loimpact

Long story short,

My C'dale Quick 4 comes w/ Kenda Kwik Trax 700 x 32c and they are a great tire. Very comfy, but at the cost of speed. (No prob, I can appreciate what they're good at).

Best version of the C'dale Quick (carbon 1) uses a Conti Sport Contact in 700 x 28c. I'm assuming I could put those tires on mine too as rims are the same & most tubes are 28/32c compatible anyway. (unless anybody knows if I'd need a different tube to handle a slightly higher psi?)

The Conti's can go 100psi max vs my current Kenda's 85psi max.

Also other suggestions appreciated. (i.e. I know new science says maybe width isn't all to speed and I know folks have a fav tire)

TIA

dabac

Tube should be fine, all strength is in the tire anyhow.
I've been quite happy with Conti sport contact on my commuter, but overall favourites are hutchinson top slick followed by a WTB folding slick.

Barrettscv 

They main problem with the Kenda Kwik Trax 700 x 32 is not so much the size, but the construction and design. The Kendra is a low cost, moderate quality tire that the factory installed to meet a price point.

I would consider a nice quality 700x32 slick tire. These offer a great ride quality and provide plenty of speed due to very low rolling resistance. They also have very good flat resistance. I completed a century using these tires last year. These are the perfect tire for road or gravel. Vittoria Voyager Hyper Folding Cross/Hybrid Bicycle Tire : Browse All Products

Retro Grouch 

Performance, comfort, puncture resistance, cost. You can slice up that pie anyway that you want but you can't have all big pieces.

There are a number of factors that affect tire performance. Thin, supple caseings are the biggest and they also improve comfort but at the detriment of puncture resistance and cost. Skinny tires have less frontal area and make it possible to use greater air pressure. More air pressure helps to a point, but too much air pressure makes your whole bike bounce upward over all the little bumps which is an energy and traction loss. At equal air pressure, skinny tires have an adverse affect on the shape of the contact patch which increases rolling resistance. Puncture resistant layers come in various degrees. Thicker = better puncture resistance but less supple tire caseings so performance and comfort will suffer.

Finally, in most cases we're only talking about relatively small incremental differences so don't expect a huge change in performance. The worst tires have about double the rolling resistance of the best tires, but the total amount of rolling resistance drag is relatively small so a big percentage difference doesn't hold you back very much. If your goal is to go faster, work on your position on the bicycle. Once you get over about 15 MPH, the energy required to push your torso through the air exceeds everything else combined.

Cyclosaurus

I recently switched out my Kenda Kwick Cross 700cx30 tires for 700x28 Continental Grand Prix 4 Season. I didn't notice any difference in speed.

fietsbob

My speed remains the same, on various bikes/wheels/tires, because that is what feels right
but enjoy your tire shopping choices .. there are many variables to influence your decision.

dbg

There is growing opinion that bigger tires (the right ones with lightweight supple casing, etc) are not slower than super skinny, high pressure. I have been convinced and now find them MUCH more comfortable. I also feel like their softness makes them less susceptible to flats (not enough mileage yet to declare that with certainty) and I can go for a week long trip and never top them off.

[edit: forgot to make suggestion... Grand Bois tires are way more expensive, but for the hundreds to thousands of miles I might ride them on long trips and tours, the added expense amounts to nickels or pennies per hour. The added comfort is noticeable and worth it to me.]

HillRider

My only experience with Kenda tires (700-23) was not good. They delaminated with the tread separating from the casing. One did it just as it wore through the tread but two others did it with relatively low mileage. I've never used them since. I have had excellent experience with Vittoria tires in both 700-23 (Rubino Pro and Rubino Pro Slick) and in 700-28 (Randonneur)

fietsbob

My Panasonic made jack Brown 33 tires are a Very nice riding supple light comfortable tire , but expensive to buy.

https://www.rivbike.com/product-p/t100-g.htm

'fast' is the work you put into the effort, against air resistance.

