Choosing bike tires

TPI (threads per inch) refers to the gage of the thread used to make the casing -- the larger the number, the thinner the thread. In theory, the higher the number, the more "supple" the casing, and the better grip. But "grip" from the casing isn't the whole story by a long shot, and the TPI number isn't by itself going to lend much to whether a tire is straight-line fast or slow.

Michelin GP4000s or Conti Pro3Race are the two far and away favorites if you want to just have a set of tires for training and racing.

If you're serious about not caring about longevity then look at Vittoria Open Corsa CX. They're about as good as it gets but they don't last worth a damn from all the reviews out there.

For training, I'm going to go with whatever I can get a good deal on and I know will be fairly durable.  Right now I have some Conty Ultrasports for commuting and ProRace3's on my road and tribike.

For racing, I get whatever I can find at the top of this list and pair with latex tubes:

http://www.biketechreview.com/tires_old/images/AFM_tire_testing_rev9.pdf

Shane

I've read a lot about the Pro 3's wearing out way too fast. What have others experienced?

This! They're Indy tires for your bike. 25 laps and they're gone, but MAN, what a 25 laps!

Actually, It's Continental GP4000s and Michelin Pro Race 3's, but yes, two excellent all-around tire choices. The Conti's are a bit sturdier as far as puncture resistance, the PR3's, probably a bit lower rolling resistance, but both are excellent compromises in tires that you can both race and train on.

it really all depends on what kind of tire you're looking for.  One that's strictly a low rolling resistance race tire, isn't going to give you the lifetime and protection that a training tire will give, and vice versa, but those two are some excellent and popular suggestions.

The Conti GP4000S (and that S is important, it is a different tire then the version without the S) work fantastic. Very flexible tires that was the first ones that made me not miss my tubulars... I've gone through a few sets of them already and they seem to be good for about 1 season for me (6-8k miles) with no punctures and still plenty of tread left (although at end of season I just toss them and replace with new ones... not that much of an expense considering the miles I do get out them)

thanks for learnin me up

Oops Don't post distracted

I was told by LBS that the gp4000 In black is the same as the gp4000s,not sure if it true,but on conti's site it says the black gp4000 has the same black chili in it.

Pro race 3's are pretty slow (comparatively)

The light's are much faster than the race's

Vredestein Tri Comps. Love them.

That's why I have Vittoria Evo's on my race wheels

Shane

As already mentioned, higher TPI = more costly to manufacture, better handling because it's more supple....but also better rolling resistance due to being more supple.  Basically, the more supple the casing is, the less energy is absorbed while rolling.
It's GENERALLY true that higher TPI is faster.  Because there are other factors, it won't always be the case. 
So use the link another person provided that ranks tires by actual rolling resistance and pick something from near the top.

For a racing tire that also is used for training, perhaps the Conti 4000s.  For race only, do what I did and choose the Pro Race 3 lights.

But even more important than the tire (in many cases anyway) is to use a latex tube instead of butyl.