700C 19 vs 20 vs 23 vs 25 vs 28

Counterintuitively, the minimal road rolling resistance occurs with 23mm tyres. This is, apparently, well demonstrated. The thinner tyres are only better on polished velodrome surfaces; on the road, apparently, they bounce on bumps, wasting energy.
My 23mm road bike tyres don't seem less stable than the 1.5" tyres on my MTB in the dry. (They do in the wet, but I think that's at least partly a problem with the tyre model).
I'm not sure whether I can notice a difference between 23 and 25mm; 28mm seems quite a lot slower.

the instability of a 20mm is unpleasant: every crack in the road feels like a tram track, and cornering is a lot less reassuring. I rode them for years thinking I was going much faster. They're also a lot less comfortable (but that's not what you asked 🙂), because, in order for them to perform correctly, they're apparently supposed to be pumped up heaps harder: around 150+psi. They sometimes feel faster because they bounce you all over the road, and there's no give when you get off the saddle to 'stomp'.

Some 'stuff' on the net suggests that there is a slight aero benefit with a narrow tyre, but who knows? 🙄

It's definitely the overwhelming consensus that 23s are the best over all, but a cheap [censored] 23 is worse than a good 20. Some big guys don't like 23s at 115psi, so, if you're on the heavy side, some of the better tyres, such as the high-end Vittorias (expensive) and Vredesteins (more affordable) are rated to 145 psi.

Not a racer so cant comment on the top quality tyres.
Commute, fitness n social rides.
Used Specialized Armadillo 28 mm for 2 yrs. Very rigid and highly puncture resistant. Good handling on rough surface and reasonable comfort at 100psi.

Recently put on Conti Gator Skins 25 mm and have done 1500km. Much faster, noticeable, so rolling R must be better, I didnt improve fitness that much in 1 day.

Surprised at how much smaller the 25 mm tyre is than the 28mm. About half the cross section area. The ride is harsher which can affect handling but not to any degree. Comfort is slightly less too. I am an older rider and get shaken up easily.
Very glad I didnt go to 23mm.
I think its about how much comfort and handling you are willing to sacrifice for a bit of extra speed.

Tyres are not a lifetime commitment. Buy what you like and write down what you think. In 6-12 months when they need replacing see if the first impression is still valid.

Cheers
Hugh

HughMann said:

Not a racer so cant comment on the top quality tyres.
Commute, fitness n social rides.
Used Specialized Armadillo 28 mm for 2 yrs. Very rigid and highly puncture resistant. Good handling on rough surface and reasonable comfort at 100psi.

Recently put on Conti Gator Skins 25 mm and have done 1500km. Much faster, noticeable, so rolling R must be better, I didnt improve fitness that much in 1 day.

Surprised at how much smaller the 25 mm tyre is than the 28mm. About half the cross section area. The ride is harsher which can affect handling but not to any degree. Comfort is slightly less too. I am an older rider and get shaken up easily.
Very glad I didnt go to 23mm.
I think its about how much comfort and handling you are willing to sacrifice for a bit of extra speed.

Tyres are not a lifetime commitment. Buy what you like and write down what you think. In 6-12 months when they need replacing see if the first impression is still valid.

Cheers
Hugh

thanks...

so do wider tyres corner better?

are 25s a good trade off then

i got plenty of time... i'm running standard Maxxis Detonators 700x28C

got a gatorskin 28C waiting

and a 28C Vittoria touring tyre

and... a 700x35C Michelin Transworld... now these are seriously slow!

robalert said:

thanks...

so do wider tyres corner better?

are 25s a good trade off then

i got plenty of time... i'm running standard Maxxis Detonators 700x28C

got a gatorskin 28C waiting

and a 28C Vittoria touring tyre

and... a 700x35C Michelin Transworld... now these are seriously slow!

also, when you say slower... are you talking about climbing, descending, flat or cornering?

yeah, comfort is important for my ailing lower back...

robalert said:

are 25s a good trade off then
!

Depends where you're riding. If your roads are good, then 23s should be fine. There's not much difference between a 23 and a 25; only really in appearances. In fact, some "23s" measure closer to 24 or 25mm with the vernier calipers. But, as I intimated earlier, don't buy a cheap, crappy 23 and expect to be blown away by the ride.

When he says "slower", I would say everywhere:

Are you talking about a tourer?

Caution, not all 23s are equal.

