General Cycling Discussion - Hybrid Bike - I want to put thinner tires

I have a Gary Fisher Wingra that came with 700x32 tires but I would like to put 700x25 tires on it. I emailed Gary Fisher Bikes and they responded that 700x28 is the smallest they recommended, but I wanted some advice from other hybrid owners that might have the same wheels (matrix 750) and if I might be able to put the 25mm tires on it anyway? Otherwise, would changing wheels to put smaller tires on it be worth it? How much could I expect it to cost? There is something on the front rim that says 622x19, but I don't know what that might indicate, considering fisher said I shouldn't put on thinner than 28mm..
It might be kind of nice to have two sets of wheels, one dedicated to smaller 700x25 and the other at 700x45 or other knobby thick tire that I can take offroad by just switching the wheels. I have read in other posts that the 28 mm might be plenty quick if I get a high pressure one. I am 5'6 and weigh 130 pounds though, so I don't know how important that is, but the 32mm tires do feel a bit sluggish to me currently (rated to 85 lbs)
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks,
Paul

I have a Gary Fisher Wingra that came with 700x32 tires but I would like to put 700x25 tires on it. I emailed Gary Fisher Bikes and they responded that 700x28 is the smallest they recommended...
Yea you can put the 25's on, but you don't get much margin for pinch flats. And you could use the 45's on it too.

Should you go the "two wheelsets" route, then use the wheels you've got for the 25's and try to get wheels with wider rims for the 45's. Wide tires on narrow rims tend to flex sideways too much, unless they're inflated very hard.
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http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#width

Yea you can put the 25's on, but you don't get much margin for pinch flats. And you could use the 45's on it too.

Should you go the "two wheelsets" route, then use the wheels you've got for the 25's and try to get wheels with wider rims for the 45's. Wide tires on narrow rims tend to flex sideways too much, unless they're inflated very hard.
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So according to the chart, 28's are appropriate and 25's are not. Although 25's are safe enough? If I do go with 28's, do you have any recommendations? I am looking at Panaracer Pasela TG 700x28's (http://www.amazon.com/700x28-Pasela-TG-Folding-Tire/dp/B0007UTC2K) and these somewhat more expensive Vittoria Randonneur Hybrid 700x28's (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=6000121&subcategory=60001255&brand=&sku=23427&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20700x28%20to%20700x45%20Touring%2FTrekking%2FHybrid) Are 25's worth it considering I would be prone to pinch flats? I want less rolling resistance, but I would hate to get a lot of flats or even ruin my rims...
Thanks again guys

Don't forget harshness of the ride.
I have some rough textured pavement on some of my streets and 32's will numb your hands from the road buzz. (takes about 2 blocks for me)

Don't forget harshness of the ride.
I have some rough textured pavement on some of my streets and 32's will numb your hands from the road buzz. (takes about 2 blocks for me)

Roads are smooth in my neighborhood but do quickly get bad once I get out of it. I don't mind a little bit of road buzz if I can get going a little faster, the 32's are ultra plush to me right now and I can't even keep up with my brother riding on his folding bike with tires that seem smaller than 26" (although they seem to be 25mm or thinner) ... Yea, I wanna at least keep up with my brother on his smaller wheeled dahon folding bike :D. One more tire I'm looking at Continental Ultra Sport 700x28 (http://www.amazon.com/Continental-Ultra-Sport-Road-Tire/dp/B0009S9D1A)

I put some Armadillo 25's on my hybrid's wheels. The bike came with 700x35's, but I lusted after something with lower rolling resistance. The 25's have been just fine. No complaints at all. I keep them aired up correctly (or maybe over-inflated according to the "tips" thread here), and never worry about pinch flats.

Stick with the recommendation of a 28mm tire. Anything smaller, you run the risk of pinch flatting (usually at the point furthest from home) and rim damage.

pccp, I have a hybrid that had 700x35 tires and I put pair of the Continental Ultra Sport 28's on it.. The ride is great. A world of difference. I've had them on for almost a year and about a thousand miles with no flats. 28's are pretty narrow.

