Tyre Size

ohara227

Hi,

May sound daft but please can someone explain tyre sizes, I tried google and got confused.

I have 700x25 road tyres the, what goes the 25 indicate? ie the width (to fit between the rim) \ - / or the depth of tyre ie between rim and road? /-/

Would fitting 700x23 tyres to my wheels which have 700x25 on them work?

Thanks!

\o/

nakita222

25 tyre width
23mm tyre, yes it will fit

Phixion

25 is 25mm, the width of the tyre.

You would almost definitely be able to use 23mm, it's when you go wider you may encounter problems, with frame clearance for example.

unixnerd

Going from a 25 to a 23mm tyre will make no difference other than a harder ride. A recent study said that 25s actually have less rolling resistance.

Ezy Rider

I changed from 23mm to 25mm and wouldnt go back. I inflate 95psi front and 100psi rear and with the 25mm tyres its a much smoother ride for me. With the 23mm its bumpity bump and a much harsher ride , I didnt dig 23`s at all and didnt notice any drop in performance after the change.

Berk Bonebonce

Ezy Rider wrote:

I changed from 23mm to 25mm and wouldnt go back. I inflate 95psi front and 100psi rear and with the 25mm tyres its a much smoother ride for me. With the 23mm its bumpity bump and a much harsher ride , I didnt dig 23`s at all and didnt notice any drop in performance after the change.

Sound advice.

You have to be mindful of just how poor the road surfaces are in the UK. Rattling along over granite chips can't half ruin the pleasure of riding your bike.

Monty Dog

Been riding 25mm tyres for about 7-8 years now - at least there's a bigger selection these days. A further blessing is that I puncture a lot, lot less - mind you I did a pinch flat the other day barrelling down a hill in the pitch-dark to hit a pothole square-on at 60kph - managed to lift the front wheel slightly at the last moment and the rear took the brunt. I expect if I'd been riding 23mm tyres I'd have double-flatted and crashed.

BR 1979

I agree, went from 23s to 25s and now back to 23s (bought a new to me s/h bike with them already fitted). 25s so much better and no noticeable change in speed/acceleration.

Considering some 28s (I presume they will fit to WHR500s). How much slower/harder am I going to find it, and is it as much of a step-change improvement in ride quality as 23s-> 25s (factoring ability to run reduced pressures)?

This is for London commuting on a Langster.

Will the cushioning also help my wheels stay true?

Cheers.

Lillywhite

ohara227 wrote:

I have 700x25 road tyres the, what goes the 25 indicate? ie the width (to fit between the rim) \ - / or the depth of tyre ie between rim and road

The 25 is often referred to as the width but is actually the depth of the tyre as above.

unixnerd

Considering some 28s (I presume they will fit to WHR500s). How much slower/harder am I going to find it,

I have Schwalbe Marathon Comfort 28mm on my tourer. Wonderful tyres, loads of grip even in poor or wet conditions. Comfy too. But they weigh 450g, about double that of a racier tyre. Of course you can get lighter 28s, but the Marathons are soooo nice to cycle on.

ohara227

Good chat guys thanks, only reason I was going to 23s was Conti make blue tyres and can only see them in 23's - sad I know.

Not keen on Kenda tyres so think ill stick black 25 Contis on, anything to make the ride softer!

Thanks for the sound advice!

Phixion

I'm on Schwalbe Lugano 25mm atm, although I'd like to try 28s.

shane r

I'm on Schwalbe Ultremo 23s and they're ace. No noticeable increase in bumpiness over 25s and they're yellow!