Mismatched tire sizes....OK or not?
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Mismatched tire sizes....OK or not?
I want to use a 700x23 on the front and a 700x25 on the rear. Is there any safety or other issue I should be aware of?
Thanks
Thanks
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None whatsoever.
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I'm not real happy with mine, not because of the mixed sizes but because of the way they ride and handle. They seem to have a hard rubber compound and feel a bit unstable. I use them on my time trial aero wheels but don't like them for hard cornering.
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These tires are designed for racing and aggressive cornering. The black ones will have the new "Black Chili" compound. Go to the Conti site and check it out. I'm not sure where you feeling of instability comes from. (your mother I know mine does) Are you talking about traction or do you feel flex in the sidewalls?
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These tires are designed for racing and aggressive cornering. The black ones will have the new "Black Chili" compound. Go to the Conti site and check it out. I'm not sure where you feeling of instability comes from. (your mother I know mine does) Are you talking about traction or do you feel flex in the sidewalls?
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I've built up a ****bike (you have nice bikes, bikes, beaters and ****bikes, and this is it) to test a chain tensioner and to maybe keep it to run around in the parks around my home. I had two spare tires (both used, but still "alive") that I could throw onto it: one semi-slick and the other a knobby XC/DH. I decided to put the knobby tire in the back and the semislick in the front. Is that the correct idea, what do you guys think? It should have good grip and cornering in gravel, and I didn't want to use new tires, just these two used ones (it's a ****bike), so my only choice is knobby in front/semislick in the back or knobby in back/semislick in the front.
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You are right, but I was hoping the grips on the side of the semislick would keep it from sliding - I guess it would only slide while cornering, and the thread on the semislick is supposed to prevent just that, on loose?
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Slick tires give the best traction on dry roads; treads and knobs are there to make people feel more secure.
You have more weight on the rear tire (which is why you get more flats back there) so the additional air cushion of the larger tire will do the most good there. Again, this applies to a road bike on the road.
Riding in the dirt requires a larger contact patch up front for better traction on turns; in that case the larger tire goes up front (not that 2mm would make that much difference in this case).
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Last edited by rmfnla; 07-26-07 at 04:57 PM.
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I think the OP was talking about riding on mixed surfaces, road, dirt paths, gravel etc. In that case I'd stick with the knobs on the front. I do agree that a slick tire gives better traction on the road and if it were a strictly road application, I'd put the slick on the front..
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AHA! The Finn hijacked the thread!
As a reply about the semi-slick/knobby combo, I think it would come down to what KIND of knobs were on each tire. In the end, I'd go with whichever tire looks like it will give the best cornering on mixed surfaces and loose stuff like gravel. THAT tire, I'd put on the front.
As a reply about the semi-slick/knobby combo, I think it would come down to what KIND of knobs were on each tire. In the end, I'd go with whichever tire looks like it will give the best cornering on mixed surfaces and loose stuff like gravel. THAT tire, I'd put on the front.