The most expensive "consumable" while operating a bicycle would probably be tires. Enthusiasts endlessly debate the relative merits of different sizes, profiles, tread patterns,inflation pressures and just about anything else that might help define the best tire.
I use my bike for primary transportation and moderate cardio averaging 15K - 20K daily. The terrain is fairly level but the traffic is dense and the road surface varies from virgin concrete to "what road?". For the time being I'm still running 27 X 1 3/8 (37-630). Unless I want to pay obscene import prices my choices are limited.
Is there anything to look for on a cheap, odd brand, tire that would provide clues about how long it will last? What do you look for when trying to assess how well a new tire rides? Like I said, to me a tire is a consumable. I'd rather have something usable that I bought cheap enough I can throw it out without an internal struggle when it gets worn or damaged, than running something I paid so much for I'm trying to squeeze every last K of service life out of it. What is the average life of a tire in my sort of riding?
Additional info.
On the bike; Badly weather checked, practically treadless, Bridgestone. If it fails catastrophically in local traffic I'll probably die.
The choices (low to high); Leo Tires "Diablo", Philippine made, under $10 including new tube. Other tires in same price range from other nearby countries that have rubber plantations. Paying for a rim swap to let me use mid-price tires with known name brands. Paying astronomical single unit import fees to get those same brands in my current tire size.
The budget doesn't allow a rim swap for at least a couple of weeks. So I'm mounting the Diablo before I leave the driveway again. There are no visually obvious defects or damage. Are there less obvious but still noticeable things I should look for? Small details that might keep this piece of crap from killing me if I catch them during a pre-ride inspection?