20c tires on 23c rims?

NuTT98 said:

I have ALX-295 wheels that came with my Allez Elite 05. I'm planning to swap the tires to Avocet CB12 SL/K 20C, the present tires are 23C.

What I don't know is whether I will need new wheels, or can these accomodate 20C tires?

Also, will I need to replace the existing tubes?

Thx

You are fine with current wheels and current tubes. My question is why go to 20's? Unless your roads are absolutely perfect and smooth as a baby's bottom they will be slower, and ride worse. 😕

wilmar13 said:

You are fine with current wheels and current tubes. My question is why go to 20's? Unless your roads are absolutely perfect and smooth as a baby's bottom they will be slower, and ride worse. 😕

Well, it's not so much that I want 20s, as I'd very much prefer 23, but the treadless Avocets only seem to come in 20C. And the reason I want them is because they seem to have the lowest rolling resistance of any tire, 20C or any else.

But then ofcourse I'd consider myself a bike noob, so feel free to talk some sense into me😄

[edit] Perhaps I'm wrong, are the Criterium series of Avocets treadless? I've been reading that the Time Trial have no treads, the Criterium have light treads and Road models have deeper treads, but that could have very well been older models, as the picture on the website seem to give the appearance that the 23Cs are treadless.

http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/imgs/rolres2.gif
That's a rolling resistance graph I found, which is what got me interested in Avocets in the first place BTW.

NuTT98 said:

Well, it's not so much that I want 20s, as I'd very much prefer 23, but the treadless Avocets only seem to come in 20C. And the reason I want them is because they seem to have the lowest rolling resistance of any tire, 20C or any else.

But then ofcourse I'd consider myself a bike noob, so feel free to talk some sense into me😄

[edit] Perhaps I'm wrong, are the Criterium series of Avocets treadless? I've been reading that the Time Trial have no treads, the Criterium have light treads and Road models have deeper treads, but that could have very well been older models, as the picture on the website seem to give the appearance that the 23Cs are treadless.

http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/imgs/rolres2.gif
That's a rolling resistance graph I found, which is what got me interested in Avocets in the first place BTW.

Hmm well they may have better rolling resistance, but I doubt it is enough to make it worth it. Get yourself some high end clinchers on clearance with a real supple casing in a 700*23 size and IMO you will be much better off.

NuTT98 said:

Well, it's not so much that I want 20s, as I'd very much prefer 23, but the treadless Avocets only seem to come in 20C. And the reason I want them is because they seem to have the lowest rolling resistance of any tire, 20C or any else.

But then ofcourse I'd consider myself a bike noob, so feel free to talk some sense into me😄

[edit] Perhaps I'm wrong, are the Criterium series of Avocets treadless? I've been reading that the Time Trial have no treads, the Criterium have light treads and Road models have deeper treads, but that could have very well been older models, as the picture on the website seem to give the appearance that the 23Cs are treadless.

http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/imgs/rolres2.gif
That's a rolling resistance graph I found, which is what got me interested in Avocets in the first place BTW.

I've never tried 20c tires before, 23c's work just fine for me. You could add 5 PSI more pressure and see if you can tell the difference with your existing tires. I'm not sure you would be able to tell the difference switching to 20c's, but like I said I've never tried them. Also different brands offer a slightly different feel. It depends on the compounds they use in the tread and caseing (sp?). 20c's should fit your wheels with no problem. Let us know if you do switch. I'm curious.

edit - your existing tubes will work with no problems but its always nice to know they are fresh, pick up some new ones and save the old for spares.

NuTT98 said:

I have ALX-295 wheels that came with my Allez Elite 05. I'm planning to swap the tires to Avocet CB12 SL/K 20C, the present tires are 23C.

What I don't know is whether I will need new wheels, or can these accomodate 20C tires?

Also, will I need to replace the existing tubes?

Thx

Check out the full line of Avocet Carbon 12 smooth tread tires:
http://www.avocet.com/tirepages/carbon12_specs.html

Smooth tead is available from 20 to 32 mm

daveornee said:

Check out the full line of Avocet Carbon 12 smooth tread tires:
avocet.comcarbon12 specs.htmlOpen ↗

Smooth tead is available from 20 to 32 mm

What exactly is a 'smooth tread'. A tread is a tread, smooth or not, somewhat confusing🙄 🙂

The other thing about 20s versus 23s is that the former tend to be a lot lower profile too.

This magnifies an already harsh ride and reduces riding pleasure considerably imo.

Go for top end 23s, e.g. Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CXs and you will have a grat ride

Cheers

domaindomain said:

The other thing about 20s versus 23s is that the former tend to be a lot lower profile too.

This magnifies an already harsh ride and reduces riding pleasure considerably imo.

Go for top end 23s, e.g. Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CXs and you will have a grat ride

Cheers

I totally second this. I know have ridden Open Corsa CXs for a while, and while they will flat more than any other tire I have ever had, they ride, corner, and roll so much better that I tolerate it.

FWIW, when I started racing I took the advice of another guy and went to Conti Grand Prix's in a 700*20. The logic was that you could pump em up to 150 (I would go to 160) and they had almost no rolling resistance. He told me once I have them I can just sit in a pace line and will need to ride my brakes, sure enough he was right (of course I never noticed I did this anyway with wire beaded 23s at 120PSI)... and man you could feel every bump in the road, they must have been faster right... of course they were so dangerous in the wet and small grooves could reak havoc. Ahh the stupid things you do when you are just learning.