tyre width?

Lance1965 said:

Hi Everyone,
I have recently changed my tyres from 700 x 25c to 700 x 23c and are wondering just how narrow a tyre i can put on my rims.

The suitable tyre size depends on the rims you have on your bike ...

Presumably, your rims are 622-15 ... so, while you could put a 700x20 tire on it, that tyre size should probably be limited to 622-13 rims ...

If you have 622-17 OR wider rims, then you would be seriously tempting fate with the 700x20/x19 tyres.

If you want a "smaller" tyre, my observation is that Michelins are smaller than Continentals which are otherwise marked-and-marketed as being the same size ... that is, the circumference varies from brand to brand.

FWIW. You can put a 700x32/cyclocross tyre on a 622-15 ...

I think this reference will address your question, including the risks of running too narrow a tire.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html#width

Lance1965 said:

Hi Everyone,
I have recently changed my tyres from 700 x 25c to 700 x 23c and are wondering just how narrow a tyre i can put on my rims.

A bigger benefit will be gained by upping the spec of the tyre. i.e. a very good 23 section tyre would be much better (in almost every respect) than a nasty 20 section.

Tufo does some of its best tyres in 21 section and they are just fine. Check out the C Elite Jet for instance

Do you mean in terms of ride quality and grip? I haven't tried Tufos before. (The closest I've gotten is altering my Tufo cap to say "Tofu" instead. In my copious spare time, I would like to make a T-shirt that nearly nobody gets: Tofu, Meatless Bicycle Power.) (:

I guess it might help to know why Lance1965 is going for narrower tires. I was assuming more speed...

domaindomain said:

A bigger benefit will be gained by upping the spec of the tyre. i.e. a very good 23 section tyre would be much better (in almost every respect) than a nasty 20 section.

Tufo does some of its best tyres in 21 section and they are just fine. Check out the C Elite Jet for instance

One thing that Tufos are good for is having the worst rolling resistance around. In damned near every rolling resistance test, Tufo is at the bottom. They're also loved and adored for having some of the worst ride characteristics.

SEAcarlessTTLE said:

Do you mean in terms of ride quality and grip? I haven't tried Tufos before. (The closest I've gotten is altering my Tufo cap to say "Tofu" instead. In my copious spare time, I would like to make a T-shirt that nearly nobody gets: Tofu, Meatless Bicycle Power.) (:

I guess it might help to know why Lance1965 is going for narrower tires. I was assuming more speed...

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Good on you for doing the hat altering thang...

Here's one I was told about from a bumper(it was on a window) sticker.
Here in Auckland we had a institution for the care of the mentally ill called Oakely.
Oakely sunglasses had a sticker that said "Oakely; Thermo neuclear protection". Someone had altered it to say "Oakely; The Mental Institution"

Tyres; I certainly 'feel' faster on my race bike with it's 20mm tyres than my training bikes with 23mms(similar quality).

I notice the difference more in the tpi count rather than the section...

so, a tyre with, say 300tpi like a challenge criterium, always feels more responsive than most tyres with lower tpi counts...