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700x23 Tire Choice?

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Old 08-22-20, 07:34 AM
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I'm a rider at 185lbs. 23mm tires have to be pumped pretty hard to be 'pinch flat free' on real roads at my weight.

I'm of the opinion that when narrow tires are pumped hard the ability to differentiate differences is reduced. The exception might be heavier tires, intended to be more durable, which I would only use on mixed surface and debris prone routes. More importantly on 23mm, I would absolutely go with latex tubes with removable valve cores and a small shot of sealant (i use Stan's).
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Old 08-22-20, 08:30 AM
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Must be dyslexic, someone pointed out that my 23's are 32's.
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Old 08-22-20, 08:31 AM
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Originally Posted by due ruote
Are you talking about Pro 4 Service Course?
Wondering about the actual size. I had a pair of the 25’s and they were more like 27-28mm at 90psi.
Service Course @ 95 on Velocity Aeroheads, right at 23 or a smidge under.
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Old 08-22-20, 09:23 AM
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The Veloflex Master 25 looks good, but they now seem to.be made of unobtanium and unavailable as far as I can tell.

Danny
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Old 08-22-20, 09:27 AM
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For tan sidewalls, I have 23mm Vitoria Corsa Graphene 2.0. Its the standard model, not Speed or Control. About to go for a ride on them now! These replaced the original 20mm tires which were cool, but not common these days. 23 rides fine with steel.

Most of my other bikes have Conti GP4000 or 5000. Either 23 or 25. Did a 60 miler on the 23’s a few weeks ago no complaints. Rode a few miles next to guy on modern, tubeless wide tires with 60psi. Both seemed to work. Honestly, I prefer the looks of the 23’s.


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Old 08-22-20, 02:05 PM
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Originally Posted by ascherer
Oy, width. Bucking the trend and confounding the critics I happily ride 700x23 Michelin Pros at 95 psi on my Mercian which is light, tight and fast. They're supple, and roll and feel great. AND I happily ride Compass 700x35 thinwalls on my Mk I for all-road adventures and Pasela 700x35s on my International which is my commuter/errand rider. There's room for a range of tires to suit the ride and rider. It's cool to experiment. Not sure if Michelin offers a tanwall Pro but I think they're great tires.

Seems like not too long ago tanwalls were quite out of fashion. Now all the cool kids want 'em.
Continental tires always looked “off”
there was a Japanese brand in the 70’s that also were dark, IRC?

black tires were a cyclocross thing - Wobler made such in the 70’s. Or what were on Schwinn Varsity’s- anti performance. Even the Continental model got gum wall tires.
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Old 08-22-20, 02:12 PM
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Direct from Veloflex, on their Italian web site


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Old 08-22-20, 02:14 PM
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My vote is for the Conti 5000 in 25. I was stubborn and stayed with 23’s until about a year ago. Right before Levi’s Grand Fondo I tried the 25’s. It was a great switch, I run the about 5-10 psi lower than I did with the 23’s. Now I have the 5000’s in 25s on my 3 bikes that don’t require wider tires.
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Old 08-22-20, 02:17 PM
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I still have 2 Michelin HiLite tires from decades ago.. NOS(no packaging) Want to buy them ?
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Old 08-22-20, 02:39 PM
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Lotsa love for the GP 4/5000 from @Classtime, @clubman, @plonz, et al.

OT, but bare with me... This seller says the 25mm measures more like 27-28:

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/b...178010201.html

Is this an anomaly or your experience as well?

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Old 08-22-20, 03:48 PM
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23s are 23 on cxp33
25s are 26 on Wolber super champs
28s are 30 on h plus son TB14

These measurements are as accurate as my Crescent "calipers" can be.
edit: these are GP4000s
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Old 08-22-20, 04:11 PM
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Originally Posted by SurferRosa
Lotsa love for the GP 4/5000 from @Classtime, @clubman, @plonz, et al.

