25mm tyre on back and 23mm on front?

ForumNewbie

To make my Cube road bike better protected from punctures, especially at this time of year, I was thinking of putting a 25mm Continental Gatorskin tyre on the back (as more of my weight on the back) but leaving a 23mm Schwalbe Ultremo tyre on the front. I like Gatorskins as they offer better puncture protection, although as the Ultremos currently on the bike are still good tyres I was thinking I'll just leave the front one as it is for now.

Just wondering if others have found any benefit from having a heavier, better protected back tyre, or whether it is best to stick to same tyre sizes on back and front?

blackhands

I find it makes no difference _ I've got back wheels with both 23 and 25 mm tyres and I can't tell the difference. I would never use Gatorskins though, Schwalbe Durano Plus every time for training during the winter and Vittoria Pave in the summer.

smidsy

IME Gatorskins are excellent.

They are what I am riding and they have yet to let me down in two winters (which of course they now will).

skyd0g

there's no problem mixing tyre sizes - Continental do it on their Attack/Force combo.
http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti%20gp%20attack%20force.shtml

...kinda makes sense, as the rear bears more weight.

exlaser

blackhands wrote:

I find it makes no difference _ I've got back wheels with both 23 and 25 mm tyres and I can't tell the difference. I would never use Gatorskins though, Schwalbe Durano Plus every time for training during the winter and Vittoria Pave in the summer.

+1

cyclingfury

I use 23 front and 25 rear on my best bike all the time, and have done for many years. I like the fact I can run the 25 at a lower PSI as it does increase comfort. (I'd use a 25 on the front too, but there's insufficient clearance).

markos1963

I use 25mm on the front and 28mm on the back, both Gatorskins. I find it makes for a comfortable secure ride in poor weather. The smaller front tyre keeps steering lively enough and the larger rear gives a nice cushioned ride.

ilm_zero7

cyclingfury wrote:

I use 23 front and 25 rear on my best bike all the time, and have done for many years. I like the fact I can run the 25 at a lower PSI as it does increase comfort. (I'd use a 25 on the front too, but there's insufficient clearance).

I have this set up, but the 25mm back does always feel a bit squishy. I will be swapping it over to a 23mm when the time is up

careful

Given the different weight distribution front/rear it sems to make sense. I have been doing it for a few years now, and for this winter I fitted Durano Plus on the rear and Durano on the front. The Durano Plus is a lot heavier and a harder ride but worth it if you especially hate rear tyre punctures in the cold/wet. Not one puncture since I fitted them (so far )!!!

DesB3rd

My original road bike (Giant SCR2) came with a 28mm Armadillo on the back and and 23mm Gatorskin on the front; my housemates kept referring to it as "the dragster" so I bought another 23mm Gator and put that on the back.

East London roads ate the rear Gatorskin in short order (it was ribbons after a couple of months commuting) so it was back to the big ol' 28mm. The front was fine so it was a surprise just how much worse rear tire wear was...

nolight

My concern is you may get bottlenecked by the cheaper tire.

g00se

Try it. Those asymmetric combinations you can buy as pairs have lighter, stickier fronts and more heavy duty rears.

ekimdoow

I've recently started running continental 4 seasons 23 front 25 rear, haven't noticed a great deal of difference apart from 25 rubs on crud road racers a bit more.

ForumNewbie

Thanks for the replies. I've now put a 25mm gatorskin on the back, so I'll see how it goes.