Commuting - Your favorite tire size for commuting...

...on a road bike is?

I'm getting my 1st road bike, and most I have looked at have 700x23-26 tires. I used to commute on much larger street tires for my (snif) rescently ripped off MTB( I will seriously kill the MTF if I see it).
My reason for asking is many of the roads I will ride on are BAD...Petaluma CA is known for it's crap roads, and the country roads from Santa Rosa to Petaluma are not great either. Any advice?

Can your rims take a 32? I use 1 1/4"(old non-hooked 27" wheels) which is roughly a 32 in width and I run about 85-95psi(max for these old hoops). There are many rough roads around here too but this size seems to do well. (I also have an mtb with 1.9slicks)
Use one of those tuff tires like specalized Armadillo or Contenental four seasons not just for puncture resistance but for hard pothole hits that may damage a lesser tire.

Unless your rims are extremely narrow you can probably handle up to a 28 mm. If the roads are tough you might look at Avocet Cross II K tires. These tires have a wavy tread that provides a solid surface down the middle for low rolling resistance while having a bit of bite and extra thickness. These are my favorite road bike commuters. They are not cheap at about $25, but they last. The 28s are hard to find. I actually got mine from Avocet because there is no dealer in my area. Specialized makes a Turbo Armadillo in 28 that is slick and tough, but I just don't like the feel of them. The contact surface is very wide and flat. I prefer the Avocets. Continental makes 28s that are great, but they don't offer a kevlar belted model. I love them, but the streets I commute on shred them in no time.

The question is do you consider low rolling resistance (speed) to be more important than ride quality and flat resistance? As a rule, narrow tires are higher pressure, harsher riding, fragile tires.
Commuting is a timed event. The roads in my area are quite good, but have a fair amount of debris, so I'm more interested in durability. Getting to work a couple of minutes faster most days but risking losing that advantage from fixing flats on the side of the road isn't for me.
You'll need wider rims but if the frame/ brake clearance can handle them, I would advise using 32-35 touring tires. If you can afford them, you can always swap to narrow wheels if you want to go for a fast recreational ride, although if you're used to 2" mtb tires, you'll think you're riding greased lightning even with these "fat" tires.

On my MTB I use 26 x 1.5 Armadillo slicks, they are holding up well. I agree with Hal Hardy, would rather run more slowly than be exposed to risk of flats.

700x5
Solid disc of steel.

i use 23mm.. commute in style :p but flats are rare 'round my parts...

sd

27"x1.125

OLD SKOOL

Nashbar blacks, $5 on sale....

700x5
Solid disc of steel. Doubles as a high-speed pizza cutter.

I use a fairly sporty 32mm on std road rims with no problems. That is about as wide as you need to go. 28mm are fine for most general purpose riding.
The limiting factor is clearance at the brakes. Most caliper brakes are designed for racing, but Shimano make a deep drop caliper which can accept 32mm+fenders. You cant just swap the brakes around, you need the brake bridge to be positioned correctly.
You may find this brake on light-touring frames rather than competition racers. Soma is your local frame builder for this style.

700x28 armadillo nimbus.

They give a fairly smooth ride, and they have taken a real beating with no flats due to the tire.

Warning though, they are REALLY hard to get on/off the rims. I had a flat due to a stick taking out the stem and changing it was a major ordeal that ended up breaking one of my tire levers.

I use 700x23 tires but that's just because I rotate my old racing/training tires off the "A" bike on to the commuter. I use tuffskins under for a bit more durability but it's not perfect. I think this fall I may break down and spend the extra bucks for a wider, more bulletproof commute tire like the Armadillos that a lot of Forumites seem to like.

At various times, I have commuted on each of my 5 bikes, but I consider the two Peugeots to be the best suited to this application, particularly with the Capo's year-old professional paint job.

Bianchi: 110(F)-120(R) PSI 700Cx23 -- good weather and good roads only, please!

PKN-10 and Capo: 100-115 PSI 700Cx28 Specialized Armadillos -- good preformance/reliability compromise

UO-8: 70 PSI 27x1-3/8 = 35mm knobbies -- noticeably slower than the others, but usable for cyclocross, mild trails, bad potholes, etc.

Schwinn: 26 x 2.1 Bontragers -- At 70 PSI, they perform credibly on-road, almost as well as the 35mm knobbies on the UO-8.

For general-purpose transportation and commuting, I think the 700Cx28s are my favorites.

"Continental makes 28s that are great, but they don't offer a kevlar belted model."

Doesn't the Conti gatorskin have kevlar belt? I've had great luck with these, fewer flats, no mysterious sidewall failures, long tread life.

"Continental makes 28s that are great, but they don't offer a kevlar belted model."