OT, but bare with me... This seller says the 25mm measures more like 27-28:

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/b...178010201.html

Is this an anomaly or your experience as well?
my 28 gp5000 measure as 28 on mavic open pro rims. as did my 28 vittoria corsa g+ on the same rim

the only tire i have had that measured really big was a Michelin I think servo course pro or pro 4.... but a 25 ended up measuring as 27.5.
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Old 08-22-20, 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by repechage
Continental tires always looked “off”
there was a Japanese brand in the 70’s that also were dark, IRC?

black tires were a cyclocross thing - Wobler made such in the 70’s. Or what were on Schwinn Varsity’s- anti performance. Even the Continental model got gum wall tires.
Yeah, IRC. I have a set of 27x1's tucked away for no apparent reason.
I loved Conti tubulars BITD. My first Michelin Pros were all black, and I had a Varsity in the 60's with thos fab blackwalls. I'm glad skinwalls came back, but I'm not swapping my screaming red Michelins yet, they match my Mercian perfectly!
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Old 08-22-20, 06:43 PM
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Anyone use Challenge tires? Some of them look like they'd be perfect on a c+v but I've heard different opinions on how they ride.
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Old 08-22-20, 06:52 PM
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Originally Posted by gugie
Must be dyslexic, someone pointed out that my 23's are 32's.
So you don’t weigh 159?
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Old 08-22-20, 08:39 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
I still have 2 Michelin HiLite tires from decades ago.. NOS(no packaging) Want to buy them ?
I'm flush in road tires thanks. It's <155mm crankarms that I need, then I'll buy the tires.
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Old 08-22-20, 10:01 PM
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Originally Posted by canklecat
If your frame can handle 700x25, check out Conti GP Classic skinwalls. They're sweet and reasonably priced, between the low end (but great value) Ultra Sport, and the GP5k. Reddish brown true skinwalls - the sidewalls are translucent.

However the 1980s-throwback raised center tread strip makes the tire slightly higher than other 700x25 tires, so it scraped the rear brake bridge on my Ironman with Suntour GPX group until I rode it a few times on the indoor trainer and outdoors. It's still a snug fit but a visible gap, so I hear scraping only after running through puddles and picking up a little debris.

I like the GP Classics so well I'm considering taking a moto tool to the brake bridge just to add a little clearance, rather than changing tires.

BTW, I switched that bike to Silca latex tubes last month. Between the tubes and supple sidewalls this is a sweet riding bike on chipseal and rough roads now. Significantly less vibration and road chatter.

Agree on the classics .Nice ride and they look good too!
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Old 08-23-20, 12:46 PM
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25mm veloflex master or Challenge Elite.
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Old 08-27-20, 06:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Erzulis Boat
Vittoria Corsa 25mm. Ride pretty darn good.
Well, I got these. I got a good price, but it was a tough choice all around with all of the great suggestions. We shall soon see how they do.

Danny
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Old 08-27-20, 06:37 PM
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I gave up on 23mm tires years ago. They are just too darn hard for me to install. To that add that do little to cushion the ride and tend to be more prone to "snake bite". With that in mind, I do prefer 28s or, in a pinch (poor choice of words), 25s. But I will never, ever attempt to install another set of 23s.

If they are tough to install in the shop, they will become your worst nightmare to install when you flat out on the road. My opinion, of course.
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Old 08-27-20, 07:01 PM
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saw this thread too late. i've got the conti '23's gp 5000's on that '88 nishiki olympic 58 cm that we discussed in the other thread a few weeks ago. 1,650 miles on them and they ride
like a dream. a little pricy but worth it imho. no issues or flats (knock on wood) so far. i weigh about 180 and run 90-95 psi.

if i hadn't put on the conti gp 5000's, i woulda used my usual go-to's-michelin pro 4 endurance (or whatever the new/comparable model is now).

enjoy the new bike!
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Old 08-27-20, 07:09 PM
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Originally Posted by ooga-booga
saw this thread too late. i've got the conti '23's gp 5000's on that '88 nishiki olympic 58 cm that we discussed in the other thread a few weeks ago. 1,650 miles on them and they ride
like a dream. a little pricy but worth it imho. no issues or flats (knock on wood) so far. i weigh about 180 and run 90-95 psi.

if i hadn't put on the conti gp 5000's, i woulda used my usual go-to's-michelin pro 4 endurance (or whatever the new/comparable model is now).

enjoy the new bike!
These Continentals were originally my first choice, but I saw some reviews about really stiff rides from the heavy duty sidewalls. I got a bit better price on the Vittorias and they were Gumwalls, so I went with those.

Danny
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Old 08-27-20, 07:13 PM
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Originally Posted by kaiserschmarrn
These Continentals were originally my first choice, but I saw some reviews about really stiff rides from the heavy duty sidewalls. I got a bit better price on the Vittorias and they were Gumwalls, so I went with those.

Danny
hopefully, you'll put 3,500 miles on those vittorias in no time. happy riding!
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