cleon

For a 200 lb rider just trying to log miles on road and bike paths (I.e., not perfect asphalt), what tire size would you recommend? Had 25s, then went down to 23s and started getting pinch flats on rougher roads, and was a pretty harsh ride. Wondering if 28s would be worth a shot??

What are you other guys and gals riding?

Mithrandir

I ride 26x2.0, which is like 50mm. I prefer the fat tires as they really suck up the road static. After 50+ miles I can really feel it in my arms on smaller tires.

Mr. Beanz

If that's the bike you're riding in the avatar, might not accept 28's.

cleon

Lol.. Good observation! Switching to a Gunnar Sport in 4 weeks.

ChrisO

I ride Conti Ultra Gatorskins/ Gatorskin Hardshells in the 25mm size. I had run Vittoria Rubino Pros in the 23mm size, didn't have any problems with those, but the Contis feel better to me. No pinch flats with either, but I have had two of the GSs have a wire bead failure so I switched to the Kevlar bead. On the flip side though, the GSs seem to be pretty darn tough, puncture resistant tires. We've got some crumby, debris-ridden roads around here, and I'm not exactly careful about it all. Can't speak for 28s though, as my bike won't fit them in.
Also, for what it's worth/comparison/vetting, I'm about 30lbs heavier than you.

gyozadude

+1. I ride 26 x 1.9 slicks for most commutes. Next is 700x32c (ISO 32x622 - measured width at nominal psi 32.5mm). You may already be aware that there are bunch of tire makers still out there that put 700x28c or 700x32c on their sidewalls, but inflated the width is 22mm or 23.8mm. I bought some Performance commuter tires in 28c and they had ISO numbering of 28x622. That was bogus. The guys at the shop said that tires can stretch upto 5mm given sufficient age. I kind of smiled and let them know that I'd like a refund and let them know that when a tire stretches that much - it's call casing failure. When I buy a tire with ISO measurements on the side, I expect it to meet specifications for its expected service lifetime. Anything beyond that is unsatisfactory and I'm sure not the intent of the carcass designers. But I'm sure they sold quite a few of those tires because they could advertise they had a 28c tire for just a bit over 300grams. But for us Clydes, wider provides more cushion and it helps protect the rim as well as the backside.

Snydermann

My Panaracer Pasela 700 x 28c's measure out at 27.5mm on my 25c Ukai rims. I have bikes with 23c, 25c and 28c tires. At 200 pounds and pushing 50 I tend to jump on the 28c bike for anything more than a few miles of riding.

I just got some Vittoria Rally tubulars in 23c, so we'll see how they fit into the mix.

nfmisso

Being 300+; the narrowest tires I have are Terry (made by Panaracer) 28-571 on my SR; and at 110 psi are marginal. My commuter has 32-630, running 120psi in a Specialized Allroad Armadillo on the rear and 100psi in a Bell Kevlar on the front. On the tandem, we have Kenda Kwest 37-622 running 100 psi; which give a very smooth ride.

RichardGlover

There is very little benefit to riding skinny tires. Except that you look like you're riding a bike with skinny tires. Some people go for that sort of thing.

Wulf

Serfas from REI they say good up past 120psi.

FrenchFit 

I hear you. 28mm is the biggest I'll ride and I don't really like them much. It's not the rolling resistance, it's the relative weight. 25mm is a good compromise. I have 28mm on two touring wheelsets, 25mm on everything else. 23mm seems too jittery to me. Obviously, the make and quality of the tire makes a difference, I'd guess 23mm Gatorskins would feel like you were running 25mm tires.

chasm54

At 200lbs if you are getting pinch flats on 23mm tyres I'd say you're using too low a pressure. 120psi rear, 110 front.

If you're still getting pinch flats at those pressures you must be riding into a lot of potholes. 25s should be enough for pretty much all road conditions, but get some that are rated to decent pressures - 115 psi, or thereabouts.

As for there being no benefit to riding skinny tyres, the benefit is weight, and (if you ride fast enough) aerodynamics. But it's true that if speed isn't the priority, the difference is marginal.

RichardGlover

Weight only really matters when you're accelerating and going up hills. On the plus side, it helps going down hills.

