Originally Posted by Colorado

I go to a local wheel works, which specializes in truing motorcycle wheels. I buy whatever they've got used for $15 in almost pristine shape. They send really good tires to the dump all the time because the racing crowd considers a chipped knob or two to be a loss. Heck, at that price, if I'm not that crazy about one purchase, I can try another tire the next week.

You might want to look for a situation like that in your area.