My hybrid has logged many miles on 25's, if you happen to use 25's, go with versions that have extra kevlar reinforcement, and dual compound. Dual compound as in harder rubber center tread for wear and softer side tread for cornering, especially on wet pavement. The drawbacks to the 25's is the harsher ride, but if your hybrid has a suspension seat post and fork, those components will smooth the ride somewhat. If you are carrying or planning to carry panniers, be aware that the higher air pressure ( I keep my 25's at a minimum of 110 psi) will be more of a shock to the rear wheel and axle. Also, since installing the 25's I noticed a quicker acceleration and a few mph difference at top speed right off the start when compared to my hybrid's OE 85psi 35's, but a little less stability being that the 25's were lighter in weight and had less gyro effect, especially in windy conditions. I have another hybrid with 35's and it works great on the slower family weekend rides, plus it's more stable on gravel trails that we sometimes ride.

It seems like what you really want is speed. Consider getting a road bike. Use the hybrid for other types of riding. You'll be more satisifed with a road bike. Then the choices of wheelsets and tire sizes will no longer be an issue.

So according to the chart, 28's are appropriate and 25's are not. .... Are 25's worth it considering I would be prone to pinch flats? I want less rolling resistance, but I would hate to get a lot of flats or even ruin my rims...
The chart is not gospel, it's just a general guideline. As long as the tire sidewalls are wider than the edges of the rim, you'll be okay.

Narrower tires are also not as tall as wide tires so there's always an increased risk of pinch flats with going to narrower tires, you just need to be more careful with hitting edges with the wheels. I weigh twice as much as you and I used 1" tires on a bike for a while, and had no problems. I took them off because they rode harsh, not because they failed at all.

The Matrix 750 rims seem to be a pretty inexpensive rim, by the by. Google finds a lot of comments about how easy they are to knock out of true, but the difference between a 28mm and a 25mm tire won't have much effect on that either way.
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Since the rims are rather inexpensive, I would check what the rim's max pressures are. Tires have max inflation pressures molded on them, but rims have maximum inflation pressures they are rated for as well and the pressure varies with the width of the tire (narrower tires can be inflated higher).

I found one mention that seems to indicate that the Matrix 750 were manufactured by Bontrager, but they no longer appear on the Bontrager website, and I can't find any manufacturer info for them anywhere. They may be a 2007 or low-end OEM model not listed so you would need to email Bontrager and ask. Alternately, lots of current Trek bikes seem to use the Matrix rims (as well as Bontrager tires) so you could try emailing Trek and asking what the rim's tire/pressure specs are also.
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I have a Gary Fisher Wingra that came with 700x32 tires but I would like to put 700x25 tires on it. I emailed Gary Fisher Bikes and they responded that 700x28 is the smallest they recommended, but I wanted some advice from other hybrid owners that might have the same wheels (matrix 750) and if I might be able to put the 25mm tires on it anyway? Otherwise, would changing wheels to put smaller tires on it be worth it? How much could I expect it to cost? There is something on the front rim that says 622x19, but I don't know what that might indicate, considering fisher said I shouldn't put on thinner than 28mm..
It might be kind of nice to have two sets of wheels, one dedicated to smaller 700x25 and the other at 700x45 or other knobby thick tire that I can take offroad by just switching the wheels. I have read in other posts that the 28 mm might be plenty quick if I get a high pressure one. I am 5'6 and weigh 130 pounds though, so I don't know how important that is, but the 32mm tires do feel a bit sluggish to me currently (rated to 85 lbs)
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks,
Paul

i put 28's on my trek 7300. it originally came with 32's. i still have the 28 on the front. put the 32 back on the rear after 3 pinch flats.

wow, thanks for all the replies guys, you are life savers. In replying to Garfield Cat, ya I would love to have a road bike but I can't return this one and since I just got it I think I'll get it as close to road style as I can before I save up enough for a nice road bike in a couple months. Then I'll keep this one for commuting and the road bike for fair weather nice place riding. Hopefully in the future racing will be in my cards :D ... As for the tire, I think I'm gonna take the recommendation of putting on the Continental ultra sport 700x28s and inflate them to about 85 lbs.
P.S. I just bought shimano m324 pedals, they look kinda heavy but should be right at home on my hybrid.
Thanks again everyone!