Confused about tire size...
04-18-11, 06:23 PM
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Confused about tire size...
I am fairly new to the mechanics of cycling and I plan on purchasing a Redline 925 on Friday, the stock tires are 700x28 and I see a lot of 700x28c tires available. Mainly, I am interested in the Gatorskins because I used those on my old Bianchi Premio and they were wonderful. Will I be able to purchase 700x28c tires or am I stuck with 700x28? Little confused about this. Any help is appreciated... including a link!
Last edited by UptownJoe60640; 04-18-11 at 07:28 PM.
04-18-11, 06:43 PM
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The two tires you mention above are the same. Just inconsistency in what was written. The C refers to the specific type of rim in question, a 700c rim. And, all (for all intents and purposes) 700 rims these days are 700c. You won't find a 700 tire that is not 700c without a lot of effort and special ordering. There were different versions of the 700 rim in the past, but they are obsolete and there's no chance that Redline uses them.
So buy the same tire, from the same place you bought them in the past.
Just as a nit, and many people including businesses do it. The diameter is 700c, the width of the tire isn't 28c . The width is 28mm. But most people just write 700X28c, and many refer to a 28mm tire as 28c. But that's might be what confused you.
To make it even more confusing, the 700 refers to 700mm, but that isn't the diameter of the rim itself, it is the estimated diameter of the rim+the tire. The rim diameter is actually 622mm. So, you'll actually probably see two specs printed on the tire: 700cX28 and 622X28 or some variation of that. It all means the same thing. Bottom line, again, is buy the tires you're already familiar with, they'll be fine.
So buy the same tire, from the same place you bought them in the past.
Just as a nit, and many people including businesses do it. The diameter is 700c, the width of the tire isn't 28c . The width is 28mm. But most people just write 700X28c, and many refer to a 28mm tire as 28c. But that's might be what confused you.
To make it even more confusing, the 700 refers to 700mm, but that isn't the diameter of the rim itself, it is the estimated diameter of the rim+the tire. The rim diameter is actually 622mm. So, you'll actually probably see two specs printed on the tire: 700cX28 and 622X28 or some variation of that. It all means the same thing. Bottom line, again, is buy the tires you're already familiar with, they'll be fine.
Last edited by Camilo; 04-18-11 at 06:47 PM.
04-18-11, 06:58 PM
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Thank you for taking the time to clarify. Very helpful!
04-18-11, 07:17 PM
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To get extemely nerdy, the "c" actually refers to an antiquated French system for identifying the width of a tire. "C" oginally referred to a wider tire, but this obviously has little meaning today. The late-great Sheldon Brown has an article on this subject here (https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html). All you could ever want to know abut how tires are sized. 
