Baldone

I am thinking of getting 28mm road tires for my next go around. I have a tandem that uses them and they appear to be just as wide as the 23mm when placed in my road bikes more narrow rim. The difference "appears" to be that the tire is taller than my 23mm.

Anyone out there make this switch? I would like to know what you think.

With me having a larger and larger stable of bikes it would be nice to be able to use my old tandem 28mm on my commuter/roadbike. I want the newest on the tandem, slightly older on the road bike. And the questionable on the beater bike as it is ridden the slowest.

thx.

zpl

If you have the clearance to run wider tires and you're a clydesdale, I'd say avoid 23mm tires. I'm running 25mm on my Salsa Casseroll and will probably switch to 28 or 32mm during the winter.

You will get a noticeably more comfortable ride with wider tires (assuming you take advantage of the width and run a slightly lower pressure).

Mr. Beanz

Not sure how much of a clyde you are but 23's are fine at my 220-245 lb weight. Nearly 45,000 miles on them with no problems. I have a 25 on the rear of one of my roadies right now, my Lemond. Only there cause it was in the closet and I needed a training tire (stock tire on wife's bike that was replaced off the showroom floor).

It seems to be fine. Don't think I'd want a 28. I use 23 on the front no problems. But I have noticed the new Continentals seem a bit more narrow than usual. I'll go with a 25 when I need a new tire as they seem to fit the bill of the old 23's.

I use 25's on our tandem with no issues either. Currently running 28 Armadillos. In the speed dept, they suck! Conti's were better in speed but sucked in the flats dept (Gatorskins). Over 400lbs in combined rider weight!

sstorkel

Make sure they fit your bike before you purchase. I can barely squeeze 700c x 28 tires onto my road bike. There's plenty of space between the tires and the frame, but the 28s are just wide enough that they'll barely slip past the brake pads when installing the wheels. FWIW, 700x28 is a bit of an odd size. There are more tire and tube choices with 700x23 or 700x25. I'm actually going back to 700x25 for this reason. I didn't notice any real difference between 25s and 28s...

10 Wheels

I just change tires to 28's on my Felt F-80.
I can feel no difference in the ride.
They are taller. Make sure the bike has room for them.

jim6b

It is easier if you install the tire without air and inflate after installing.

The difference between 25 and 28 is air presure. I consider my 28's as the "chip seal" specials. They really cut the jitter especially if I run them below max pressure. All that vibration is just wasted energy in my book. I would rather just roll over it. On the other hand bouncing about can make you think you are going faster. Diffinately get more of that with 25's a plus 100 psi and 28's at minus -90.

Baldone

Beanz, my tandem is 28mm gator skins as well. Co-motion? We have about 500 miles on those and I have had one flat. I am about 220 and the stoker is 130 ish so we are not real huge. I thought Gator skins was a fairly decient tire. What slow 25 are you running?

I could go for 25mm but I want my tandem ride to be as safe as possible. I have been taught, right or wrong, that bigger is safter. But I am not going to sport anything bigger than 28mm without a special reason. Speed is nice but I am getting to the age where it does not always equal fun.

Thanks for all the incoming advice.

jaxgtr

I ride 28's on my Hybrid, but they are a little wide for my road bike. I am presently using 25's on my road bike and so far I like them.

blueeyedme

I just switched from 28s to 25s on my hybrid... Gatorskins both times. After wearing out the 28s I wanted to go a little smaller. No difference in ride that I can tell.

Mr. Beanz

The slow tirs ae the 28's, Specilaized Armadillos. Strong tough tire but seems heavy when we try to step on it!

Baldone

I mounted the 28mm tires to my wheels and tried them out last night. No rubbing in front or back but there is not much room <1mm. If an ant decides to take a ride it will come out from under the fork with injuries.

Makes me wonder if new 28 without wear such as these I tired or slight manufacturing changes would create a problem, should I decide to use new 28's on my road/commuter bike.

The ride seemed fine not much different than the 23mm for the short cruise around the block I took to make sure everything was alright.

I think you are right sstorkel 23 and 25mm does have much more selection of tires.

chipcom 

Same here, I run 700x23 GP4000s on my road bike and have had no trouble with them.
That said, the 700x32 TT2000s I have on my touring/commuter bike may not roll as fast, but they do provide a comfier ride.

kenseth03

I am 240 lbs and use Hutchinson Fusion Comp 700x23 road tires. They seem a little larger than most 23's that I have ran before. They look more like 25's. They have performed great and no problems with them so far. Here's a link to them
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/....cfm?SKU=17945