Bill Kapaun

Likely, you can go as small as 25mm on that rim if you want.
My hybrid came equipped with 35mmand I even went as low as 23mm, but thought that was pushing things a bit since the rim was very slightly wider than the tire.

loimpact

And to reiterate, I truly don't have a problem with the Kwik Trax outside of the rolling resistance. And again, at the cost of speed comes confidence & comfort! I've run over darn-near EVERYTHING and nothing has stuck. Zero flats in 2 bikes over lots of miles. And comfort is an understatement. And if you read the reviews at Amazon, despite their price, you'll find lots of happy folks. Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Kenda Kwick Trax Commuter Bicycle Tire with Iron Cap

I wouldn't be opposed to nicer quality 32's but I'd also like to have the *personal* experience of going 28's just so I could know, learn & speak with confidence thereafter.

In between my Quick 4 and a Quick Carbon 1 are other tires like the Kenda Bitumen (Q3) and the Kenda Kwik Roller Sport on up to the Carbon 1. But all of those in 32. Only the Conti Sport Contacts drop to 28 and go onto the top bike in the lineup. (I only give credence to oem's as I'd imagine they at least did a *little* testing before making tire decisions)

Hendo252 

I recently went the other way; Conti Gatorskins 28mm to 32mm. On my old trek daily rider.

zero change in speed/performance but significant improvement in ride comfort. Rough roads that used to shake my eyes out are now tolerable, etc.

so mu suggestion is buy some hi-quality 32's and see what a difference that can make... Leave the skinnier tires for your next bike...

either way that Quick is a great bike.

loimpact

Indeed the Quick is!!

Assuming you're familiar, I rode Santiago Canyon yesterday & really the only place I was left wanting was on the climbs, although I ride with a guy who rides a Specialized S-works Fulll-Carbon getup. It's nice & totally get that I'll never be able to chase someone like that down, but I wanna try & keep close. I did pretty good on the 2nd climb into Cook's Corner and the decent was a blast but, still wanna do what I can.

I have always said on the "hybrid" forum that 32c is THE PERFECT tire and I still maintain that (solely based on riding a Fuji Absolute 1.4 and thinkin 28c was just a smidge narrow) but I know that 28c still offer grace in the "pinch-flat" department so figured I'd give it a whirl.

However, I wouldn't be opposed to trying Gator skins in 32's just cuz I know that after a bazillion reviews it's definitely a nice tire! (Tyre over the pond, but we know they spell it wrong!)

FastJake

It is definitely a lot of compromise with tires. I put light-weight racing tires on my commuter for a while in search of more speed. All I got were more flats. After about three flats I said the hell with this and switched back to a heavy tire with a puncture resistant layer.

I've run many different varieties of Kenda tires over the years and never had a problem. Maybe not the greatest tires out there but usually cheap and work well for me.

The other question is the width/pressure debate. Pick a width that is appropriate for your weight, riding style, and road conditions. Then run it at an appropriate pressure (hint: NOT the max PSI listed on the tire. If you're doing that, get a wider tire.)

One last thing: never use anything but slicks when riding exclusively on pavement. Any tread will only create noise and slow you down. Leave tread for off-road.

loimpact

Bob, I don't know if you edited since I saw this post but thanks for the link as it's probably the only way I would have taken a look at those tires. And despite the fact that I'd probably go the lazy/cheap route and pick a less expensive tire, I am seriously intrigued by those suckers!! And all of them, at that.

Roly poly
Ruffy tuffy
Jack Brown

That checkerboard pattern is too cool for words!!! Heck, I'd love to just see the looks on people's faces after seeing them on my bike.

Little Darwin

Just to add to the mix... I like large volume tires for the type of riding that I do, and that may not apply to you, but I have discovered something. I am currently riding on 40mm Kenda Happy Medium Pro tires with 120 TPI casing, and honestly, they are the best riding and fastest tires I have ridden in several years.

What did I learn? Don't shy away from the Kenda name, even if you don't like their low end tires. The fact that they produce a wide range of tires should not reflect poorly on the quality of their higher end tires.

