Originally Posted by martianone

Have a custom steel road bike, very comfortable.
when it was built, I had specified 25 mm Conti 4 season tires.
some how I ended up with 23 mm tires, builder foul up.
bike was comfortable, I rode the 23s for a while.
then I ruined the rear tire, made sure it was replaced with 25 mm.
ride on some dirt roads, improved comfort and feel.
soon the front 23 was worn, replaced it with a 25- dirt roads continued to improve,
no loss of handling on pavement - speed no difference.
finally the rear 25 needed replacement, the shop did not have a 25 - but had
a 23 and 28 mm. Didn't want the 23, was not sure the 28 would fit.
by loosening the brake, I could get the 28 on.
been riding the F-25 and R-28 now for a couple years - for me a optimum balance of
comfort and performance. Plus the combo wears better.