Commuting - Anyone run a slightly larger tire in the rear

I was wondering if anyone, or know someone, who has tried running a slightly larger tire in the rear - say, a 32 in the front and a 35 in the rear? I'm wondering if it would help extend rear wheel life.

DanO

Why not simply run 35's front & back?

I've been running 23 front, 26 rear, doesn't mean a thing.
Original thought was it might provide a bit more cushioning. But no....

i have always run a larger tire in front on my mtb's.... theory being (i think) your front wheel has more traction then your back so if a tires slip your back tire would go first (which is much more controlable then a sliding front wheel).

but on the road i just run the same front and back.

I run 28 back and 25 front on one bike, and 25 back and 23 front on another. About 60% of the load is on the rear tire, so theory would say there is an advantage to have a bit bigger tire in back, and keeping the PSI a bit higher in back.

Theory aside, I can't "feel" any difference in ride and handling with this setup. But, there is no disadvantages that I can see.

"Why not simply run 35's front & back?"

Yea, that's the obvious answer isn't it. Right now I'm running some 28mm TransWorld Something-or-others... and the reason I'm changing is that 1: My current tires have a 'commuter' tread pattern that's deep and narrow so they're a bit squirlie when cornering. 2: Said tread pattern is great at picking up and holding onto sand and pebbles, which is noisy and irritating. and... 3: 3! things! The wire bead is so tight it's impossible to mount them without prying them on with irons.

So I'm gonna order a set of Panaracers. I've had good luck with them in the past. I'll probably order 32's. I've tires as big as 38's, but they do increase drag so I'm gonna compromise. I just thought a slightly bigger tire might provide a bit extra coosh right where it's neede.

DanO

I run 28 back and 25 front on one bike, and 25 back and 23 front on another. About 60% of the load is on the rear tire, so theory would say there is an advantage to have a bit bigger tire in back, and keeping the PSI a bit higher in back.

Theory aside, I can't "feel" any difference in ride and handling with this setup. But, there is no disadvantages that I can see.

I second what Alan is saying. I am running a 25c back and 23c in front on my road bike... I can't fit anything bigger. The bike came with 18c front and rear and it was killing me!

It makes sence having a bigger tire to support the bigger load. Then it's the fine balance between the comfort of a larger tire and the speed of a smaller one.

I'm running 23c front and 25c back and don't really notice a difference either.

I do. Works fine.

I run a 20 X 1.125 inch in the front and a 27 X 1.25 inch in the back. Works for me.

i run a two inch up front and a 1 inch in back. it's very sezy.

I used to use 20c front 23c rear, then changed to 20c both. I think air pressure affects more on bouncy feel than the size of the tires. Advantage of using the same size tire is I can use half way used front tire in the rear, when the rear tire gets worn out, so there will be no waste. I always have a near brand new front tire.

"Why not simply run 35's front & back?"

Yea, that's the obvious answer isn't it. Right now I'm running some 28mm TransWorld Something-or-others... and the reason I'm changing is that 1: My current tires have a 'commuter' tread pattern that's deep and narrow so they're a bit squirlie when cornering. 2: Said tread pattern is great at picking up and holding onto sand and pebbles, which is noisy and irritating. and... 3: 3! things! The wire bead is so tight it's impossible to mount them without prying them on with irons.

So I'm gonna order a set of Panaracers. I've had good luck with them in the past. I'll probably order 32's. I've tires as big as 38's, but they do increase drag so I'm gonna compromise. I just thought a slightly bigger tire might provide a bit extra coosh right where it's neede.

DanO

I'm running 32mm Pasela Tourguards, and I'm very pleased with them. I'm not sure that it was necessary to get the TGs, but so far I've got no flats... of course, there are only about 50 miles or so on the tires right now! We'll see how it goes, I guess.

I am also using Pasala TG 32's on my 520. They seem to be closer to 28's though. I've had mixed results so far, after 2500miles I had to replace the rear as a 1" patch of the tread area came off exposing the carcus, of course the kevlar belt held up just fine for over 30 miles. The nice thing is that I have olny had three flats, and two of these were picked up on the same day.

I have 28's front in back from spring to fall. When one of them wears out, I plan to put a 32 on the back. The back tire has to support my saddlebags, so it will get the fatter tire. When the other 28 wears out, I'll but 32's front and back. 28's give nice speed, but I'm looking forward to a better ride.

I run a 1" front and 1.3" rear. I'm a 100kg fatboy with a big load, and I was just getting a ton of flats on the rear with a 1" tyre. But I like the super-pimpy light handling on the front with that skinny tyre. Works a charm.

I'm running 32mm Pasela Tourguards, and I'm very pleased with them. I'm not sure that it was necessary to get the TGs, but so far I've got no flats... of course, there are only about 50 miles or so on the tires right now! We'll see how it goes, I guess.

I put 5,6000 miles on a set of these. There was plenty of tread left, but the cloth tape over the bead that protects the edge of the tire was coming off and the threads were going all over the place. They are great for flat protection. Fast compared to other similar tires, and a little on the bumpy side. Longer lasting tires have a little harder rubber, which is a very slight reduction in traction. Good racing tires wear out in as little as 800 miles. Sometimes you can't even tell by the feel.

I love my 32 mm Pasela tourguards. I'm on my third set that is up to about 2000 miles, no flats. I don't even get a flat every year. On all three sets maybe total of around 13,000 miles, three or four flats maximum. I don't many flats on my other tires either, so I may not be running over much.

