cradduck

What tire width do you commute on and why? What conditions do you have to deal with?

I was previously using 700x25 size tires on my old ten-speed road bike. My new commuter is a cyclocross style bike and has 700x46 size tires. There seem to be some obvious good and bad points about each one and I am thinking of making the move to something in the middle.

I ride on mostly good pavement...with a few areas that can really jolt you around on skinnier tires. The wider tires definately smooth out the ride, but the increase in rolling resistance and effort to maintain speed is very noticeable. It is a 25 mile round trip commute.

Would you think it is better to stick with the wider tires (they aren't junk) or strike some kind of balance and go with a tire that is somewhere in the middle...like in the 32-36 width?

Brian C.

I have a hybrid that came to me with 700x38's, slightly knobby. I swapped for 700x32 smooth tread panaracer pasela's. for a commute like yours I'd recommend something similar to the panaracer's.

On my road bike, that I mostly use for my 15 mile commute, I'm running 700x20's that I bought when I was a weight weenie. Now I'd like to switch to a 700x25 for the commute.

77midget

I commute w/ my MB, and switched the tires to 1.5" Road tires, which are the smallest I can reasonably fit on my rims. I ride on decent pavement, though there are some cracks and holes, etc. the front fork takes care of the initial shock and also shares the impact w/ the tire, so I suspect.

I get good roll-much better than the larger MTB tires, but the tread pattern still grips well on the roads. I have 20 mile round trip, but the increase in firmness of ride is worth the improved rolling resistance performance.

nowheels

split the difference, something like a 700/28- 32 at 100 psi with some built in flat protection..... you'll get a sporty ride and still get some comfort over the bumps

bergerandfries

Specialized Armadillo Nimbus 700x38s 90psi and life is fine on my 2008 Bianchi Volpe Cyclocross. I choose the 38s because 1/2mile of my ride is on grass/dirt...

Closed Office

That is exactly my preference too. I commute year round with 27 X 1 1/4 inch tires, which are the same size as 700/32, and they are ideal. They can go over a grate with the slots the wrong way for a bicycle without getting the rim hammered. They have just a nice amount of shock absorption and bounce without a lot of fat tire slow down. The size is really common and you can get good quality rated for 90 psi for about $9 at Walmart.

If I do eventually switch over to the 700 sizes I will look closely at the 28, but most likely I'll go with 32 mm. My commute is 6 miles each way and I have a choice of street or a pea gravel (not paved) bike path.

HardyWeinberg

I hate my pea gravel driveway, but it's become bikeable since I ditched my 26x1.5s for 26x2.0s.

That's not the only reason I prefer the fatter lower pressure tires but it doesn't hurt. I do have generally crappy road and trail conditions. Fewer stray car parts on the trail, but more root heaves through the pavement.

tldga3

I am in the process of switching from 37-622 to 35-622. I am not doing it for the size difference, but the ones I am switching to have reflective sidwalls and I will keep my 37-622's as spares and keep one at work and one at home. To me 32-ish to 35-is is the right size tire to commute on. Fat (enough) to be comfy and skinny enough to roll easy.

BCRider

Overall I love my 25mm's for where I commute. I ride around the bigger potholes but there's enough ridges and bumps that they get a workout.

I recently swapped the 25's for 28's on my touring bike for my trip to Europe and it worked well.

I prefer to keep them as small as practical, not possible but practical. This means that the rotating inertia is a little less which makes for a little more spirited acceleration since the "engine" is getting a touch tired as the years go on.

Also if you check your rims I think you'll find they are wide enough that they'll be happier with 28 to 32 as a minimum size anyway. The cyclocross seem to come with the slightly wider rim options.

lapher22

schwalbe big apples 29x2.3. Because they are freakin huge, low rolling resistance and puncture resistant 2 flats in 1500 miles. tomorrow I'm sure it will be 3 now that I bragged.

mtnwalker

700x23's because my commute is paved, sorta flat and I hardly carry anything except my lunch and water bottles. This is the beauty of leaving my work shoes and clothes at work.

ok_commuter

I just took off the 700x25 ultra gators (after pinch flatting on a trail like a fool). Put the original tires back on, 700x31 Panaracer Crossblasters. They feel funny on pavement, but I'm getting used to it. Smoother ride, but these are softer and certainly less durable. (The Gators wear like cast iron, but they ride like it too.) We'll see how they hold up... I'm trying to figure out what's next...

ottawa_adam

I was riding 700 x 37 semi-slicks, at 90 psi. Most of my commute is on fairly decent pavement so I decided to change to 700 x 28 at 95 psi. So far so good. I find my commute is a lot easier now.

alhedges

I commute on Schwalbe Marathon 40-406's, but I doubt that will work for you.

