19mm tyres on 23mm rims?

in message <[email hidden]>, AP

(') said:

This question could be meaningless ("23mm rims?"😉 but I couldn't think
how better to say it...I've always ridden on 23mm tyres, but am thinking
of trying 19mm. Might there be any problems with rim-compatibility? Do
19mm tyres demand differenet rims? (Or are there any other reasons I
should think again...) Thanks for all recommendations and advice.

19mm tyres will generally fit OK on most road rims. I use to use, and even
to advocate on this group, 19mm tyres. There's no question at all that
they look far, far sharper, make the bike look more elegant. And I'm not
convinced that they're any less comfortable than properly inflated 23mm
tyres.

However, I now ride 23mm, for these reasons:

(i) 19mm are very vulnerable to pinch flats if run at less than full
pressure, and I cannot get them to full pressure with any pump I can carry
on the bike;
(ii) I'm no longer persuaded there's any significant aerodynamic advantage;
(iii) The range of quality 19mm tyres available is pretty small (although
you can get decent tyres in 20mm)

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; This email may contain confidential or otherwise privileged
;; information, though, quite frankly, if you're not the intended
;; recipient and you've got nothing better to do than read other
;; folks' emails then I'm glad to have brightened up your sad little
;; life a tiny bit.

Simon Brooke said:

(') said:

of trying 19mm. Might there be any problems with rim-compatibility? Do
19mm tyres demand differenet rims? (Or are there any other reasons I
should think again...) Thanks for all recommendations and advice.

19mm tyres will generally fit OK on most road rims. I use to use, and even

And you could also check with the rim manufacturers website. They will
probably have details of the tyre width compatibility. 19mm will
probably be ok though.

--
Nige Danton

AP said:

This question could be meaningless ("23mm rims?"😉 but I couldn't
think how better to say it...I've always ridden on 23mm tyres, but am
thinking of trying 19mm. Might there be any problems with
rim-compatibility? Do 19mm tyres demand differenet rims?

You'll be able to fit a 19mm if the rim is the usual sort of width for a
"road" rim -- like the Mavic Open Pro, for example.

Quoted message said:

(Or are
there any other reasons I should think again...)

I think you need a good reason for 19 or 20mm, like perhaps time trialing on
very smooth roads. 23s are far more sensible for general use. Rolling
resistance with them on average roads is lower, and comfort is higher (if
not pumped up so hard). Even some professional teams use them for road
racing now.

~PB

AP said:

This question could be meaningless ("23mm rims?"😉 but I couldn't think how
better to say it...I've always ridden on 23mm tyres, but am thinking of
trying 19mm. Might there be any problems with rim-compatibility? Do 19mm
tyres demand differenet rims? (Or are there any other reasons I should think
again...) Thanks for all recommendations and advice.

How well this works depends on the inside width of the rim (i.e. the
bead seat diameter). See the chart near the bottom of this page

http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

for a fairly conservative recommendation.

As is pointed out on the page, if you put a tire on a too-wide rim
you'll end up getting a lot of pinch flats and run the risk of denting
the rim on sharp bumps.

Dennis Ferguson

Thanks all for your replies - very interesting, very helpful. I think I've
decided 19s probably aren't for me. I've gone steadily from 28 to 23 and
liked the better performance...so why not go thinner? I think Pete's
answered that question...."time trialing on very smooth roads"? Er, no.
Commuting in London, mainly. Now I think I'll start another thread seeking
the impossible tyre....

Thanks again.

Alan.
"Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

AP said:

This question could be meaningless ("23mm rims?"😉 but I couldn't
think how better to say it...I've always ridden on 23mm tyres, but am
thinking of trying 19mm. Might there be any problems with
rim-compatibility? Do 19mm tyres demand differenet rims?

You'll be able to fit a 19mm if the rim is the usual sort of width for a
"road" rim -- like the Mavic Open Pro, for example.

Quoted message said:

(Or are
there any other reasons I should think again...)

I think you need a good reason for 19 or 20mm, like perhaps time trialing
on very smooth roads. 23s are far more sensible for general use. Rolling
resistance with them on average roads is lower, and comfort is higher (if
not pumped up so hard). Even some professional teams use them for road
racing now.

~PB

In article <[email hidden]>, spokes
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Thanks all for your replies - very interesting, very helpful. I think I've
decided 19s probably aren't for me. I've gone steadily from 28 to 23 and
liked the better performance...so why not go thinner? I think Pete's
answered that question...."time trialing on very smooth roads"? Er, no.
Commuting in London, mainly.

If I had a time trial in the evening I'd often ride to work on bumpy
country roads, ride out to the race and ride home again afterwards
without comfort/durability/reliability problems with 18mm tyres on 28
spoke wheels (this was back in the days when wheels generally had more
spokes). You do need to make sure you keep the pressure up and pay
attention to the road, and you wouldn't want to carry a heavy load, but
apart from that I don't see a problem. Admittedly I was about three
stones lighter in those days ...