[Bigmark]

Well I was looking at my bicycle, and decided I am going to put some new rubber on it. I talked in passing to a guy in the LBS about narrowing the tire. He told me I can go from a 35mm down to a 28mm.

My question is will that make all that much difference? I am strictly a road and paved trail rider, and was just wondering what the benefits would be.

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[CPcyclist]

hthere are lots of threads over in the road forum on this. But in short the amount of rolling resistance will decrease. Also if you are only riding on paved roads or crushed gravel rail trails I would look at getting a 700x28 slick (tire with out nobs) this will also help the ride. Making this switch should mean longer more comfortable rides for you.

You will have to use a higher pressure as you make the tire smaller. Don't be afraid of the pressure.

[bbattle]

You will go a bit faster as the rolling resistance is lower. Not as comfortable a ride so I'd see about riding some bikes with narrower tires. May or may not be a problem. I ride 700 x 23's on my road bike and it's fine.

As CPcyclist said, get tires with no tread, they actually give you the best traction and the smoothest ride.

[Bigmark]

Outstanding. I defiantly am not afraid of the higher pressure. Forever ago my Ross had 120 lbs tires on it, and I never had a problem with them.

Thanks

[Velo Dog]

There's an important fact missing: How much do you weigh? If you're over about 180, you may be happier on the larger tires (tires marked "35" are often closer to 30mm wide, so you may not be going THAT fat even then). Grant Petersen at Rivendell says nobody over about 160, I think it is, should use the skinny 23mm tires most cyclist pick. It's a carryover from racing, and makes no sense for average or larger riders on real roads.
FWIW, I weigh 240, and I haven't bought tires smaller than 32mm in years. I do most of my riding on 35s.

[chipcom]

I weigh 230 and while I never had a problem with 28s, I like 32s better, especially when getting off the pavement and onto paths like the O&E towpath. I've sworn by Continental Top Touring tires for years, but they are no longer made and getting harder to find, but their Contact tire looks just as good.

[Joe Dog]

If you can afford it, go with a higher end tire, too. I find the ride so much better on a good tire and I get less flats. My Rubinos are only 23cm and vey high pressure, but they ride wonderfully, especially compared to the ones that came with the bike. I run 32's on my Cross bike commuter and despite the semi-knobby tires the rolling resistance is low and the tires are fast. I think you will really like 28's and have no problem at all with them as long as you get decent tires.