I ride a set of their lower end tires on another bike, and they are just ok, I love my higher end tires.

As a disclaimer, I have no knowledge of Kenda's narrower tires.

SquidPuppet

+1

I wish the manufacturers would get with the program and make slicks available in more sizes.

TallRider

I don't see any reason for you to go to a smaller tire unless you tend to ride on consistently smooth roads. I ride 28mm on my go-to road bike, and would ride larger if the frame would take them. Higher-volume tires have fairly minimal speed penalty, and if you're on rough roads, higher volume tires can actually be faster (because their deformation means that less energy is translated into vertical motion of the bike and rider).

I would agree with those recommending minimal tread pattern, and supple casing. These will decrease rolling resistance.

SquidPuppet

I'll add this just for kicks. In addition to the improved grip provided by slicks, a big benifit for me is the 100% elimination of the vibration caused by tread. That d d d d d d d d d from even the mildest pattern irks the hell out of me.

TallRider

I bet you can't feel this


Here is a run-down by Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarterly, on some of the "new science" that the OP mentions (much of it conducted by Bicycle Quarterly).
Wide and Fast Tires | Off The Beaten Path

SquidPuppet

Oh yeah, those drive me nuts too. It's more of a z z z z z z z z z z z z z. Makes my hands go numb. Kiddn'.

FastJake

While tread patterns like this are stupid and useless, I will still ride tires like this if I have to because it probably doesn't hurt much. Usually on tubulars. Slick tubulars are hard to find for some reason, and they're expensive, so in some cases I'll take what I can get (if it's a good deal.)

zukahn1 

I see no issues you should be able to run pretty much any better 25to34 you want with your current bike and stfuff my personnel recommendation would would be to go with some nice 28,30 or even 32 semi slick touring tires. I have had great luck with Michelin proteks and Contentials. I have a set of Mich proteks that I road for half of year with no flats and great overal performance that show little or no wear only reason I took them off was to put snow tires on for winter. Ended up mounting somenice free used Specialized Amidillos for spring summer hey I'm cheap and they are great tires also.

lopek77

I went down from 45s to 28s and my bikes transformed from a farm tractor to Ford Pinto . Huge difference and much faster. But that is on a "smooth" roads. OTOH, I see a huge improvement with speed and comfort on "rough" trails with some lose rocks, but I stick with slim and slick tires because it's what works the best for what I need.

loimpact

Below is my response in the "low cost 700x28" thread which I lurked in to see what the OP would decide. I came to the same conclusion and decided to go with Panaracer Paselas as well. Here's my opinion so far........

Easy-on. I replaced my Cannondale Quick 4's Kenda Kwick Trax tires (700x32) with these 700x28 Paselas. (regular not TG, as I wanted the fastest rolling version I could get and most reviews regarded the regulars as just as successful at resisting punctures as the TG's). The tires are sized appropriately and it only took 2 levers to slip off and hands-only to slip on with just a little resistance at the very end but I wouldn't want it any easier.


They don't have a range or max/min or anything other than...."Keep Inflated 105psi" which I thought was interesting. Nevertheless, that's where I put 'em. There's a bit of tread on them which I wish was more like a slick, but no worse than my Kwick Trax and as reviews said they roll fast, I tried to ignore it.


I went on a test ride Friday night and a group ride Saturday morning. First impressions are that there's definitely a slight cost in comfort (at least 28mm@105psi vs 32mm@85psi wise) but still a comfortable tire. I don't know if I can say I felt much speed increase but I definitely felt a "little" better climbing. On my Friday night test ride I pulled 1 more gear coming home than I usually do on my Kwick Trax 32's. Was that size, psi or style??? Or was it all 3?? Or mental?? Or tailwind?? I'm not sure.


My 20 mile group ride included tough hills, speedy descents and rough roads. No flats and they held the road well. For such a cheap tire, I did not go wrong with these, that's for sure.