23C tyres on 25C wheels

tom3668
tom3668 Posts: 18
edited November 2009 in Road beginners
Hello,

I've been surprised by bike shops' casual attitude to the difference between 23C and 25C tyres and inner tubes. My wheels are 25C, they seem to say its fine to put 23C inners and/or tyres on. It's only a mm on each side.

What do you say?

Thanks

Tom

Comments

  • soveda
    soveda Posts: 306
    are you talking about 622 ERTO wheels with 23-622 or 25-622 tyres?
    the 23/25 is the nominal width of the rubber tyre bit. They are made to fit the same rim diameter (as long as you don't have super wide rims that is!)
  • tom3668
    tom3668 Posts: 18
    Sorry not sure... rims are 25-622 (700C)... seemes like its okay to run 23-622 tyres on them?
  • soveda
    soveda Posts: 306
    Yep, you'll find that not all 700cx25 tyres are the same width anyway. As long as the 622 bit is the same you should be allright.
  • Slow Downcp
    Slow Downcp Posts: 3,041
    You;d be okay putting 18c tyres on if you wanted to - or 32's
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • tom3668
    tom3668 Posts: 18
    Thanks guys... purchased a couple now :)
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Well if your rims are 25mm wide I'm not sure I'd go putting 23mm tyres on them.
    I like bikes...

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  • Bear77
    Bear77 Posts: 60
    You might be getting your tyre size confused with your rim size.

    http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html
    The revolution will not be televised
  • pianoman
    pianoman Posts: 706
    Is it even possible to get road rims 25mm wide?!

    Seriously, I think you'll find your rims are more likely to be in the 19-21mm range, then most tyres are either 23 or 25mm.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I'm confused - are you talking about innertubes ? Its no prob to run 23mm in 25mm tyres.
  • andrew_s
    andrew_s Posts: 2,511
    Road (racing) bike wheels use rims that are typically 13-15mm (eg 700-13)
    Hybrid bikes use rims that are typically 19-21mm
    Intermediate 17mm rims that might be suitable for a touring bike are quite rare.

    The tyre you use on a rim should ideally be somewhere between 1.5x and 2.2x the rim width, so a 13mm rim would be used with tyres between 18mm and 28mm, and a 19mm rim would be used with tyres between 28mm and 40mm.
    These limits are pretty flexible, especially if tyre pressures are on the low side and you are using a big tyre. Cyclocross riders might often use a 35mm tyre on a 13mm rim.

    Inner tubes are very flexible. Anything that you can fit will do. If the tube is small it will be stretched and will puncture more easily, if it's too big it will be awkward to fit without it getting pinched under the bead.

    If Tom is asking about replacing a 700-25 tyre with a 700-23 tyre, this will always be OK. The only difference will be that you will need a slightly higher pressure to avoid pinch punctures. It's not uncommon to use 23 on one wheel and 25 on the other.

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