Hey all.

I have a friend who has a multitrack 700 and would like to make it a little "sportier".

It is a womens model and I believe around a 2000.

My question is what are the narrowest tires i can put on it? Currently it has 700X38 but I was thinking if we could drop the width down and get a more road style tread we could pick up some speed.

Any help would be appreciated.

28's or 32's sound about right, to me.

she should get a new bike

I agree but that is not really financially affordable at this point in time

I ride my similiar hybrid only on pavement and have run 700 X 25's for years without problem on the stock rims. I swap the original 32's on on the few times I might take it camping and plan to be "off road". I had a friend doing a local Tri and swapped my wheels on her specialized crossroads for it and she couldn't believe the difference it made from the 38's

Schwalbe among others say this perception of "narrower=faster" is wrong for most riders. Wider, smooth-treaded tires can be just as fast at a lower, more comfortable inflation pressure. Maybe it's different if you're a road racer, but for commuting, I'd prefer to err on the side of comfort and safety (better traction with wider, softer tires).

Personally, I like larger tires, pumped up to the max.

Wide-ish tires with a smooth tread at a pressure appropriate for your weight have less rolling resistance, generally. Beefy tires with a lot of rubber, stiff sidewalls, and low threads per inch roll poorly, regardless of width.

If she's under 200lbs, 32c tires would be about perfect. Vittoria Hypers are a good "performance" commuting/recreational tire. Vittoria Randonneur's are my preference, though.