e0richt

hi,

I need some new tires and the LBS was suggesting:
- bontrager hardcase tires
- go up from 23 to 25's...

I have a touring / road bike and I was used to the 23's...
will I notice going up to 25's?
what do you guys think?

thanks!

FenderTL5

I like'em.
That's the tire that came on my Trek 7.3 FX. I bought the bike in May 2014. I have had one flat since (approx 5000 miles).

bmthom.gis

I'm not a huge bontrager fan, but I am a fan of going from 23s to 25s

fietsbob

its a puncture resistant feature , specialized (etc.) has their own, Maybe same Tire factory for both , doing the actual Manufacturing.

In SEA where rubber trees grow and Labor and Overhead are Lower Cost.

DiabloScott

I don't know the difference between AW1 and H1; I have some AW1s that came stock on my fixie commuter and they're fine... but for the same price or less I like the Vittoria Randonneurs better and they have a reflective stripe too.

noglider 

I prefer the big names in tires. They are at the forefront of R&D and have the best breakthroughs. These breakthroughs allow you to have things such as puncture resistance and good riding qualities, at the same time. With lesser brands, you have to choose one attribute over another. The big names I'm thinking of are Schwalbe, Continental, Panaracer, Vittoria, Michelin and a few others I can't remember.

If your bike can fit wider than 25mm, you might want to try something wider. You might like it. The wider the tire, the lower the pressure you can run without a performance loss.

Gnosis

Bontrager hard case tires tend to be heavy for their size. I’ve only had one set (700 x 32’s), but I didn’t like them. One of them had a bead issue (way out-of-round) which made it a nightmare to get the tire to bead up onto the rim (impossible via the little handheld pump I carry on my rides). So they are emergency use tires only.

But I’ve had tremendous success with Bontrager H2 series street tires in sizes 700 x 28, 700 x 32, and 26” x 2.0. In fact, they’re my favorite street tires.

unterhausen

I like them. I think 25mm is too small for commuting

bmthom.gis

I agree with noglider up there. I've had much better luck finding tires I like buying from a tire company than a bike branded company. My favorite is Panaracer...they make great tires at reasonable prices. My Ribmos are holding up great so far. I was also surprisingly pleased at how nice a pair of Vittorias are riding. I like a tire that can take some lower pressure, but these things feel amazing right around 110 psi. Not as many miles on those yet, but I'm working on it. I forgot how awesome the bike is that they are mounted on.

Both the Panaracers and Vittorias were in the less than $25 each category. The Panaracers have the PT guard (their version of puncture resistance). I won't comment on that part of them as I don't want to jinx myself next time out

mgw4jc

I have been using Bontrager AW2 25 for about a year now. I replaced the rear after about 3500 miles, still going on the front. No flats so far. I ride paved roads where the worse threat is gravel from driveways or glass from bottles or fender benders.

ItsJustMe

I had a pair, though they were bigger, 32s I think. They were heavy and they fell apart prematurely on me. The center strip just came unglued an fell off in big patches. I wound up cutting them up and using them to line my studded tires when the studs started pushing through to the inside and puncturing my tube. A Nokian W106 with half a Hardcase inside it - now THAT was a heavy tire.

SouthFLpix

I agree, but with that said, factors such as weight and the condition of the road being used matter. It's possible that someone weighing 130lbs would consider 25mm tires as feeling cushy. I myself prefer something a little wider.

thrllskr

I will not use anything but Bontrager AW3 HC Lite and the AW2 HC Lite. For commuting I use the AW2 25mm in the front and the AW2 28mm in the rear. I do weight 190 and carry 15 pounds on the bike while commuting daily.