Any comfort advantages in going from 700x23's to 700x25's?
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Any comfort advantages in going from 700x23's to 700x25's?
In the process of resurrecting my old Peugeot road bike. Tires on the bike are presently 700x23’s, thinking of going to 700x25’s for added comfort. Part of me thinks I won’t notice the difference.
Also the 23’s kinda scare me, can’t believe I used to ride on those skinny things!
Anybody change tire size in that direction and notice any actual difference?
Also the 23’s kinda scare me, can’t believe I used to ride on those skinny things!
Anybody change tire size in that direction and notice any actual difference?
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Larger tire means you can use a lower pressure means a more comfortable ride. You will notice a difference.
Most people have no business riding 23mm tires simply due to their weight. Which is a salient piece of info you leave out.
Most people have no business riding 23mm tires simply due to their weight. Which is a salient piece of info you leave out.
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25 mm is a little more comfortable than 23 mm due to the lower pressure you can use, it isn't a huge difference but I find it noticeable.
#4
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There is a difference but it is so minor tbat most mortals won't notice it. If the 23's are over inflated that could be uncomfortable.
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I weigh in 182-185. 182 on Fridays, 185 on Mondays.
32's? Really?
32's? Really?
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So many variables with tires themselves. I have many sets of tires sitting around thinking they were the ticket. They were not!
Read as much as you can then buy some. Not what you want, more homework and try again.
No one can say . . . these are perfect for you regarding anything.
Read as much as you can then buy some. Not what you want, more homework and try again.
No one can say . . . these are perfect for you regarding anything.
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As others have said, there might be a difference depending on if and how you compensate with lower pressure, but it'll be small.
OTOH, when you consider that there's variance in tire width compared to the nominal, there's a decent chance that the new "wider" tires won' actually be any wider.
If you need to replace the tires anyway, give the wider one a shot, but don't remove good tires to do so, because the improvement probably won't justify it.
OTOH, when you consider that there's variance in tire width compared to the nominal, there's a decent chance that the new "wider" tires won' actually be any wider.
If you need to replace the tires anyway, give the wider one a shot, but don't remove good tires to do so, because the improvement probably won't justify it.
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#9
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I like skinny tires, but had too much "road buzz" with 23's that it numbed my hands in a short time. (hybrid)
25's were far better for me. I still run about the same pressure, 100-110 Front +10 more in the rear. (higher for days I plan on riding a lot of miles)
I weigh about 250 and am a mere mortal.
25's were far better for me. I still run about the same pressure, 100-110 Front +10 more in the rear. (higher for days I plan on riding a lot of miles)
I weigh about 250 and am a mere mortal.
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Depends. Going from 23mm training/commuting clinchers to 25mm tubulars is definitely noticeable, at least for me. But 23mm training tires to 25mm training tires? Maybe not.
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I tried a 25 on the rear of my primary road bike but the brake bridge was cleaning the dirt off of the tread so I went back to a 23 mm Michelin, slightly larger than most 23's.
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There are excellent - light weight, fast rolling, smooth riding - 28's and 32's out there. I am quite a fan of those offered by Compass (and also sold by others), but the much less expensive and widely available Panaracer Paselas arent too shabby.
Compass Bicycles: 700C Tires
Compass Bicycles: 700C Tires
#13
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My wife had a big problem with pinch flats, like every ride. Even with adding air before a ride, it was 50\50 she would would flat. I switched her from 23's to 25's. No more flats.
The ride is also a little bit less harsh.
Good Luck.
The ride is also a little bit less harsh.
Good Luck.
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I rode 23's since the late 80's, switched to 25's a couple of years ago and never looked back. They are more comfortable with lower pressures but just as big for me was how much better they corner. My average mph didn't change one bit.
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If you have standard road brakes then 28 is the largest tire that will 'easily' fit between the pads. Cantis and similar will allow much larger tires to be used.
Also some bikes have marginal clearance to the seat tube or at the brake mount for larger than 28s. Depends on the frame, frames with fender clearance
or "touring" will be fine with 32, "racing" frames not likely. I agree with marginal difference opinion on 23 vs 25, but you will be able to drop inflation
pressure 10-15# with 25. A friend with weight in the 185-200# range uses 25 tires at 80-85 psi in rear and 80 psi in front and hasn't had pinch flats and
rides about 800mi/month year around.
Also some bikes have marginal clearance to the seat tube or at the brake mount for larger than 28s. Depends on the frame, frames with fender clearance
or "touring" will be fine with 32, "racing" frames not likely. I agree with marginal difference opinion on 23 vs 25, but you will be able to drop inflation
pressure 10-15# with 25. A friend with weight in the 185-200# range uses 25 tires at 80-85 psi in rear and 80 psi in front and hasn't had pinch flats and
rides about 800mi/month year around.