Doesn't the Conti gatorskin have kevlar belt? I've had great luck with these, fewer flats, no mysterious sidewall failures, long tread life.

Oops, I guess you are right. I haven't tried those.
Regards,
Raymond

Another limiting factor may be the chainstay clearance. Different category, I know, but we have a Schwinn tandem that's basically a tandemized hybrid from the mid-'90s. I put a set of 700x40 Michelins on it. They clear the brakes and seat stays just fine, but if I don't have it mounted nuts-on centered, and if it goes even a millimeter out of true, the tire rubs on one or the other chainstay. I really should swap it out for a 38.

I run Panaracer 700x37s on my commuter. No problem with clearance, good durability and nice smooth ride.

I have clean roads & have been riding Gommitalia 700 X 18 up to 700 X 23 tires this Summer. The difference in speed & lively handling is amazing but soon the skies will cloud, the rains will fall & I'll be back on Continental 700 X 28 or 27 X 1 1/4 Winter tires on older, heavier bikes. Kind of like switching from a sports car to an SUV.

I like my Conti 27 X 1.125. Pump em up to 120 and I am ready for a rimsmashingly fast ride to work.

I use 700x25's kevlar belt plus toughskins inside (that's probably overkill, but so what I'm not worried about the extra weight). 700x23's flat too often for me and 700x28's feel too bulky.

I like the IRC Duro Metros 700x37(kevlar belted). No matter what you use, try to get belted tires or tire liners. A flat in the morning is not fun at all.

700X23 Armadillos! I average less than 1 flat every 1000 miles (and roads around here are pretty nasty on the shoulders).

Continental Ultra 3000 700 x 28 When pumped to 115 -120 they ride like others at 85 -90. Good grip & will get about 2000 to 2500 loaded miles from them. I'll carry up to 30lbs of "stuff" somedays.

700 x 23 Armadillo on the front, 700 x 25 Armadillo on the rear. Only flat was a pinch flat after one of the numerous switches from my regular Fortezza 145 psi tires.

Specialized Armadillo's in 28, though some do not like them, they are bomb proof. My commute does both cinderpack and really bad Philly roads. Over 1000k on them and no problems with handeling.

Conti Top Touring 2000, 700X32, Slimed, Tuffy-stripped, as bullet-proof as I can manage.

I hear your pain, I use to live in Bakersfield CA, and actually once rode in the Santa Rosa area; your roads there and in Bakersfield were built by the same idiots!!!! Bakersfield has the added attraction of goatheads and thistles that love to flat skinny weak bicycle tires.

If you want a tire that can stand up to the potholes, glass, thorns etc then the Armadillos is the best and most flat resistent tire on the market. I use them obviously and I run 26's all the way around because the wider tire gives better traction and security on rough uneven roads. I did try a 28 on the rear and found that it did not really do better in the traction or security as the 26, though it did last longer (about 500 miles more); but the 28 is about 100 grms heavier then the 26. The 26 is a good compromise between being too narrow or too heavy.

These tires do ride harsher then your use to riding due to the thick flat resistent sidewalls, but you can compensate for that by not running at max rated pressure of 125psi. Depending on your weight, I weigh 163 so I put 95 in the rear and 85 in the front; if you weigh less or more you could use less or more air. Also you can keep the total weight of the tire and tube down by using a ultralight racing tube like the Specialize Turbo 65grm tube.

With the Armadillos I went from averaging 3 flats a week to just 2 in 4 years or 15,000 miles; and one of those flats was due to a faulty tube, the other was due to running the tire down to the cords.

700x5
Solid disc of steel.
Lead gives a smoother ride.

It sounds like 28-32 700c or 1.125-1 1/4" 27"are the way to go. On the 27" wheels; fraction tires (ie 1 1/4") are the old style non-hooked-rim tires, while decimal(ie 1.25") are for high pressure hooked rims.

I use 700x28 armidillos and I like them. I've never had a flat and they seem to do ok on dirt roads, grass, fields and broken glass.

I use Specialize Armadillo 700x25 due to the wider tread has less of a tendancy to follow groves, ruts and edges found on city streets, plus they stop a tad faster, wear longer and give a slightly cusher ride on harsh broken streets.

I use the Armadillo because it's the best flat resistent tire on the market; and when commuting the last thing you want to do is to fix a flat and have to show up late for work, or have to attempt a repair at night.

I bought my touring bike in part with commuting in mind..
I like a stable ride when carrying a heavy load..Tire size I like and have..35 mm...

Mine came with 700x26, and I put on better 25's. I was originallly thinking 28 to 32, but 25 is working well. Larger tires would just make the hills more painful and I'd hit more rocks. No off-roading or curb jumping on my commute, and few potholes in Hilo, but I gotta watch out for those rim-eating sinkholes. The pneumatic tire is a wonderful thing.