I have 23 front and 25 back simply because the bike shop did not have any kevlar-belted 25's when I needed to replace the front tire, and a 28 was too big to fit under the fender.

I put 5,6000 miles on a set of these. There was plenty of tread left, but the cloth tape over the bead that protects the edge of the tire was coming off and the threads were going all over the place. They are great for flat protection. Fast compared to other similar tires, and a little on the bumpy side. Longer lasting tires have a little harder rubber, which is a very slight reduction in traction. Good racing tires wear out in as little as 800 miles. Sometimes you can't even tell by the feel.

I love my 32 mm Pasela tourguards. I'm on my third set that is up to about 2000 miles, no flats. I don't even get a flat every year. On all three sets maybe total of around 13,000 miles, three or four flats maximum. I don't many flats on my other tires either, so I may not be running over much.

This is good to hear. I hope my problem with my rear tire was a one off thing and the new ones will last as long as your's have.

This is good to hear. I hope my problem with my rear tire was a one off thing and the new ones will last as long as your's have.

I hope so. I'm not particularly rough on tires. I'm aware of what's on the ground all the time. I have also noticed that on a flat surface at a steady pace they have very low rolling resistance.

I tried to use a little super glue to keep the threads on the bead and keep using the tires, but I finally got shamed into spending some money. :) I did want to see how long it took to wear out the tread.

Thanks for all the imput. I ordered a set of 32 mm tourguards with a shipment from Nashbar yesterday. I figured I might as well go up to a 32 in front as well wouldn't hurt on the 1/2 mile of dirt road that is my drive way. (I was tempted to go with 35's, but they might drag a bit on the open road.) And I can do the front/rear swap when the rear begins to wear. I'll let ya know how it goes.

DanO

I've got 1.9" in front (conti town and country) and 1.5's in back (avocet something or others). I like running the fat tire in front because it smooths out the ride a bit and I worry less about getting jammed into some sort of rode hazard. The bike looks a bit odd but then it's an old XO2, so it looked a bit odd to start with.

YMMV

I am running 32 front 35 rear. My commute includes a couple or short stretches on gravel and grass. I figured that with the extra weight the rear supports the 35 would be a little better on the gravel and when the ground is soft from rain. It works pretty well though I may just go with 35s front and rear when it is time to replace.

As far as rolling resistance on the road I don't think there is any difference because of the tires I am using, Specialized Infinity Armadillo. They have a moderate tread with a pretty much continuous stip down the center. That strip actually gives the tires the rolling feel of a much narrower tire while the tire width gives a bit more shock absorption.

I ran 32s Panaracers Pasela Tourguards in the back and 28 up front then I went to both 28s. When I replace the fork on my Jamis Aurora I plan to go back to 32's all around, the stock fork was too small for 32s and a fender but I ordered a surly fork for it.

I ran 32s Panaracers Pasela Tourguards in the back and 28 up front then I went to both 28s. When I replace the fork on my Jamis Aurora I plan to go back to 32's all around, the stock fork was too small for 32s and a fender but I ordered a surly fork for it.

What year is your Jamis Aurora? Your fork must be very different than mine. I have a 1998 Aurora with
32mm Tourguards and fenders. There is room for more on my bike. I have had very big tires on this bike. I have a steel fork with cantis.The stock one. BTW I have 7500 miles on all the original RSX stuff and the cogs and chain. I have replaced the brakes with some older Deore ones. Much easier to keep from squealing.

For about 3 years, I ran my tourer with 700x32 front and 700x37 rear.

Why? A few reasons:

1. The bike came with 700x32 and I worn our the rear tire within a few thousand km, while the front one seemed eternal.

2. I was touring and riding with a child on trailercycle, so lots of weight on the rear wheel. And we have potholes. So the 37 was more comfortable.

3. Steering was more lively with 32 in front.

Now that that child has graduated to a full tandem, and now that I tour with the tandem, I am back to 32s.

Some brand new BMX dirt bikes come from the factory with a larger tire in front. This is for better handling or traction on the dirt. In a panic situation, or a low traction situation you want the back to break loose first. So you put the bigger tire in the front. In dirt bike motorcycle racing where you routinely slide the bike on the dirt you want the back tire to go out first. That way you can control the slide better. This is going on every day. I did it for 25 years at least.

Putting a larger tire on the back to handle the load better is going to make your bike handle poorly even unsafely in a panic stop. You have more rubber on the road in the rear. You may possibly slide the front tire first when you don't want too. It's much harder to keep upright if the front tire starts to slide.
The bike manufacturer knows this. They sent the bike out with two of the same size tires, and they know how that bike handles in a slide. They ship the bmx bikes with a safe tire set up from the factory, just like all the rest of the bikes with the same size on the front and the back. They understand.

I am now climbing into my Nomex Flame suit and a fire proof hole in the ground. :) :) :) Let me get a drink of water before you turn on the flame throwers.

On my DH bike I do run a giant tire in the front and a slightly smaller model in the back. But generally off-road I'd just make sure that the tire with more traction potential is in the front. If the front tire is wider and bald and the back tire is narrower and knobby, you are still going to lose the front end first in a corner.

On the road, the traction differences between different thicknesses of tires has never been noticible. I have occasionally run a 25c in the back and a 23c in front. Bigger differences would probably not cause any real problems.