My first road bike came to me with a set of 23 mm Kenda tires that I swapped out for 25 mm Continental Ultra Sport 2 tires. It made a tremendous difference in ride quality. That's the lowest end and cheapest of the Continental line. I now use as set of Continental Grand Sport GT tires that sooooo much smoother than the Ultra Sport 2 tires. My bike is a little lighter than your but I'm near 220 pounds (100 KG) and I'm using 25 mm Grand Sport GT's on CF wheels at 65 and 75 psi. I should add we have really good roads in my area but there has been a couple of times I hit stuff that hard enough that I stopped and checked my rims.

I don't think the tires I have are available in 28 mm, so if it was me I'd get the GT4000SII.

32mm Bontrager AW3 :thumb:

Also +1 on what Cyccommute said.

28mm tires at 175 pounds: I use 65 psi front and 75-80 psi rear.

Pinch flats are from hitting potholes or larger rocks. The tire is mashed flat against the rim, and the edge of the rim cuts a slit or a pair of slits (a "snakebite") into the tube. These are on the hub side of the tube. So for general bumps from tree roots, etc, even lower pressures would be feasible. Just watch where you are going and avoid big hits, especially on sharp edge obstructions. If you go too low, the handling will become mushy and vague, especially in turns.


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Some tires are designed for durability, with thick, stiffer sidewalls and heavy tread with lots of cut protection layers. These won't ride as nice as tires with supple sidewalls. I like the supple tires.

I notice the biggest improvement on rough roads, like chip-seal (resurfaced roads, using a thin layer of tar with gravel over it.) The flexible sidewalls and appropriate low air pressure lets the tire absorb the bumps.

For roads with repeated expansion joint dips or thick tar + sand over road cracks, 28mm tires are better than 23mm, but won't completely absorb those big bumps. 35mm or larger tires do help a lot, but even these won't eliminate the bumps.

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For shorter stretches of really bad pavement, I'll shift to a much harder gear, slow my cadence way down, and pedal with most or all of my weight off the saddle. This fixes the jolting, but it's not maintainable for too long at a time.

+1

Take note of the riding changes suggested above by cyccommute.

Pump your tyres to the pressure you run now and then leave them alone! Yes, they'll slowly lose pressure and at some point you'll notice they've become too squishy or you'll get a pinch flat - either of those (preferably the squishy feel) will tell you you've gone too far. Then it's simply a matter of noting the pressure, pumping them up a little and returning to your normal routine. 'Squishy' refers to both ride quality and handling, you should notice it in corners before you notice it on the flat.

These are the things you can do without spending money and you may find that's all you need.

From there, better tyres than the Kenda's will be a good move - I've just removed the set that came with my new bike and I've suffered them before, their only saving grace is their price.

Your biggest improvements will come from how you ride your bike. It's possible to ride 'heavy' and to ride 'light', as described by cyccommute.

Riding light requires effort and its another skill-set. Road bike riders who are also mountain bike riders know this intuitively.

When you lift the body weight off the saddle, the leg strength is called into action. I think its called isometric and then specifically, isometric squats or a variation thereof.

That path you are riding on: you may take it as a pain because its not smooth but its taking a lemon and making it lemonade. Work on the challenge.

I run my 25mm tires at 80psi almost all the time.

I run my 30mm cross tires at 45 for the road, and 35 for off-road. ( I weigh 160 lbs.)

That said, with 28, 60psi should be fine, and probably lower.

Thanks for posting the link.

Go with bigger tires at lower pressure, and you won't even need that extra layer of bar tape. I am a little surprised that was not the bike shop's first suggestion.

If you are OK droping some money on this for a super smooth ride, consider a set of Compass Tires.

If you can fit 35s, look at the Bon Jon Pass tires. I weigh the same as you and ran them at 43/55 regularly. Could have gone lower, but there are some bad potholes around here. These are very fast and light tires, and smooth as butter on even the crappiest of roads.

Make sure of your tire clearance, as these run more like 36mm.

If you can't fit these, try the Stampede Pass (32mm).

Otherwise, There are many other smooth high volume tires in the 32-35mm range. I have heard decent things about Panaracer Pasela tires, and they are pretty affordable, but have no personal experience. One cheaper option I really like are the Bontrager H2 tires. Not super light (wire bead) but I like the way they ride on my commuter bike. Thick tread but thin sidewalls. And they are affordable (~$25 each).

EDIT: I just realized you're currently running Kenda Kwest tires. I had a set of those for a long time. Durable, long lasting, and cheap, but the ride is pretty stiff and harsh. And the thick stiff sidewalls make them slow when you run the pressure low, and still don't feel that great. Ditch those for sure.

Open tubular tires (which are clincher versions of tubular tires for those who don't know) will transform your bike. Go from a cheap, heavy 60tpi tire to a a light tire with 320tpi and you'll know what I mean. The only part of the bike that touches the ground makes the biggest difference aside from actual suspension.


https://www.competitivecyclist.com/v...NjQ2F0MTAwMDcz

35mm tires hold significantly more air volume compared to 28mm tires. Yes, its only 7mm larger which is 25% larger, but the actual volume held is more than 25% more. More air volume means running tires at a lower PSI which means a less jarring ride as the tires will absorb more road imperfections instead of transferring them to the frame and on to you.