JanMM

I found 28-32 to be the sweet spot between speed and durability. On 700c wheels, that is.
Currently commuting on 406x37 / 406x40 (F/R).

tjspiel

I commute on 23's mostly because I also ride in triathlons. Otherwise, I'd probably ride on 25's or 28's.

However it's probably worth noting that if you're concerned about flats and ride quality, width is not the only thing that matters. Last year I picked up a set of Vredstein Fortezza's and the only problem I ever had was a slow leak. This year I've already got two flats (one my fault) on the stock Mondo Sports that came on my Specialized Allez. I knew the Mondo's were more flat prone, I just haven't gotten round to swapping them out yet.

So flat protection helps with flats. Threads Per Inch or "TPI" helps the ride quality. Of course the higher the TPI, the more expensive the tire. Dual or Tri-Compound tires can help with wear and grip.

idcruiserman

I'm running Ultra Gatorskins in 25mm, but when they wear out I'll probably get 28s. I have bald 35s on my cross bike, and they work surprisingly well.

kf5nd

Agreed.

Niten

27x1 1/8 Panaracer Pasela TourGuards. My routes are all paved.

seanabilly

I have 700x28 ultra gatorskins on my commuter and I love them. They are sporty enough that I can use them on weekend road rides but also take them on light dirt and gravel. I commute by bike everyday and average about one flat a year.

modernjess

Go with 28mm Conti Ultra Gatorskins. Considering your question / description I can't see how you could go wrong. Fast. yet with plenty of width for the odd rough patch.

Sixty Fiver

26 by 2 Schwalbe Hurricanes on my mtb expedition bike - ride is excellent, they are quite fast, and love the trails on my route.

700:35 Schwalbe CX Compe tyres on my touring bike for the same reasons as the mtb except that they roll much faster on pavement and perform very well on unpaved surfaces.

Kenda Kontact 20 by 1.95's on my fixed gear folder... they're plush, great traction, and reasonably fast but I have a pair of 1.5 Marathons coming since I want to go faster.

700:25 Kendas on my Pug fixed gear cause she's all about getting there quickly and the 25's are still reasonably good at sucking up the bumps.

mechBgon

Currently, I'm using 700 x 25 Grand Prix 4000 Reflective Sidewall on the 700C commuting bike (old road bike), with Conti Race 700 Light tubes. Reason: low weight for acceleration, low frontal area for good cruising speed. They're narrow enough that I can use the narrowest Planet Bike fenders, again for low air drag.

On the 26" commuting bike (old hardtail mountain bike), I'm using Panaracer Pasela TourGuard, kevlar-bead 26 x 1.25", with Conti Race 650 Light tubes. Total weight of tire + tube is only 320 grams a wheel. The reasons are the same: fast acceleration, low air drag at steady-state cruising speed. In the winter, this bike gets switched to Nokian Extreme studded 2.1" tires, and to heck with the acceleration and air drag

For your scenario, cradduck, if you need extra puncture protection, the Specialized Armadillo 700 x 28 would be good. There's a reflective-sidewall version too, if you want some extra visibility. I also like the look of the Panaracer T-Serv, which is like a Pasela but with a coated sidewall and also a reflective-sidewall option.

TeamRoundBoys

I was running some CyclePro 700 x 28's and they were good on flats. Then I cut a sidewall taking singletrack home one day.

Got some Forte 700 x 28's and they run way smooth. New tires FTW.


Panaracer Pasaela's were the worst tires I ever bought. I had nothing but blowouts, destroying a sidewall last Saturday.

RT

Forte VersaTrac - heavier, but the pros outweigh the cons. Beaded in the center for low rolling resistance, knobbed on the outside, can take your bike anywhere. I recently switched over to Michelin TransWorld City 1.5" tires, and while they are much faster, I miss the rugged versatility of the VersaTrac.