augiedogie

I have a Specialized Crossroads and it has 45mm tires. I bought it because I was getting back into cycling after a looong absence, and wanted something comfortable to ride, and it is. But I get the feeling the very wide tires are slowing me down.

In your opinions, what would be the effect of switching to thinner tires, say a 35-32mm. Will it roll any faster? How much harsher will the ride be? Any experienced opinions would be appreciated.

In general, I'm very happy with the bike. Its very durable and the gearing/shifting is very reliable.

MRT2

Thinner tires will be lighter, and you can pump them up to higher pressures. Just make sure your rims can accommodate thinner tires.

limbot

If you go onto the "rough" stuff you will have to be a bit more careful picking your lines as the higher inflation and thinner tires will cause more deflection off rocks and roots. It will also be a bit less stable in the soft stuff with less surface area.

Bill Kapaun

My Globe came equipped with 35mm Specialized Flak jacket Armadillos or something like that.
They may have had good puncture resistance, but were absolute pigs to ride,
I went initially went to a 28mm tire and the difference was amazing.
I've since gone to a 25mm tire and I weigh 250. I do have smooth pavement however.
The lighter tire will give you much better acceleration and easier hill climbing. Just pick a width suitable for your weight and pavement type.

Wanderer

I went from 45mm Specialized Burroughs, to Schwalbe Marathon Supremes, 35 front, 40 rear, and they transformed the bike.

I got a really good buy on a set of 40mm Supremes, and then a better deal on 35s, so I bought them both.

Then I started mixing and matching, because I could.

The 40 on the rear rode as good as the 45 OEM, whereas the 35 was kind of harsh back there. The 40 seemed as fast as the 35, so that's where it stayed.

The 35 on the front rode as comfortably as the 45 or the 40, and really quickened the steering, for much crisper steering, and vastly improved handling....

40 rear for comfort and capacity, 35 on the front for handling.

The Schwalbe Marathon Supremes are bulletproof, and roll much better.

It's now a completely different bike, and a great do it all bike.

squatchout

I'm guessing that you're pretty much just riding on paved surfaces and not offroad?

Wanderer

I do coarse packed and fine packed gravel, and packed dirt, grass, without issue --- but it ain't a mountain bike, it's a Crosstrail.

Set up like this, it doesn't like sand, loose gravel, and hates snow and ice!

catgita

Those are pretty wide tires for pavement, true enough. Chances are the tires that came with the bike are thick, stiff, and generally poor quality. Swapping for a really good tire, of any width, could increase your speed by more than 20%. No joke.

Good tires have soft and supple side walls. They feel floppy (not considering the wire or folding bead). Compare racing tires you find folded up in boxes to the rubber doughnuts you find hanging, perfectly shaped and round, on hooks. Huge difference. Good tires will be just as fast at low pressures as at high. Bad tires need to be pumped up hard because flexing them eats so much energy.

As a tall Clydesdale, I was happy on good 32mm tires as far as ride quality and speed on decent pavement. Narrower has never been faster.

Mandeville

For riding on paved roads tires of generally of the same design other than their size perform thusly:

The thinner the tire the more agile the bike will be in most situations and it will accelerate faster . It will not ride as comfortably or be as "accommodating" especially for the over 200 pound rider. The heavier the rider is the more likely this is a factor. (The air pressure in both thin and larger tires determine in part the extent of comfort difference.)

Larger tires up to a point within certain limitations will usually be faster. (For instance 28c v 25c.) The larger tire such as a 28 v 25 has less rolling resistance but it weighs more. So it's two factors working against each other for speed. Again air pressure difference between the two tires will also be a factor.

Note: What I said about larger tires often being "faster" than their narrower same type cousins will no doubt be hotly disputed by some and equally strongly affirmed by others. If one checks independent reputable sites with scientific data and testing one will see what I state is accurate. Personally, speaking just for my self regarding the bikes I ride or have ridden I have found the larger is faster to be true for me. (YMMV.) For instance on my main road bike I just went up one size in the exact same model line of tires. I have set new PR times on all of my main climbs on the first ride with the new tires. Naturally the climbs have to be a minimum distance and possibly a minimum grade. One such example of the new PR is a 1.4 mile climb with a seven percent average grade. The PR time improvement was one minute and five seconds.

augiedogie

Thanks for your responses. I don't ride off road. All my riding is on paved streets. I bought the Hybrid mainly for comfort. After all the years out of cycling, I didn't think my body would welcome that bent over posture very well. I'm 62. The body just can't do what it used to do, especially considering my lack of serious exercise.

Delmarva

Yes, a 32 on smooth pavement will make quite a difference, especially if it is close to smooth tread.