A 35mm tire will have about 55% more volume than a 28mm tire. This is a guesstimate, so any engineers who are reading the thread dont need to pounce and flip out.

https://janheine.files.wordpress.com...comparison.jpg

Get a quality 35mm tire- 120tpi folding bead. It will feel better than your current Kwest tires, which are comparatively rigid and heavy.

Then ride like Stuart the engineer's detailed suggestion describes.

I'm not an engineer... the Oompa Loompas of Science:rolleyes:

As to the diagram, doesn't anyone see the problems with it? First, look at the increase in diameter between a 23 and a 25mm tire. It's a huge 18% increase but the problem is that still a pretty small number. Everyone "claims" that going from a 23mm to a 25mm provides a massive increase in comfort but does it really? The volume increase at the tire patch is vanishingly small.

The values are also all screwy. First the increase in diameter is only 9% when going from a 23mm to a 25mm tire. The entire volume of the tire increases by 18% but the entire volume doesn't matter. The only place it matters is at the contact patch.

Also the other numbers have little to no meaning. As far as I can tell they are the percentage increase for each step...going from 23 to 25mm then going from 25mm to 31mm, etc. A better way to tell the story is to show the percentage increase from 23mm to each different size. For example:

Changing from a 23mm tire to a 25mm tire results in an 8% increase in diameter and an 18% increase in tire volume. Changing from a 23mm to a 31mm tire results in a 35% increase in diameter and a 82% increase in volume. Going to a 41mm tire results in a 78% increase in diameter and a 218% increase in volume.

But while that may seem large increases, it really isn't. A small number can experience a huge percentage increase and still be a small number. That's especially true when you consider that most of the torus of the tire isn't in contact with the ground. I've done rough calculations in the past on the actual volume increase at the tire patch when going from a 23 to 25mm tire and the difference in about 10ml in volume. For the metrically challenged, that's roughly a teaspoon of volume increase. In other words, it's a tiny amount or a slight difference which doesn't result in as much difference in ride quality as people make it out to be.

Going from 28 to 35 will make a big difference.

Going from a low quality 28mm tire to a high quality 35mm tire (properly inflated) will make a HUGE difference.

That's it.

Man, I disagree, big time. I've experienced absolute transformations when replacing crappy tires with excellent tires. And running a good pressure for my weight vs the the labeled max is night and day. At max pressure my bikes feel nervous over bumps, bumps feel harsh on my hands and butt, transmit numbing vibration, and have terrible cornering grip. At my favorite pressure there is no vibration, NONE, bumps all but disappear, and cornering grip inspires confidence. For me, the differences between bad tires and incorrect pressures vs good tires with appropriate pressures is gigantic, crap vs luxurious, truthfully.

I disagree strongly here as well. Saddles that fit and offer some give will make a world of difference.

+1

Before I posted I read through to make sure I wasn't just repeating what I thought would be the normal response. cyccommute is correct! Call it technic, style, or form... but your own riding practices and skill will make your ride pleasant or painful.

Don't get me wrong... those big, fat, low pressure tires are darn comfy. They also eat-up a lot of pedaling energy too. And a gel padded bike seat is nice too. But neither (or both) will provide the same level of comfort and ease as the skilled riding practices.

+ a million. I ride Bon Jons on one of my bikes. A year after mounting them I'm still as amazed as I was the first time I rode them. It's actually eerie how you can see the crap you are rolling over, but never feel it.

Normally.... I would associate double wrapping with arthritic hands. So maybe there is more here than exposed in the initial post.

I myself add an extra single strip of cork tape "on the tops" under the normal wrap of bar tape. This gives me a little extra cushiness when lean on the tops... even though this isn't something I do much. 90% of the time my hands are on the hoods (with my elbows bent) and the extra layer of tape would be moot.

No, they don't.

My experience is noticeably opposite.

Yeah I know... I've read the info myself. But I've also ridden the tires... and I can't ignore my own experience. If only the weight (of the fat tires) was a consideration (over the much lighter skinny tires).... then the difference is real or lightweight (carbon) wheels are a waste of money.

.

I'm with QP on this one. Changing tire can make a HUGE difference. Night and day difference.

Going from something like his Kwest 28mm tires to even something like one of the larger Bontrager H2s (which are fairly inexpensive - I use on my commuter) will be a noticeable improvement. Going to something like a Bon Jon Pass will be like a different bike on a different road.

I think you said the same thing 3 times there. Take it up with Jan Heine- its his chart.

If you have always associated hard tires with fast, then yes, they might FEEL slower at first.

But in fact the difference difference is neglegeable outside of a race on smooth pavement. And when you look at the conditions he is talking about, I'd wager they are AT LEAST as fast.

Frankly, I am a little suspicious of anyone who claims to have run a Stampede or Bon Jon on a rough road or path and found them to slow them down compared to narrow tires. I think what happens sometimes is that people have tried one or two higher volume tires and found them to be slow, and they therefore assume that they are all slow.

Yes, some high-volume tires ARE slow and harsh, and don't offer much ride improvement. Up until recently, almost all road tires over 30mm were either designed to be bullet-proof commuter/touring tires, or (like the Kenda Kwest) were just dirt cheap tires for cheap bikes.

But that has changed. More companies are making high-end, very supple and respectable light high-volume tires.

BTW, these tires are not heavy at all. Stampede Pass (32mm) are ~250g and the Bon Jon Pass are ~300g.

Either one of these tires is going to be MUCH lighter and faster then the 28mm Kwests he is running now, and a night and day improvement in comfort.

Stop at the village pub & talk to the Locals..