Bike Tire Size
 

Hi Guys,

I have Alex TD24 rims with slick tires that are 1.95 thick. I'm wondering if dropping them down to a size 1.75 would make a difference in terms of rolling resistance? The lowest I can go with these wheels are 1.75. Would it be worth it to change to this size or should I just stick with 1.95? If you can also give any suggestions as to what brand tires are good that would be great as my current ones are fairly old.

I'm not sure a 5mm difference will be that noticable at that width. Switching to slicks might make a big difference tho.

Why can't you go any narrower than 1.75? I didn't find specs on the TD24 width (not on Alex Rims website), but unless it's a monster like their DM24 or DM2418 (downhill rims) with an interiour bead of 24mm, you should be able to put a narrower tire like a 32mm or 35mm on there. The EN24 series both have 19mm internal bead dimensions.

Im using Schwalbe Big Apple slick tyres. They are 2" but the sidewall is very thin and flexy so rolling resistance is low and are efficient for fast cruisisng. The Kojak is even slicker and faster.
Thin tyres make a difference when you are going very fast, they have less air resistance so cut through the air better.

I don't explicitly know the dimensions of the rim, but I have TD24s on my bike and it has 700x35 tires on it.

If the only difference will be the tire width - then that small change will have no impact on your time.

The choice of tire is more important than the width.

About half way through the article, there is a heading "Width and Pressure". This should answer anything you need to know on this subject.

gb

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

Thank you everyone for all your answers. I decided to go with slicks and I was able to fit 1.5 size tires on them. It made a difference in terms of rolling resistance...and my ride's not to stiff either =)