Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - 700x23c or 700x25c pros and cons

I would like some pros and cons of both tires. I have an idea of what make and model i want, but when i talk to one person he says 25 and next person says dont go with that go with 23 I live in alaska and there is always a good chance of rain and definitly a great chance of potholes. i like to go very fast so rolling resistance is key but I heard handling and feel are better with 25c please feel free to give your opinion I want as much info as possible. Thanks alot

I go with 700 x 28's

I go with 700 x 28's

Me too.

I run 23s on my road bike and 28s on my commuter. Road bike is a lot faster but its red so that may account for the difference.

do you notice any better handling, ride quality, perfromance to much rolling resistance.

I don't see a diffeence in runing 23 or 25's.

Matter of fact, if you look at a 23 Continental GP4000, it's wider than a 23 Continental Race 23, and about the same size as the Race in a 25.:eek:

Same with Serfas Seca, IRC Redstorm, the 23's are narrow but the 25's are about the same size as a 23 GP4000.

The GP400 is what I considered a 23, also an Ultra 2000 which they don't make anymore. I believe the Race took it's place so I was sad to see it's narrow compared to what it was.

A 25 Specialized Armadillo is wide and other Specialized models as well.

SO it depends on the brand, A specialized, I'd go with a 23, ...................IRC and Serfas and Continental Race, I use a 25........................... and GP4000, I use a 23...........I've also found Hutchinson to be same as the GP4000 so I'd also go with a 23.;)

As far as my bike, I use a 23 in the front and a 25 in the rear, both Serfas Seca tires. Wider in the rear for more comfort. Not sure if I feel it but it makes sense. I pay $24 at REI fo the wire bead version. $27 at the LBS.

I use GP4000's on my wife's bike. I don't get much mileage out of tires so no sense in paying high dollar for 1200 miles. And I don't believe that BS about $64 GP4000's making a Clyde rider climb faster.:D

Go bigger if you can. I was running Gatorskin 700 x 28mm for a few years, which actually measure 25 wide on my rims, but are taller than most road tires, so less chance of pinch flatting in a pothole. All winter I have had 700c x 35 small block 8's on my bike and have really gotten used to the smooth ride, not sure I want to go back.

Rolling resistance will be almost the same (if you ran the same pressure and the construction were the same then the 25mm ones would even have a bit less - but you'd probably run them at lower pressure); air resistance would be marginally less with the 23 mm tires; potholes will be handled better with the 25 mm ones (but 28 mm would be better still). For low rolling resistance you want to look more at the tire construction - very flexible sidewalls are good and are usually achieved with a high thread count, minimal rubber in the sidewall, and a thin slick tread surface. But that can make the tires more prone to sidewall cuts - so choose the best tradeoff for your uses.

Skinny tires do not necessarily go faster. They might feel faster, but it's really tough measure whether they are faster.

Jan Heine's tests (published in Bicycle Quarterly) showed that narrow tires required extremely high pressures for optimum rolling resistance under heavy riders. Wider tires give you the same rolling resistance with greater comfort.
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/images/TireDrop.pdf

FWIW: 700 x 32 Panaracer Pasela tires gave me a very nice ride and were amazingly fast. However, I found them to be too fragile to be reliable on the local roads.

I swap back and forth between 23's and 25's (same brand tire) all the time and can't tell the difference. Go with what you want. It won't matter enough to make a difference.

I'd say it's all cons. My 25c tire wearing road bike will be sold this weekend. I'm never going back to anything under 35c.

And yes, I road race. But I suck anyway, tires won't fix that.

But I'd have to agree with Beanz- in this class of tire, way too many other differences to look at simply to tell if a tire is better just because it's 25c or 23c.

The difference is slim. Literally.

Odds are better than not that you won't be able to tell a difference between the two. If the roads in Alaska are rough, go with a 28. I really think 700 x 28 is a nice compromise of speed and comfort. I have rode 23's and never had a problem with them, just make sure you inflate to 120 psi before each and every ride.

+1 for the fatter tyres. the older i get the fatter my tyres are! I once fitted 21's to my race bike and found it to be a terrible ride and no faster. I definitely would not go under 28's now and i am quite happy with the 32 slicks on my cross bike, and i dont feel like i am missing out on any speed. Even going from those to 35mm crossmarks i notice only a small increase in resistance on bitumen (but are slippy on wet roads). I would def go for 25's or bigger.

I am a big boy (245 lbs) and I run 23s. 25s just seem mushy to me. Most people here are probably right that there isn't that much difference between 23 and 25. Maybe I like 23 for wholly psychological reasons, I don't know. I just like them so I use them. You could try different sizes and see what you like.

I would say it depends on the bike.....

I have a Fuji cro-moly that came with 23 and it felt like I was on a knife edge, 25 fixed that feeling; my Felt F75 has 23 and it feels stable on the 23

I am a big boy (245 lbs) and I run 23s. 25s just seem mushy to me. Most people here are probably right that there isn't that much difference between 23 and 25. Maybe I like 23 for wholly psychological reasons, I don't know. I just like them so I use them. You could try different sizes and see what you like.

This sounds like the advice of the day...

I don't really notice a difference between 23 and 25. I'm running 23's (specialized armadillo elites) on my Soma DC and 28's (continental city ride) on my Specialized Sirrus, with 23's on the sirrus it just seems too rough.

My 1st road bike ran ran Gatorback 25's. My new one runs Maxxis 23's. Do i notice a difference ? can't say I do, at least not enough to make a difference. I'm riding a 61 cm frame & weigh 235, so I run max pressure regardless.

25s is faster because they deflect less on roads. Ride narrow tires in velodromes.

You know, this thread got me thinking and I went back and looked at my ascent logs. All of my fastest times for my usual routes are with my 28's. I compared when I had 23's on my sirrus to the 28's that were last mounted...the 28's were always faster time wise, and top speed as well.

As mentioned above, studies have shown that at the same pressure, a wide tire will have less rolling resistance than a narrow tire. Most will go on to mention that a wide tire is normally run at a lower pressure than a narrow tire, but if you are a big rider then you might choose, as I have, to run your wider tires at high pressures (currently have 28s on my road bike at 110psi and they feel friggin' fast).

However, rolling resistance is not the end of the story - narrower tires tend to be lighter, which helps dramatically with climbing and acceleration, narrower tires can have less aerodynamic resistance (if the width of the tire is closer to the width of the rim), and a wider tire can be run a slightly lower pressure without undue risk of flats or rim damage.

Also, the best racing tires often only come in narrow widths (real hard to find racing tires in 32mm width).

In the end, you should try a few and see what you like. If you are big and ride rough roads then I would recommend wider, but it is 100% up to you. The majority of big riders here also seem to suggest wider.