My hybrid bike came with 28c tires and I'm looking ahead to when I'll need to replace them. I was wondering if, when the time comes I should get another set of 28c's, or would I be better off with a narrower tire. I guess what I'm really asking is, generically speaking, what's the difference between 25c tires and 28c tires? How do 25c's feel, compared with the how a 28c's feel? Is one safer than the other? Is one size less prone to flats?

I should probably mention that I only ride my bike on paved surfaces.

Thanks for any answers you can provide me?

I'd stick with the 28c tires. A little extra volume in the tire is not a bad thing when it comes comfort and handling. Plus you tend to sit more upright on a hybrid which puts more weight on the rear wheel; that's a good reason to keep the 28c at least on the rear tire.

You didn't say what kind of riding - or terrain - or weight.
Tire width is in mm.

My take:
28mm - you are not doing fast group rides, not trying to climb hills fast, you are north of 220lbs. As this is a hybrid - seems like the best fit.
25mm - you want to go a wee faster, you have cleats for pedals, you have 24mm or smaller width rims, you are OK using more tire pressure, you weigh under 220lbs, you have lots of hills. These are not normally seen on hybrids.

I use 28 mm tires on my own bike. My feeling is the slightly wider tire is likely to handle sand and other debris on the road better than skinnier tires. There are also surprise potholes on road that could cause a crash.

I weigh 150 and use both 28 and 30mm tires and do regular group rides at 20+ mph, including 30mph sprints on strava segments which I occassionally win. The comfort is awesome, I ride with about 65lbs of pressure. For time trials and races I will use 25mm, but in group rides, it's never an issue.

Regarding how they feel, I couldn't tell you by feel whether I have 25mm or 28mm at the same pressure. The 25mm will have slightly lower air resistance drag (high speed). In theory the 28mm may have slightly lower rolling resistance, assuming that pressure and other tire qualities are equal.

We can generally run the wider tire at lower pressure without risking pinch flats, as opposed to dropping the pressure in narrower tires which risks pinch flats. That's the advantage in ride quality, the lower pressure. If you tend to pump the tires up pretty hard, there is no real difference.

Thanks to all of you that took the time to answer my questions. Based on what you've said, it sounds as if I should just stick with 28c's.

I ride mainly on a sidewalk-smooth dedicated bike path with no hills to speak of. I'm 6' tall and weigh 200lbs.

You could do with ether - except wider always handles those cracks and unexpected bumps better.

Out of curiosity, which bikes of yours that you have listed actually fit a 30c tire, or even a 28??

I use 28/29mm on the Tarmac and 29/30mm on the Colnago Master. The Ridley takes max 25mm but I also use that bike mostly for racing. Panaracer Grand Bois and Challenge Parigi Roubaix mainly for 28-30mm. The width can vary by 1-2mm depending on the rim width.

I wouldn't mind trying 28's on my Focus but I have 25's and besides the fact that anything bigger would hit the seat tube I only have about 3mm of clearance to the inside of the calipers. I don't know how you guys fit tires that big on racing frames and short reach brakes.

Not all tires are the same. Get a cheap 28 and it'll ride like you're riding through sand. Get some high quality light 28's and they'll ride as good as any 23 and will be much more comfortable. My choice is Compass Bicycle Grand Bois, running 32's right now and they are sweet, but pricey.

I replaced the 25c on my CF Road Bikes with Gatorskins 28c which just barely fit. Filled to 85/90 PSI, I average faster speeds than I did with the 25c's and my back and body are all that much more happy. I live in Maine, our roads span "Super crappy" to "Just above crappy" as well as dirt, trails, and even single track. I've ridden them all on the 28c's. I still have the 25's balled up on a shelf gathering dust, I keep thinking "maybe I will put them on and give them another try" but so far I only think that.

Now that I know I'm going to stay with my 28c's, I was also wondering what you guys think about wire bead vs. folded tires.

Is there an advantage with either type?

Yeah, the Compass Bicycle tires are lightyears better than anything else I've ever ridden. I also use 700x32s on my road bike. I can't imagine using anything else.

Yes, but it is a catch-22. Folding tires are a breeze for replacing inner tubes on the side of the road, can pretty much do it without spoons. The catch is with the proper tires you won't be flatting. If you intend to change out your tires more often, the folding tires are very helpful as well.

I come from having to spoon out my motorcycle tires in the dead of winter where I always wind up with at least one bloody hand so the whole folding tire thing for bicycles is like a mobility nirvana to me.

You can also carry a folding tire on your person for long rides, but again, with the right tires, they are going to be pretty bulletproof.

I have 28's, 25's and 23's. There is no difference in my speeds. The 28's are by far more comfortable.

The 28's are marginally wider, there's little difference, it's not like comparing 38c's with 25c's.

Flats happen, period. I've haven't used spoons for changing out tires since I was a kid. I bent my mom's spoons and well that was the last time I used spoons.

Folding tires are lighter than the equivalent wire bead.

Some folks swear that folding tires are easier to mount; others say the same thing about wire bead.

My experience has been that wire beads are a bit easier to mount. I respect the fact that others disagree.

Bikemg, good points, however, I am in "Gatorskin mode" and flats just plain no longer happen with those bulletproof things.

+1

If it's for the cannondale quick carbon 1 you should go with Compass Chinook Pass 28mm tires. You will love them. You might even measure to see if you can fit a 32mm. You will love those even more. Sure they're pricey, but you don't have a cheap bike. Why would you get cheap tires?

I certainly don’t mind springing for a more expensive tire, but I’d like to know what makes these tires so much better than other name brand tires.

From the owner of Compass Bicycles: How much faster are supple tires? | Off The Beaten Path