Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - what size tires should I be running on my road bike?

i'm a 300# guy riding an old trek 400 "sport" road bike...

what size tires should I ideally be running? i'm no racer... I bought the bike with plans of comfortably increasing my miles vs what I could do on my semi road setup 29er (700x40/700x32, rigid) after doing my 1st metric century...

i'm planning on buying some new rubber for the bike and looking for good inexpensive options and thoughts of how wide I should go? I know the trek will take 32's with out issue (although getting them though the calipers wasn't so easy)

so what do you guys recommend?
thanks guys
mark

I'm no expert, but our tandem with a team weight of 350 and bike weight of 45 loaded uses 700x28mm. This is a pretty common size for road tandems these days. Can't see why you might need anything wider unless your going for a more cush ride. I can't comment on the ride (conti ultra gatorskins) since the CF fork and long wheelbase makes for a pretty good ride.

I've got 700x25's on my road bike and have not had any issues with pinch flats. I'm 270 lbs. These are what came with the bike when I bought it. So far so good.

I had 700 x 38 and have moved on to 700 x 25, much better, if I were to ride on a gravel trail or city, I would use the 38's but for 15 miles and up, prefer the smaller tires.

I'd say start with 28 mm. Keep the rear tire properly inflated. You should be okay. If you keep getting rear tire flats, you can think about going a bit larger in the rear. A 28 mm up front be all you need. A lot depends upon the road conditions in your area, but this should work on reasonablt roads.

I'm no expert, but our tandem with a team weight of 350 and bike weight of 45 loaded uses 700x28mm. This is a pretty common size for road tandems these days. Can't see why you might need anything wider unless your going for a more cush ride. I can't comment on the ride (conti ultra gatorskins) since the CF fork and long wheelbase makes for a pretty good ride.

+1 I'm using 700 X 28 Gatorskins with great results. No reason to go larger, even on bad pavement, if you keep your air pressure @ 100 psi.

Michael

sounds like there's a pretty good consensus haha...

I run 23c @ 300#, and haven't had any issues.

What I plan in doing in the future is a 25c in the rear and a 23c in the front, as currently the 23c in the rear pancakes more than I like under my weight, even at full inflation. Still hasn't pinch yet, though.

I like 28mm Gatorskins for speedy flat resistance, and 28mm Vittoria Randonneur Cross for a cushy ride (they only top at 85psi).

What pressures are you people running? At 240lbs I have to run 32C's at 110-115 PSI to keep the tire from compressing to much under my weight.

I'd be scared of anything less then a 28C at my weight, from a safety standpoint (pinch flats) and the stress added to the rims from the lack of pneumatic shock absorption from the tires.

Maybe I'm too paranoid.

I was at 240, now I'm 215 lbs.

I keep 85 to 100 psi in my 700 x 28 Gatorskins. No pinch flats, and I often cross low profile curbing at speed when the bike path crosses streets. I'm going down to the 700 x 25 tire size when I reach 200 lbs.

Michael

I also started this season at 240, down to 230 now. I've been riding Conti Gatorskins 700x28 inflated to 8 bar, or about 118 psi. I've gone about 500 miles which includes over 100 miles on crushed gravel rail/trail without any problems.

I'm 250 and I run my 28mm Gatorskins at 112 - 115. I keep my Randonneur-Crosses at 85psi, which is their max rating. They aren't any slower feeling than the Gatorskins.

You said inexpensive. Nashbar has Paselas on sale.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_178263_-1_200327_200276_200524

I use the more expensive folding version of the Pasela in a 32c. It's a good size for a Clyde, doesn't feel slow, and is reasonably durable.