I am buying 650x23c at the moment and comparing the total width of the different tyres. Stretch the tyre out flat, like flattening an orange peel, and chech and compare the widths, some "23s" are up to 12mm wider (flat) than others. This will make a big diffference when mounted on rims and give a different ride on the road. Some 23s are wider than some 25s.

My comparison was with Gator Skins, GP, GP300, GP4000, in 23x571.

Hi all,

I just put a conti 23 tyre on my flat bar road bike, which was running with the original 700CX32 tyres.

I can feel the difference in rolling resistance, and handling wise, I cant notice a large difference.

On a totally unrelated note, has anyone tried putting a narrower tire in the front, and a wider tyre for the rear? My idea is that a wider tyre in the rear would give more support (?) to where the weight is. And in the front, a narrower tyre is possible to decrease rolling resistance as it does not have to bear as much weight as the rear.

Thomas, which Conti tyre did you use?

gclark8 said:

Thomas, which Conti tyre did you use?

Hi there George,
I put on a wire beaded Conti GP that I had lying around the house.

thomas_cho said:

, has anyone tried putting a narrower tire in the front, and a wider tyre for the rear? My idea is that a wider tyre in the rear would give more support (?) to where the weight is. And in the front, a narrower tyre is possible to decrease rolling resistance as it does not have to bear as much weight as the rear.

HA🙂...I've actually done the opposite on a couple of bikes, thinking that a 20, with a higher psi rating (150) can handle the weight better on the rear, and the 23 is on the front for comfort, handling, and less pressure is required.

The average 'good' 20 clincher weighs about the same as a good 23 (about 240g for a 20 Conti wire GP), unless you go for a 'race-only' tyre like a Conti Supersonic: 154g.

hmmm...I didn't write that very well, but I can't be bothered doing it again :p

It all depends on how fast you ride. At 40Kmh, 80% of the resistance is wind resistance, so at higher speeds the aerodynamics are more important than the rolling resistance. Skinny tyres provide better aerodynamics. Believe it or not, wider tyres provide less rolling resistence. There is an ideal point for air pressure, too little pressure and the rolling resistence goes up, too much pressure and you waste energy going up over the (mini) variations in the road rather thru them.

For road bikes most people consider the 19,20,21 to be too narrow. 22/23 front and 23 rear is what most are using, not all. I use 23 front and rear. Is that the right choice? I don't know. What's the correct pressure for a 76kg rider with 10kg bike with brand x, size y tyres? I don't know.

Just to make life more confusing, different 23mm tyres are different sizes, the main reason being that a smaller tyre is lighter, so the manaufactures cook the figures by making a 21 or 22mm tyre and stamping 23mm on the side. All of a sudden, they are 100g lighter than the competitors 23mm tyre.

mikesbytes said:

It all depends on how fast you ride. At 40Kmh, 80% of the resistance is wind resistance, so at higher speeds the aerodynamics are more important than the rolling resistance. Skinny tyres provide better aerodynamics. Believe it or not, wider tyres provide less rolling resistence. There is an ideal point for air pressure, too little pressure and the rolling resistence goes up, too much pressure and you waste energy going up over the (mini) variations in the road rather thru them.

For road bikes most people consider the 19,20,21 to be too narrow. 22/23 front and 23 rear is what most are using, not all. I use 23 front and rear. Is that the right choice? I don't know. What's the correct pressure for a 76kg rider with 10kg bike with brand x, size y tyres? I don't know.

Just to make life more confusing, different 23mm tyres are different sizes, the main reason being that a smaller tyre is lighter, so the manaufactures cook the figures by making a 21 or 22mm tyre and stamping 23mm on the side. All of a sudden, they are 100g lighter than the competitors 23mm tyre.

I know I get alot better wear out of a larger tyre. I weigh 90kg so I need a minimum of 23c to avoid running to high pressures to avoid pinch flats. We have used 700 x 23c on the old tandem which handle great but dont last very long ( 1500kms if we are lucky). 28c seems to be a better compromise for comfort and longevity. I hate heavy tyres though as they can make the bike feel like you are riding through syrup. I had a friend buy some lighter 26x1.25 from me and he found his tandem was some much better to ride that they have put off buying the new one for a while.

cheers

Geoff

robalert said:

I was wondering if the rolling resistance is that different between a 19/20 vs a 25/28

is the trade off in stability worth it?

Probably want to check this thread out cyclingforums.comt333219.htmlOpen ↗

talks more from the actual tyre point of view but expands more broadly and is a pretty good discussion.

cheers