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what size tires should I be running on my road bike?

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what size tires should I be running on my road bike?

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Old 05-23-09, 11:49 AM
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what size tires should I be running on my road bike?

i'm a 300# guy riding an old trek 400 "sport" road bike...

what size tires should I ideally be running? i'm no racer... I bought the bike with plans of comfortably increasing my miles vs what I could do on my semi road setup 29er (700x40/700x32, rigid) after doing my 1st metric century...

i'm planning on buying some new rubber for the bike and looking for good inexpensive options and thoughts of how wide I should go? I know the trek will take 32's with out issue (although getting them though the calipers wasn't so easy)

so what do you guys recommend?
thanks guys
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Old 05-23-09, 12:11 PM
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I'm no expert, but our tandem with a team weight of 350 and bike weight of 45 loaded uses 700x28mm. This is a pretty common size for road tandems these days. Can't see why you might need anything wider unless your going for a more cush ride. I can't comment on the ride (conti ultra gatorskins) since the CF fork and long wheelbase makes for a pretty good ride.
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Old 05-23-09, 02:04 PM
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I've got 700x25's on my road bike and have not had any issues with pinch flats. I'm 270 lbs. These are what came with the bike when I bought it. So far so good.
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Old 05-23-09, 02:32 PM
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I had 700 x 38 and have moved on to 700 x 25, much better, if I were to ride on a gravel trail or city, I would use the 38's but for 15 miles and up, prefer the smaller tires.
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Old 05-23-09, 02:38 PM
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I'd say start with 28 mm. Keep the rear tire properly inflated. You should be okay. If you keep getting rear tire flats, you can think about going a bit larger in the rear. A 28 mm up front be all you need. A lot depends upon the road conditions in your area, but this should work on reasonablt roads.
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Old 05-23-09, 02:41 PM
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Originally Posted by rdtompki
I'm no expert, but our tandem with a team weight of 350 and bike weight of 45 loaded uses 700x28mm. This is a pretty common size for road tandems these days. Can't see why you might need anything wider unless your going for a more cush ride. I can't comment on the ride (conti ultra gatorskins) since the CF fork and long wheelbase makes for a pretty good ride.
+1 I'm using 700 X 28 Gatorskins with great results. No reason to go larger, even on bad pavement, if you keep your air pressure @ 100 psi.

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Old 05-23-09, 04:21 PM
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sounds like there's a pretty good consensus haha...
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Old 05-23-09, 06:39 PM
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I run 23c @ 300#, and haven't had any issues.

What I plan in doing in the future is a 25c in the rear and a 23c in the front, as currently the 23c in the rear pancakes more than I like under my weight, even at full inflation. Still hasn't pinch yet, though.
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Old 05-23-09, 07:19 PM
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I like 28mm Gatorskins for speedy flat resistance, and 28mm Vittoria Randonneur Cross for a cushy ride (they only top at 85psi).
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Old 05-23-09, 07:23 PM
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What pressures are you people running? At 240lbs I have to run 32C's at 110-115 PSI to keep the tire from compressing to much under my weight.

I'd be scared of anything less then a 28C at my weight, from a safety standpoint (pinch flats) and the stress added to the rims from the lack of pneumatic shock absorption from the tires.

Maybe I'm too paranoid.
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Old 05-23-09, 07:49 PM
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I was at 240, now I'm 215 lbs.

I keep 85 to 100 psi in my 700 x 28 Gatorskins. No pinch flats, and I often cross low profile curbing at speed when the bike path crosses streets. I'm going down to the 700 x 25 tire size when I reach 200 lbs.

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Old 05-23-09, 08:01 PM
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I also started this season at 240, down to 230 now. I've been riding Conti Gatorskins 700x28 inflated to 8 bar, or about 118 psi. I've gone about 500 miles which includes over 100 miles on crushed gravel rail/trail without any problems.
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Old 05-23-09, 08:03 PM
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I'm 250 and I run my 28mm Gatorskins at 112 - 115. I keep my Randonneur-Crosses at 85psi, which is their max rating. They aren't any slower feeling than the Gatorskins.
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Old 05-23-09, 08:27 PM
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You said inexpensive. Nashbar has Paselas on sale.
https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product..._200276_200524

I use the more expensive folding version of the Pasela in a 32c. It's a good size for a Clyde, doesn't feel slow, and is reasonably durable.
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