I'm also curious to hear what your first choice would be, but I DO ride in the rain regularly in the spring/summer -- it's Colorado and the mountains... you can expect a rain shower to pass through most afternoons. In the winter there is snow melt runoff going across the roads so they're often wet, and sometimes icy depending on the temperature, steepness of the canyon, side of the road that the river runs, time of day, wind speed...
Separate question: What process do you use to get alternative tires? I went through that list that was posted in a previous post looking for any tires in the right size (for the front) and kept getting "there are no tires available in your size" with all the brands listed in most of the US tire companies (UK seems to have a lot available but I don't feel like paying the exchange rate). I went to all of the companies that people have included as links. Either they didn't have the 165/65r14 available at all or as soon as I put in my zip code they dropped off the list.
I liked the goodyear ultragrip 7 tires but no matter where I searched, kept getting a message saying they weren't available in that size. I haven't made any phone calls yet to see if I can custom order them, is that what needs to happen?. The whole search was a little disheartening. I guess I'm too used to instant shopping gratification with all my other purchases. I make a decision on what product I want, I search for it, it's available at a price I'm willing to pay and I order it. So far I've had no luck with tires...
