Upon closer inspection, the damage is actually bigger, the side of the black eye wink is another hole almost forming (scraped). It looks like abrasion of some type, there are some minor scrape marks on the rest of the sidewalls. This is a used bike with disc brakes, so it wasn't caused by me but thank you for the important riding tips.

The tires are 700c x 32. If I get something wider, does that mean it will be more comfortable but have more rolling resistance? If I go wider, do I have to buy bigger inner tubes as well? I only want to ride to commute on paved streets. Any recommendations? I don't want to go to the co op and only buy what they stock.

Also, my tire is rated 'max 100psi', so can I just inflate it to a lesser amount to get a softer ride?