Tyre Width

Phixion
Phixion Posts: 81
edited April 2011 in Road beginners
I currently have 25c tyres on my Cube Peloton and it's a very harsh ride. Being overweight I don't really want to decrease the pressure in my tyres as I fear I'll be riding on the rims if I go over a bump!

I would like to change to 28c/32c Schwalbe Marathon Plus Smartguard City Tyres. It doesn't seem as if there's a great deal of space for much wider tyres, I'm on a CUBE Peloton 2011 and according to the CUBE FAQ I can use tyres upto 2.25" wide, I tend to think they are talking about their Mountain Bike range when they say that, though.

So to my point, will 28c/32c tyres make my ride softer? Anyone with a CUBE Road Bike ever tried to fit anything like that?

Many thanks.

Comments

  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    What pressure are you running?
  • Phixion
    Phixion Posts: 81
    The bike is new so I haven't messed with the tyres yet. I suppose they are at 115PSI - which is the max they can go to according to the tyre wall.
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Looking at the description I'd be surprised if you can't fit 28s to it, as it's not an out-and-out racer. It does make a bit of a difference, I run 28s on my hybrid as it's used for carting 20kg or so of groceries back home every week; when there's no load on the bike I can run it well under 100psi no worries.

    I'm 95kg (~14.5 stone) and run 100psi front and 110psi rear (according to my not-to-be-trusted pressure gauge) on the 23s on my roadie, but I could probably go lower than that. Depends on your local pothole incidence as well, it's not too bad round here.

    EDIT: Nice looking bike BTW!
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    how much do you weigh? I'm 100kg and I don't run that much in 20mm tyres...

    Very very rarely pinch flat (only on the corner of the garden path when leaving the house )
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • Phixion
    Phixion Posts: 81
    Thanks! I love white bikes... they are just a PITA to keep clean! :)

    So do you find the ride more comfortable with 28c tyres? I've been out of the saddle for so long, the last time I rode was as a teenager on a Mountain Bike, I'm finding that the ride is very painful on the old backside.

    I know I'm going to be a bit sore there, time will probably ease the pain, but I can't help thinking I'd enjoy it a bit more with less pounding! :)

    There's also a hell of alot of potholes and curb/speedbumps around my area, I'd feel safer on a slightly wider tyre.

    I'm getting on for 16 Stone, 100kg, 220lbs.

    Cheers
  • avoidingmyphd
    avoidingmyphd Posts: 1,154
    If you didn't pump the tyres up yourself I really doubt they are pumped to 115psi.
  • Phixion
    Phixion Posts: 81
    So would wider tyres give a softer ride?
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Was the bike fitted to you when you bought it? The saddle should be supporting your backside on your sit bones, so maybe some adjustment is still required.

    Having said that, it does sound to me as though your body is still acclimatising to being subjected to regular cycling. I'd give it three or four weeks of frequent, regular rides before being tempted to start mucking about with things like tyre widths.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    Talk about throw the baby out with the bath water, come on fella, you don't even know what pressure they are.

    Thats a good place to start.
  • Phixion
    Phixion Posts: 81
    It was fitted to a sense, he sat my on it, check my positions on the hoods/drops/flats and asked me how it felt.

    Good news is I am not experiencing pain/numbness in anything other than my legs and butt, which is to be expected.

    I guess I'll see how I get on over the next few days.

    How do you guys negotiate curb type road bumps etc? Do you slow down for em or just go full speed? Do you lift off the saddle if you know you're going to hit a hard bump?

    I'd check the pressure, problem is the only pump I have is an electric one that is powered from a car lighter socket. With no car on the drive to plug into atm I am helpelss.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Phixion wrote:
    It was fitted to a sense, he sat my on it, check my positions on the hoods/drops/flats and asked me how it felt.

    Good news is I am not experiencing pain/numbness in anything other than my legs and butt, which is to be expected.

    I guess I'll see how I get on over the next few days.

    How do you guys negotiate curb type road bumps etc? Do you slow down for em or just go full speed? Do you lift off the saddle if you know you're going to hit a hard bump?

    I'd check the pressure, problem is the only pump I have is an electric one that is powered from a car lighter socket. With no car on the drive to plug into atm I am helpelss.

    Definitely save up and try and invest in a track pump. (Unless you don't need to save up, in that case buy one tomorrow!)
  • Dmak
    Dmak Posts: 445
    Phixion wrote:
    How do you guys negotiate curb type road bumps etc? Do you slow down for em or just go full speed? Do you lift off the saddle if you know you're going to hit a hard bump?

    Not sure what you mean by curb type road bumps. If the road gets really rough or I'm going over a speed hump I lift my ass off the saddle a bit and loosen up on the front. If there's a whacking great hole in the road and I haven't got time to look back for a swerve I'll hop over it.

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