But honestly, the weight difference between running 23mm vs running 32mm is ... 100 grams per tire for Gatorskins, and another 25 grams for wider Kenda tubes, and another 71 grams for wider rims (Velocity Synergys vs Aeroheads). Double that for two tires - so 392 grams, or about 13.8 ounces.

I mean, sure, if you're a 150 lb racer riding a 15 lb bike, that ~3/4 pound is going to be 0.47% of your total weight. That will mean the difference of several seconds in a long endurance race or a significant fraction of a second in a shorter race. And if you're racing for money, that is important. But this is the clyde forum. None of are Cat-1/2 racers and aren't likely to ever be; half a pound for a 200+ rider is the proverbial drop in the bucket.

I mean, it's not nothing; we're talking 0.39% (assuming 200lb rider on a 20lb bike) weight - which means that much more energy spent, netting a loss of speed of about half that. Over an imperial century, if your old average speed was 15mph, it'd take you an extra 47 seconds of saddle time.

Running 700x32s buys you a lot. You get a more comfortable ride, that corners better, and is much less likely to suffer spectacular blowouts because you're running at the lower-end of the recommended pressure for the tire instead of right at the max.

Everybody's gotta ride their own ride, but my personal preference is to be comfortable and not worry so much about flats. But then again, I'm the sort who runs with fenders, so I'll never be accepted into the Ricky Racer Club.

cleon

Yes and yes. I think I was 10 lbs too low and it was on a horrible stretch of road. Then trying to change that new 23 was just a nightmare. Put me over the edge. Then I had the epiphany that as a new and inflexible rider, weighing in at 200 lbs, that was just trying to get in shape and ride those beaten up paths; why the heck was I on a lightweight, racing geometry frame with Rubino Pro 3s?? Oh yeah..cuz I did all my initial research in #41 !! So I'm in the process of transitioning to a more upright position on steel with wider tires...

shawmutt

I have the stock tires (Vittoria Randonneur with Double Shielding puncture protection, 700 x 32c ) on my Jamis Aurora and it gives me a smooth ride on the C&O canal towpath which has everything from single track to gravel to sand. The tires are only rated for 75 lbs max air pressure.

After towing my kids and riding only on the towpath these last couple months, I'm really curious how I'd do on a "real" roadbike

Mithrandir

Exactly. I'll start removing weight from my bike when I can no longer remove weight from myself. Got a looooong way to go

cleon

+1

10 Wheels

I have gone to 28's on my road bike.
I think you would like them.

jethro56 

While I agree with much of what RichardGlover says, one thing that is lacking is the flywheel effect. The weight of heavy tires effects acceleration much more than that same weight on a nonrotating componet. The same could be said of that same weight added to the hub versus clear out at the rim. Think of a figure skater doing a spin. They start out with their arms out. As they bring them in their rpms increase.

chasm54

That is true. And the aerodynamic effect is more significant than the weight. There's a reason that racers aren't using 32mm tyres.

However, I agree that for most riders, in most circumstances, it doesn't matter much. And the slower one rides, the less it matters.

sstorkel

Perhaps, but you're probably talking about fractions of a watt. My PowerTap power meter doesn't seem to show any statistically significant difference between 23mm, 25mm, and 28mm tires...

jethro56 

Yes. I can visualize the difficulty of filling in the low pressure areas. I lack the ability to explain it in understandable terms.

jethro56 

I'm getting ready to buy some tires for my bike. Perhaps I've been taken in by Tire Mfgs. Hype.

monkeydentity

+1

I have to admit that i do allow myself to fantasize about swapping parts for their carbon equivalents...but then i think about how much money the light guys would give to drop 1-2lbs to get faster, and hell, I've dropped almost 30 now!

FrenchFit 

If you are comparing 32mm Gatorskins to 25mm GP4000s you have to add another 50 grams per tire, about half a pound per tire all in. That you'll feel accelerating, climbing, handling...and in the glide for me. We are talking about rotating weight, not static weight. It can make a sport bike feel dead. Plush for sure, but so are 26" rims with 2.2 HolyRollers.