Originally Posted by
canyoneagle
I think context will help - Myosmith - what type of riding do you do? Recreational? Racing? Commuting?
I personally think that for a clyde a wider tire would offer a better mix of comfort and performance. You've already established that higher pressure is not comfortable for you, and is pretty much the only way you can avoid pinch flats on a narrower tire.
I think a 28 or 32 at 70-80 psi would be a better choice for your needs (not knowing how you ride).
Carbon boy's advice seems to be from a pure racing perspective, and given that you feel that the higher pressure is not comfortable, I think the advice to run higher pressure is off the table (and is frankly racing-centric).
What type of bike are you riding?
No racing. Lots of fitness/recreational riding, frequent organized club/group rides, and several centuries and similar organized/charity events each summer. I'm looking at getting into some weekend and other short duration touring. My road bike is an old aluminum Trek 1500 that has been modified with triple and a long cage derailleur. I use it for training and group rides. My touring style bike is based on a cro-mo Trek 700 frameset, flatbar with all Deore and Deore LX components and a handbuilt set of 36-spoke touring wheels. This has been my distance bike for centuries and long fitness/pleasure rides. I've also got a rigid frame trail bike but it is irrelevant to this conversation as it is not built for speed and already has 40mm multi-surface tires on it.
I'm heading for 50 years old and even when I get down to my ideal weight, I won't be a small man as I carry a fair amount of upper body muscle, so I have no delusions about becoming a racer, nor do I have any desire to do so. That said, going fast is still fun and want to continue to improve my strength, speed and endurance.
Safety is also a concern as you can't go fast if you aren't confident about your tires doing what you need them to do. I wouldn't say the 23s on my road bike are all that uncomfortable, just less comfortable and less stable than my 25mm tires when it comes to less than perfect road surfaces.
All I'm really looking for is information on the performance changes I can expect if I move my 25mm tires to the road bike and go up a width or two with the same model of tire on the touring bike.