I come in.  No wife or kids, own my own business - I am ready at the drop of a hat to load up the toy hauler and blast off to the next adventure, and they are always incredible.  Best times i have ever had.

But its not just me.  He is a very generous person, period, with everyone in his circle.  But he has paid his dues.  There was times I had to help him out when no one else would, and now life has come full circle.  Everyone should have a friend like that.

I had been pushing this Austin Hill country riding on him for years now and he finally caved, only it was at a time money was tight for me and my front Shinko, which still had usable treads, had cupped badly and was in no condition to do that kind of riding. My rear Kenda, which I loved dearly and prob had 15K miles on it with another 4-5K left in it, was good to go, but I couldn't pass up the offer to have it replaced with new.

Again, the new tire combo was fantastic, and once in the hill country, I tortured them like I didn't have to pay for them....literally.  What a blast.
 
rick said:
Jim Snyder said:
DC Concours said:
where do you make friends that buy you tires just to take you with him on a ride?
Click to expand...

Yeah Rick, by all means you need to introduce us to this person.
Click to expand...

About Doug - my best friend for 30 years now.  He is not rich, but his company affords him any toy he wants - and he buys lots:  drones, dune buggies, bikes, the best accessories...everything top shelf.  Everything I have bike related that is nice is because of him and his hand-me-downs - radar detector, scala rider unit (2 G9x's), ram mount cup holder, first gear jackets (2), garmin helmet camera and navigator...

His problem is not the money to do stuff, but the people he really enjoys to do it with, and that's where I come in.  No wife or kids, own my own business - I am ready at the drop of a hat to load up the toy hauler and blast off to the next adventure, and they are always incredible.  Best times i have ever had.

But its not just me.  He is a very generous person, period, with everyone in his circle.  But he has paid his dues.  There was times I had to help him out when no one else would, and now life has come full circle.  Everyone should have a friend like that.

I had been pushing this Austin Hill country riding on him for years now and he finally caved, only it was at a time money was tight for me and my front Shinko, which still had usable treads, had cupped badly and was in no condition to do that kind of riding. My rear Kenda, which I loved dearly and prob had 15K miles on it with another 4-5K left in it, was good to go, but I couldn't pass up the offer to have it replaced with new.

Again, the new tire combo was fantastic, and once in the hill country, I tortured them like I didn't have to pay for them....literally.  What a blast.
Click to expand...

:great:  :beerchug:
 
Bike Bandit shows them in 150/80-16 rear and 110/90-18 front and both are shown as bias ply. I have been telling folks for several years now not to dismiss bias ply tires. I have been running the Avon AM-26 bias ply tires ever since the 2014 National.
Ask anyone who has followed me through the twisties in North Carolina, Tennessee, or Arkansas and they will tell you my bike handles like a beast on these bias ply tires. Modern day bias ply tires are not your grandfathers bias ply tires of yester year.
I will definitely consider this set when I change tires this coming year. 
 
Jim Snyder said:
Bike Bandit shows them in 150/80-16 rear and 110/90-18 front and both are shown as bias ply. I have been telling folks for several years now not to dismiss bias ply tires. I have been running the Avon AM-26 bias ply tires ever since the 2014 National.
Ask anyone who has followed me through the twisties in North Carolina, Tennessee, or Arkansas and they will tell you my bike handles like a beast on these bias ply tires. Modern day bias ply tires are not your grandfathers bias ply tires of yester year.
I will definitely consider this set when I change tires this coming year.
Click to expand...

I agree.  This Commander II will make you rethink bias ply.  Radial, bias ply, teflon coated....whatever, this is the tire I will stay with.
 
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