kevrider

my roomate has Bianchi Volpe. good choice for riding around town and the occasional commute, but he also likes to join group rides with my buddy and i. he usually has a hard time keeping up, thinking it might help him to get more narrow tires. can anyone tell me how narrow he can go and keep a normal tire profile? i just measured his rims, they are 24mm wide at the brake tracks, compared to 19mm on my road bike, which has 23mm tires. should he go with 28mm tires, or do you think 25 might work?

darb85

id go to 25s but thats just me

Menel

You shouldn't rule out the engine, is the bike or the engine?

Googling shows that the bike comes with these: WTB All Terrainasaurus, 32mm wide? Is he still running these? They appear to be treaded mountain bike tires. Largely inefficient on the road. Probably gain a lot by simply moving to a slick road tire.

It's a heavy touring bike, depending on your friend's weight and what else it uses it for, he may not want to go to narrow or you'll negatively impact rolling resistance, comfort, and risk pinch flats. Consider the chart: https://www.bikequarterly.com/images/TireDrop.pdf

kevrider

yes, the engine definitely needs work, but as you know, that takes a while. wondering if slicks would help in the meantime....

that chart was veddy interesting. i normally run 90/95 on the roadie, the chart is telling me to try 80/115. radical! maybe i'll try 115 in the rear, but 80 up front makes me fear for my rim.

flyingWeez

FWIW I have 25mm Conti Gatorskins on my Volpe's stock rims. It felt like a night and day difference when I swapped out the 32mm WTBs.

happa95

Hi, I just recently bought a Bianchi Volpe and I still have the stock 32's on it, but was thinking of switching to some skinnier tires. What specific differences did you notice when switching?

flyingWeez

The ride was instantly smoother. I have to admit that I was expecting some difference in ride but not on the level that I feel I got. I don't know if there were any speed enhancements but you will feel faster because of the lowered (much lower) rolling resistance. And if you commute on your Volpe (which I do) 25mm tires won't hold you back any.

znomit

Check here:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#width

Velo Dog

IMO, he can run anything he wants. I've used tires from 19mm (big mistake; I hated them) to 41mm on the same rims on my Rambouillet without any problems. Each rim will have a recommended range, but I've gone way outside it on several sets of wheels on several bikes for years, and nothing bad happens.
As others have pointed out, though, he's not going to be much, if any, faster on skinnier rubber. Pressure makes a difference, but width barely does. I've done my 25-mile RT commute hundreds of times on tires ranging from 23mm to the 41s, and there's no consistent difference in speed based on tire size.

Motobetird

You could probably put 23s on, you just may pop a few more tubes than usual. I wouldnt go with 28s. 25s are riddable.

knobster

I had one a few years ago and 23's fit fine. I hated that bike. It was a tank.

531phile 

I'd go with 25 at the lowest just to be on the safe side.

kevrider

that chart indicates 28 would be the smallest, but it sounds like either will work. thanks for the info.