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Definitely depends on the frame. 28s are not necessarily guaranteed. I observe only about a quarter of my various road frames will accommodate 28s (pretty exclusively the older ones). And two of my frames that came with 23s will not even fit 25s
Also, I (180lbs) started experimenting with lower pressures in a set of 25s and started getting pinch flats below approx 70PSI.
Also, I (180lbs) started experimenting with lower pressures in a set of 25s and started getting pinch flats below approx 70PSI.
Last edited by dbg; 01-15-15 at 08:27 AM.
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It's not just rider weight that matters when it comes to tire size; road conditions matter as well. The MUPs I ride on regularly are a bit broken up and I also like riding on gravel so I switched to 28c on my road bike. There are lightweight 28c tires out there and they handle rough stuff pretty well.
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I have mostly decent roads, weigh 150 lbs. and use 23's. I can ride all day on 40 psi, I don't hit things. My guess is that pressure would eventually wear the sidewalls too much due to flexing if I kept the pressure that low . My 23mm tires are run between 85 to 95 psi depending on what bike they are on. If you are running 23's at the maximum pressure try lower pressure in the 23's before spending money. If you are worried about pinch flats try 10 psi less or even 15 less. If you are going from say 115 psi on 23's and looking to go to say 100-90 psi, just change the pressure in the 23's. Unless you get pinch flats. You only get pinch flats if you hit something. The weight of the rider, and the quality of your roads, are more important if you hit things like hole and rocks.
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Unless you know every road you will ride on very well (boring?), you should assume some potential rough bumps. I certainly try to avoid holes, but some are hard to avoid.
I switched my best CF superlight from a set of 23's to lightweight 32's (had to go 650B, but gained zero weight to the conversion). Huge increase in comfort. Noticeable decrease in flats (none yet). If I'm slower, it doesn't seem to affect my ability to stay with the strong riders. Major overall improvement. Also switched my best steel tourer from 25's to 38's (similar 650B conversion). I'll never go back.
I switched my best CF superlight from a set of 23's to lightweight 32's (had to go 650B, but gained zero weight to the conversion). Huge increase in comfort. Noticeable decrease in flats (none yet). If I'm slower, it doesn't seem to affect my ability to stay with the strong riders. Major overall improvement. Also switched my best steel tourer from 25's to 38's (similar 650B conversion). I'll never go back.
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I felt a big difference going to 25s. Most people do.
Smoother ride, more comfortable ride. You'll enjoy it.
After riding 25s for a few years, I upgraded — I now ride 28s.
Smoother ride, more comfortable ride. You'll enjoy it.
After riding 25s for a few years, I upgraded — I now ride 28s.
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I race on 23s, train on 25s. When I wear out my 23s,I might consider racing on 25s - there's definitely a softer ride, and if you can dial in the PSI just right, better cornering.
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#22
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Compass Tires On An Old Peugeot Gets into the realm of adding parts that cost More than The Bike did.
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Yep, already went through that money on old Peugeot vs money on new bike thought process. Came down to wanting to keep my old Peugeot. When I used to ride I easily put 10k+ miles on it over several years. Went a lot of places on it, even some "midnight" runs that would end up at 4-5 in the morning--mucho fun. Dumb and dangerous, but fun.
When it's all said and done I might still wind up on a new bike, but for now will give my old Peugeot a chance.
When it's all said and done I might still wind up on a new bike, but for now will give my old Peugeot a chance.
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My current setup has nice supple 25 mm tires with latex tubes. They are an improvement over the similar 23 mm tires I used to use, but I think it is mostly because I have been able to reduce tire pressure while still maintaining a reasonable resistance to pinch flats. I feel very secure on them the bike feels much more surefooted on some of the terrible roads in Quebec. On my other bike I still have 23 mm tires, but since they are road tubeless I can still run lower pressure without any chance of pinch flats. Around here in the spring when the roads are still beat up after the winter, I ride my touring bike with 700 x 32's
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Well, here's the counter-argument: As I am no longer a Clydesdale, having gotten just below 195#, I decided to mount 23s on my fastest bike last night. And today, first time on the skinnies, I shattered the lap times I'd been running on the local circuit around my house that I normally ride, knocked my times down 4-5%: I went from lap times in the 7:15 to 7:20 range running 25mm tires inflated at 8 bar, to consistent times in the 6:50s on the 23s inflated to 9 bar. I could not believe how much faster I was on the skinny tires. Yes, they give a firmer ride. And I just about never flatted on the 25mm tires - who knows how the 23s will do on that score. But 4% faster is nothing to sneeze at. I can't imagine how anyone could race on 25s after that experience.