Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Some tire questions

Hey everyone,

Ok so recently i tested some road bike and loved them, however I was able to talk myself into keeping my 4 month old Sirrus Sport hyrbrid, at least for a while. I still love riding my bike and I'm going to make a new road bike my reward for hitting 250 lbs (40 lbs to go).

Ok now on to my real question, I really like the feel of the 700x23c tires on the bikes i tested, my bike now has 700x28c, now was the difference I felt not the tires but rather the bikes themselves, or would switching to 23c tires actually give me some more speed on my hybrid vs the 28's i have now?

I'd be concerned about snakebite flats from bottoming out with a 23mm tire...I'm already concerned about these flats with the 28mm tire i have on MY sirrus, and I'm 290 like yourself.

It will probably give you some more speed, but it will also be a bumpier ride due to the higher psi you run with the 23s. If you ride over a lot of bumpy roads, it may even slow you down. You also need to consider the width of your rims. If your hybrid came with wider rims, it may not support 23s. I would check with your LBS to make sure. As usual, YMMV.

I'd be concerned about snakebite flats from bottoming out with a 23mm tire...I'm already concerned about these flats with the 28mm tire i have on MY sirrus, and I'm 290 like yourself.

that's a good point I hadn't thought about. i def run high pressure, about 120psi, on my 28's just to try and make sure i don't get pinch flats, i don't mind a harsher ride though, i def prefer lower rolling resistance to the softer ride.

I weigh about the same. I grew up on 23mm tires. Then I got fat and when I started riding again, I had that problem of snakebites. I tried everything, but my experience was that nothing helped. I now run 25mm tires and inflate them to about 140 psi. Also, specialized armadillos really help with all the flats from road debris. When you're riding on such a hard tire (140psi), everything seems to stick in the tire.

that's a good point I hadn't thought about. i def run high pressure, about 120psi, on my 28's just to try and make sure i don't get pinch flats, i don't mind a harsher ride though, i def prefer lower rolling resistance to the softer ride.


I mention it only as I pinch-flatted on a pothole @ 120 psi last week, top of mind for me right now.

I mention it only as I pinch-flatted on a pothole @ 120 psi last week, top of mind for me right now.

i'm glad you brought that up, just need to keep puttin on the miles and dropping the pounds hopefully i won't have to worry about such things next summer.

I've found 28's to be the perfect 3.75 season "do everything" tire. (It only snows for a brief few weeks here). They're great for my commute, fast enough that I don't feel sluggish on 100+ mile rides, they even handle a quick jag down a packed dirt or crushed lime path pretty well. I wouldn't venture to take them on a loose packed surface, though.
That's where my second set of tires comes in: The 35mm studs which go on when the snow starts, and come off only when it's gone.

Don't use tire less then 28mm on hybrids. The rims are too wide for anything less. Not only will you pinch flat, you will damage a rim.