Bike Forums - Wide tires pros and cons

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Wide tires pros and cons

So what are the pros/cons of having wide tires?

Pro- Better traction in mud/rain/snow

Con- Slower

they're not slower.
just heavier.

Get some good tires, like Panaracer Pasela, they are not slow at all.

if you get tires designed for off-road and use them for on-road, they'll be slower.

wider tires offer better protection against pinch flats.

Pro- Larger tires give a softer ride and are more forgiving when bashing potholes.

Con- Not quite as nimble on the tarmac.

Pros: (panaracer paselas 700X35s, vittoria randonneurs 700X28s) more comfortable, more versatile in different terrains (city, trails, etc), looks great in my view, less flats, less pumping (lower pressure)...it's just great. Protects rim?
Cons: heavier (speed depends on you, your legs), less of that minimalist look, can be too fat for fenders (in my case)

What are your goals? Where/How do you want to ride? I ride in the city with lots of potholes and litter so I go fat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soma Roark (Post 10797785)

I live in a downtown area and I dont plan on taking this bike off pavement at all. I just thought maybe it would be a little more protection and less maintenance. Im just starting to ride so my legs aren't super strong yet haha. Is it really going to be that much slower?

no it's not that much slower, i don't feel "slower" on my cyclocross bike at all. a bigger tire will give you a more comfortable ride, but they really don't offer your any more protection... honestly the more tire in contact with the pavement, the greater risk of getting something in your tire. what your tire is made of is more important than how big it is. look for kevlar and such.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shrox (Post 10797880)

It doesn't feel slower and in fact it takes me less time to travel/commute because I just run right through potholes, rail crossings, etc etc and my bum doesn't feel a thing (I also have a leather saddle)! Definitely get the puncture resistant tires (kevlar etc) like the ones I'm running. http://www.rivbike.com/article/components/tires here's a good read for you =) and also a good place for tires! And see what your bike frame can take, my last bike maxed out at 28s

Quote:

Originally Posted by wearyourtruth (Post 10797905)

more protection against pinch flats.
puncture flats are more of how good the tire liner or kevlar belt is.
but those two add rolling resistance, slower and make for a poorer ride quality.

I'm pulled off my Slickasaurus 35s last night to throw on my older Kwest 28s - it was scary!
It felt sketchy in turns, was a bumpier ride, thought I might blow out the tube on every bump, & just looked wimpier...

......but then again, I'm a big, fat hog & I like my tires to match me.

On the plus side, I had a little more room between the chainstays, so my bent-up, 14yr-old beater rim didn't rub.

From my experience....

Wide tires prevents flats, more fun tricking, easy to find.

CONS-- make your bike look for MTB then track, gotto get wider fork to fit beefier tires.

I'll choose whatever I ride beefy tire in the front right now. but my fork is kinda small and you gotto measure it good so it doesn't hit the fork.

pros I'm guessing would be that you can run lower pressure without running into problems and hence a more comfortable ride. as well as protecting your rims from getting damaged as easily.

CONS- well wide tires won't fit my bike, so they won't fit all bikes, as well as they can't hold as much pressure. also like others have mentioned they can look disproportionate on some bikes

I swear by the notion that narrow tires reduce the inevitability of puncture flats. I pick up way more goatheads on my 42s than on my 23s.

So unless you are at the track, trying to shave seconds off your time....

From the link Soma Roark posted:

Quote:

The biggest, best bargain in bicycles is air in the tires, yet for the last twenty years or so there's been a heinous trend toward tires with lower and lower volumes. This is bad because these skinny tires need to be pumped up to outrageous pressures like 110 to 145 psi just to protect the tubes from pinch flats and the rims from flat spots. Such high pressure tires roll fast on smooth roads, but as soon as the road turns slightly rough or slightly wet, they're uncomfortable and slippery.
The whole idea of hard skinnies is speed, but it doesn't work that way. Speed comes from fitness, not hard & skinny tires.
It's better to ride on higher volume tires that can be ridden at lower, more comfortable, and grippier pressures.
Bigger softer tires are often faster than hard skinnies, anyway. When a hard tire hits a bump in the road, two things happen. First, the bike is jolted upward, slowing its forward progress. Second, you-the-rider are jostled at least to the point of having to recover from the feel of the bump, and maybe even to the point where you lose control. Certainly, if you hit a bump as you're cornering at high speed, the wheel will likely lose the ground, and you'll go down.
With a softer tire it's a different story. Instead of the bike and wheel getting bounced, the larger, softer tire deforms and it smacks the bump (or edge of the pothole), and the tire rolls right over it, continuing its forward motion nearly unimpeded. Around the corner, you maintain traction. You can relax more because, as you ride in and out of the shadows on an unfamiliar road, or at night, you know your tires are there as a buffer for you.

I prefer comfort and a little bit bigger tire.... :thumb:

CON: If you run caliper brakes, it's more of a pain to remove wheels with inflated tires. 25s are doable with most brakes.

If you run the other extreme (not so common these days) of 18- 19 tires, they handle very poorly in turns, etc.