I just developed a split in the tread on my rear tire which was pretty beat anyhow. Decided to go one size narrower. Replacing both front and rear.

May be splitting hairs here, but I'm going from 700X32 to 700X28 Schwalbe Marathon tires on my flat bar road bike. I only ride this bike on pavement.

Will I notice a difference (less) in rolling resistance?

Will it handle any better or worse?

Thanks.

Well if you don't change both tires at the same time, you'll be riding up hill all the time.

You'll probably need to run about 10 - 15 psi more pressure, so you might feel more of the road, but not all that much.

Probably won't notice any great difference in rolling resistance. Ditto for handling.

Please report back if you notice a difference. You'll be able to answer those questions after you ride the new tires.

I moved from the OEM Bontrager H5 700cx35 to Continental Gatorskin 700c x 28. Moved the pressure up from 70/80 (F/R) to 90/105 psi.

The bike looks great! The ride is a bit harsher, but I can't say I noticed any marked drop in rolling resistance.

I think that you have to go to more road specific tires (Continental 4000?) to see some difference.

On the other hand, the Bontrager H5s at 60/75 psi were riding like a Rolls Royce on rougher asphalt. ...with some penalty in rolling resistance, mainly due to the knobs at the edge of the tire.

I'm thinking that if you buy a power tap for your bike and you are very precise with your air pressure measurements, you MIGHT be able to tell a difference. Just subjectively while riding, probably not.

If you switch to narrower tires that are otherwise identical, you are not likely to notice a difference in rolling resistance, and if you did it would likely be an increase in rolling resistance. You are more likely to notice a weight difference when going uphill, and perhaps a small difference in acceleration.

To decrease rolling resistance you need to get a tire with a more supple casing, like switching from a flat-proof commuter tire to a lightweight racing tire. Tires with a more supple casing, however, are generally more prone to punctures... so even if your new tires save you 2 minutes over 40 km, if you have to stop and repair one puncture that you otherwise would not have had, the advantage is lost.

You'll probably gain a watt or two but that's not enough to notice just by riding.

There are several websites with objective tests. Bicycle rolling resistence.com is one. They show watts by various manufacturers, width and pressure. Take a look at this and others and you'll get unbiased and objective input instead of personal perspectives of individual posters complete with biases.

Thanks for the responses. I didn't think it would be much difference, if anything. I just really like the Schwalbe Marathons. My experience with them has been great. Great traction in wet and no flats in just over 3000 miles. The ones I have don't owe me anything.

I have noticed quite a bit of difference in rolling resistance between 32's and 28. But they were not otherwise the same (brand, price, etc) tires and I think that plays a bigger part in it.

Putting on a set of Light supple Jack Brown Tires Jack Brown GREEN 700c x 33.333 Light - 10091 - GREEN
Jack Brown BLUE 700c x 33.333 Tough - 10092 - BLUE resulted in a fabulous ride

on a tire wider than 32mm

So are you going with the BLUE Brown or the GREEN Brown?

I have the green label .. one without the kevlar tread Belt . you may like the Blue label's punture resistance.

Yes.
28mm are better on road and 32mm better on trails.

No, not always.

Identical tire in different sizes comparison.
Schwalbe Marathon 32, 37, 40, 47 Comparison

This is very subjective, and not everyone will have the same results. Some folks could really tell if their air pressure was off a few psi, sometimes I can't tell the difference between a Prestige frame feeling and a True Temper.

if you are asking whether or not you can feel a difference (not if there is a difference), maybe - maybe not. I have a similar situation but with different brand: 1 1/4" Pasela and 1 1/8" Pasela tires. I personally cannot tell a difference in rolling resistance, even over a bit of range of air pressure. Mind you that there is a difference, it is just very hard to perceive. A 1% change in effort is hard for the body to perceive, though a powermeter or perhaps stopwatch over a long ride could tell even if you can't. What you are much more likely to perceive is ride quality. I can tell the difference in ride quality between my 1 1/8 and 1 1/4 Pasela tires. The 1 1/4 tires are definitely smoother feeling. The difference is more apparent the harsher the conditions, such as the dirt/gravel road a couple miles from my house. I cant tell on smooth pavement though unless I hit a rough spot. Also in the loose gravel and stuff the wider tires hold their line better while the thinner ones tend to bounce around and deflect, but this is likely less of an issue on just pavement. Just my $0.02

Trending tight now...!
Wider, heavier tires are more aero and have lower rolling resistance.

Right now, I've got Marathons in the 38mm size instead of Gatorskins in the 32mm size on my Sojourn. There is a noticeable difference, and I feel like I'm riding tractor tires through peanut butter all the time. This makes me want to try some tires with less rolling resistance than Gatorskins, an idea I didn't think much of before trying this.
I can't tell if it's the difference in brand/type or difference in tire size or both, though.

Ok, so I put the 28's on and did 40 miles in one ride on a paved trail. Probably wishful thinking, but feels like it rolls ever so slightly better but a little harsher. Most noticeable seems to be a slightly increased feel of acceleration on take off or when pushing it after cruising freewheel. Can't say handling was affected any.

It is rather a shock to people who think that narrow high pressure tires roll so good. At high speed they do. So how often are you descending at 40+ mph? But riding at normal street speeds it's almost impossible to tell the difference in rolling resistance and it's very easy to tell the difference in ride comfort.

I agree with it being hard to tell the difference in rolling resistance. When I switched my tires on my commuter last fall I THOUGHT that my winter tires rolled slightly better. When I switched them a few weeks ago back to the summer tires, I THOUGHT that the summer tires rolled better. Not quite the placebo effect, but I don't know the actual words for it.

If he puts the 32 on the rear, and the 28 up front, then it will be like riding downhill al the time

I've aways ridden narrow tires, 23mm/25mm.

I've been playing around a bit with a cyclocross bike. Smoothish 32mm tires? I didn't like the feeling of the first set of tires on it. I now have a pair of X'Plor USH tires on it which I like.

My conclusion is that you may not feel the difference between a quality 32mm tire and a mediocre 25mm tire. However, you'll probably notice the difference between a mediocre 32 and a quality 25.