bjtesch

Many years ago I used to buy Specialized road tires- their 700x25 tires frequently measured only about 20mm wide when mounted. Since then I've ridden a lot of Michelin tires and they seemed to be sized more accurately. I am rejuvenating my road bike and have a set of Michelins mounted on the old wheels now- 700x20 and they measure 21mm wide when mounted. I would guess that the rims are 13-14mm clear between beads. These are pretty old tires so I was going to order new tires and I'm not sure if I should order 700x23 or 700x25. Are tire sizes more standard now than they used to be?

I was going to build new wheels 4 years ago and bought all of the components, including 700x28 Gatorskins. I had a bad crash shortly after this and didn't ride for 2 years, then rode a Trek crossover for the next 2 years. I actually put the gatorskins on the wide rims on the Trek and they worked fine, to the point where I couldn't imagine how they would have worked on narrower road rims. I thought I remembered finding recommendations from the tire manufacturer as to recommended maximum and minimum rim widths, but couldn't find that information today. I'm building up those road wheels now and need new tires.

My main concern is durability meaning resistance to punctures and pinch flats, and maybe price. I've been doing a little reading here and I find gatorskins still discussed, as well as Michelin Pro 4 Endura. I don't expect to put a lot of miles on this bike to I would be willing to buy something cheaper too. My new rims are 14mm clear between beads, is it safe to assume that either 23mm or 25mm tires would fit? Is there an advantage to 25mm for durability? 23mm seems to be more readily available.

Maybe this is useful info. too- my current weight is 220 lb.

JohnDThompson 

Either width would work, but the wider tire would be less likely to suffer pinch flats.