Road Cycling - Tires 700 x26c vs 700 x 23

Is there much of a difference in roll in a 700 x 26c or 23c? I have the 26 on my bike now and am comtemplating sticking with them or getting a little more narrow tire. The 26 is a very stable tire and I like them but if I can gain a little by getting a little more narrow tire I probably will when I need them.

Thanks for any advice.

I have 700x23 on my Litespeed and 700x25 on my commuter and don't notice a lot of difference in the handling. And I can take corners fairly fast on my commuter.

It's hard to make an honest comparison though because the Litespeed weighs about 19 pounds (with pump and seat pack) and the commuter weighs (with loaded panniers and lights) 35+ pounds.

BTW: I'm assuming you are talking about the same tire (brand, tread, etc.).

If you're wanting a faster ride on a road bike go with the 700x23.
If you're talking about a commuter or touring bike stick with the 700x26.

Supposedly, with two otherwise identical tires, the x26 will have less rolling resistance. But I don't think the difference is big enough that it is noticable to a rider. In my experience, a narrower tire like an x23, make the handling feel more responsive.

On the downside, I think a narrower tire wears faster and is more likely to suffer sidewall damage (from gravel, etc.). This last observation is pure speculation, but my experiences seem to bear it out. On a wider tire, the rolling surface is wider and appears to knock debris out of the way before it can contact the sidewall whereas on a narrower tire, the sidewall is more exposed.

I live in an area in new england where the roads are like trails, they are cracked, broken and have many potholes. I started road cycling with 700 - 23 continentals and rode them for a number of years, I thought this was a good thing and that they presented less rolling resistance than a larger tire, therefore making it easier to ride and allowing me to ride faster. I also thought flating every day or so was normal. Well, when I starting commuting on my bike and did not have the time to fix flat tires every morning or so, I decided to buy some larger tires. After doing quite a bit of investigating I bought a set of continental ultra 2000, 700-28C tires. I've been riding on these this tire for three years now, I replace them about every 5000 miles or so, I think I've had 1 flat in the three years and I find the tires to have less rolling resistance then the 700-23's. I inquired about this with continental, They told me that the reason was because I weigh 179 pounds, and the tire rating for the 700-23's was too light, The 700-28 ridden at 110 psi was a better tire for me. They are correct I guess because I roll fast and dependably on them day after day.

Just to add a bit of confusion to the discussion, here is something to ponder:

A 23c tire made by company A may actually be 25c by company B standards, etc. etc.

I have had 25c tires appear to be 20c at full inflation.
I have had 28c tires seem like 25c at full inflation.
My old Benotto 23c tires are closer to 25c.

It seems as though every manufacturer is in their own world.

If one is really picky about size it is a good idea to see said tire fully inflated on a rim before purchase. :confused:

Well the tire i am running now is a specialized armadillo and I am pretty happy with them. I am riding a Specialized Sirrus which is basically a flat bar road bike, however most of the people I ride with ride regular road bikes. I do pretty well with them with the exception of going down hills which I beleive all of them beat me. So that is really what got me thinking about going to a little more narrow tire.

Thanks for all the advice so far.

I guess it also depends on how much you weigh. Back when I weighed 151 lbs I used to ride 700x18s. 18s are hard to come by these days. Now that I'm 165 lbs I'm on 700x23s and as soon as these tires need replacing, I'll go down to 20s. I don't know I just like the narrower tires. They do ride like a rock when inflated to their max.

The width of your rim largely determines the size of tire you should use. The cross section of the tire should be slightly larger than the width of the rim, for the best overall performance and durablilty of both the rim and tire. For more durabilty for rougher roads, heavier loads and/or a softer, smoother ride, an even larger tire is the way to go. The only application where a tire with the same width as the rim, MIGHT be advantagous, is for time trials on fairly straight and level smooth roads with no sharp and few shallow turns. Having a smaller tire than rim is always a very good way to ask for trouble.

Ride, just Ride
Pat

Originally posted by Louis
A 23c tire made by company A may actually be 25c by company B standards, etc. etc.
Some tires stretch! About 10 years ago, I used to use a Specialized tire (no longer made) and remember being warned by the shop owner "they are narrow for their size." What I noticed, though, was that after being mounted for a couple of weeks, they stretched and became about right for their labeled size. :confused:

Originally posted by gabiker
Well the tire i am running now is a specialized armadillo and I am pretty happy with them.

I use Specialized Armadillo for protection from flats. But, I used to run Conti 2000 Ultra's and for a while Conti 3000 GP.

Personally, and very subjectively, I find the Armadillos to be significantly slower than either of the Conti's, which I found to be quite similar and fast. I stopped using the 3000's GP Kevlar folding because the tread kept coming off. I really liked the 2000 ultra's but kept getting goat heads (puncture vine) flats. No flats yet with the Armadillos.

Wish I could get everything in one tire!!

Yeah I don't think the Armadillo's roll as good as some tires and they are heavier, but when I am riding with a group and we see glass I don't get near as nervous as the other guys. They are just about bullet proof. The do have a Armadillo light I may try.

Originally posted by gabiker
Is there much of a difference in roll in a 700 x 26c or 23c? I have the 26 on my bike now and am comtemplating sticking with them or getting a little more narrow tire. The 26 is a very stable tire and I like them but if I can gain a little by getting a little more narrow tire I probably will when I need them.

Thanks for any advice.

For some reason, tire manufacturers can not agree on how to measure tires. One company's 25mm is about the same as another company's 23mm. But within the same make and model of tire, they should be consistent.

There are advantages to riding a bigger tire. It wears better. It will be more puncture resistant. It will give a softer ride. It will be less likely to get a pinch flat. And if it does flat, it will ride better with less pressure and that is a good thing because it is hard to get all that much pressure into a tire with a handpump.

However a larger tire will be heavier and that will adversely affect your performance slightly. Of course, people pay $$$$$ to gain a slight performance edge when they go from say ultegra to dura ace and those people probably will go with a narrow tire (23mm or even smaller).

I like riding 25 mm tires. I can also ride 23 mms but I prefer the larger size.

One thing I read that made sense was that the heavier the rider the bigger the tire. Superheavyweights (260lbs+) should ride 28 mm. Heavyweights should ride 25 (220lbs+). Lighter people can ride 23 mm (180lbs+). And very light people do fine on 20 mm.