Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Tire/Size upgrade

Hey

First time posting on the forum.

I have an old Giant Nutro hybrid bicycle that I haven't ridden in a while. I'm looking to upgrade my tires and not sure what I can upgrade to. Currently the size of the tire is 700x38c (what came with the bike when I bought it used) and would like a more road style tire to go a little bit faster on.

Am I able to get a skinnier tire with using the same rim that I'm currently riding on or do I need to stay with the 38c width?

Thanks for the help.

Also currently at 310lbs and looking to get started slimming down.

You might be able to use 700 x 28.
Guessing you will want a road bike for speed.
Get in shape before even considering speed.

I change tires this summer on touring bike 35's to 28's.
Took less energy to pedal but never got faster.

Thanks for the reply. I will try to go by my LBS to see about it.

There are fellow Clydes here who ride with narrow tires but I don't feel comfortable with anything narrower than 35mm. I'm sure I could get away with 32s but my tires give me that extra sense of security. Many "faster" tires are available in 35mm widths. BTW I am ~300 lbs. myself.

You could probably put slightly slimmer tires on there, but if your goal is to go a little bit faster, you might also want to see about finding some higher pressure tires, as tires with a limit of 100-110psi will be a lot firmer than tires with a limit of 65-85psi.

Am I able to get a skinnier tire with using the same rim that I'm currently riding on or do I need to stay with the 38c width?

You can almost certainly fit a 700x32 tire on the same rims. 700x28 will probably work. Heck, 700x25 might work; it all depends on the exact width of your rim. That said, skinny doesn't always mean fast. All other things being equal, a wider tire has less rolling resistance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_resistance) than a narrow tire. Of course, it's not often that you find a tire that has the same construction in sizes from 700x23 to 700x38.

In your case, you may find that the rubber compound, weight, and tread pattern of a tire make more difference than changing the size. The Vittoria Randonneur Hyper tires I use on my touring bike seem to roll pretty well for a large tire. They're available in sizes from 700x32 to 700x38. Flat protection isn't especially good, but they're pretty zippy for a wide tire!

Another worthwhile upgrade would be to change the brake cantilvers from ones where the pads are mounted on posts to ones where they are mounted with spherical washers and nuts. This makes for easier adjustment, and better stopping if you get Koolstop pads.

We have some guys in the club who are probably in the mid to high 200's and they ride narrow tires without any problems. They do have to run near or at max psi to avoid pinch flats, but the two that I ride with regularly seem to have more problems with cheap derailleur parts than their tires :)

Thank you all so much for the replies. I will probably take a look at either 700x32c and 700x35c tires. Hopefully I can stay under $60 tires and tubes.

http://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10053_10052_500708_-1_201485_10000_201490

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_178263_-1_201485_10000_201490

I'd suggest 32c. The Pasela will have a nicer ride, the Rando will likely last longer. Both are nice tires,
I currently use the folding Pasela TG in 32c. Which is lighter, but puts you over budget.

If you don't ride hard and want something on the cheap end, you might try these (http://www.amazon.com/Michelin-City-Protek-Black-700x32c/dp/B001CSVG7K/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I248LFFLCQF8QK&colid=2BOVA1APVDWUM). Free shipping if you buy a set, courtesy of Amazon Super Saver Shipping.

I'm considering them for my bike since my current rear tire (40mm) has seen better days and I want to get something in the 32-35mm range anyway. My current front tire is a 700x35 Michelin cross tire (Transworld Sprint). It's served me well...

My commuter bike (Gary Fisher Nirvanna) came with 700Cx35 Bontrager Invert Select tires. These had a slight tread patters. I didn't like the tires as they captured a lit of road grit and made a slight buzzing sound/feeling while riding. I am 6' 2.5" 215 Lbs, not huge, but by no means a small guy. For Summer use I switched over to a set of Brontager Hard Case (smooth tread). I love how much smoother my ride it. If the roads are good I might ride them at about 90 PSI. If the roads are rougher I can drop the PSI a little and get a softer ride. I have the same tires, but in a size 700Cx25 on my LeMonde road bike. I would not want a tire that was much narrower on my commuter. At 90 PSI the tire rides efforlessly over the roads, but the ride is difinitely less punishing than a 110 PSI road bike tire. This is purely a personal thing. On the road bike for instance I have no desire to go the a 23 or 22 mm tire either. For winter use I have a set of Nokia W106 tires (700Cx35), they are MUCH slower than my summer tires, but when you hit the slippery stuff it is completely worth the slow down. Better to be slower than to go down hard.

Generally speaking the larger the tire the slower it is, but there is a HUGE amount of variability in tires (weight, tread, composition of the tire, etc), so you mileage will vary. For me a 32 mm tire is a nice compromise between comfort and speed, for your that may be different. One thing I definitely like is slick tires for Summer use. Tread doesn't seem to help at all during summer (rain or shine). The only time tread helps is during winter riding.

Happy riding,
André