Originally Posted by
Wilfred Laurier
Admittedly, there are not many (any?) 35mm race quality tires, but quite a few 28mm and even some 32mm tires. The article I linked had several 28s tested - including the fastest tire in the test. Even a 28 compared to a 23 is likely to give a bigger improvement in comfort than going from a good quality rigid aluminum frame to a good quality steel frame.
My steel frame bike gives me a nicer ride on 23s than my aluminum frame bike did on 700x32s (although I'll admit these tires ran small, probably closer to 28mm wide when measured with calipers, my 23mm tires FYI measure exactly 23mm). Tires can't make up all the difference between a stiff aluminum bone shaker and a quality steel ride.
