23's or 25's for winter?

LouisNewman

I'd be tempted to go for 23's as I like to fly on my winter bike, but Sussex/Surrey can be pretty messy at this time and I've had a few moments where I've thought 25's would have been the better option!..

Which do you prefer?

majormantra

I'm moving to 25s for everything. There's no real downside.

Bobbinogs

The search tool yields this

kajjal

Same thinking as you but I went for the 23's in the end as I don't go out in really low temperatures and the roads round here are fairly smooth and not overly muddy / covered in leaves. If the roads were rougher with more mud / leaves etc I would have gone for 25's or even higher for winter riding just to be safer and more comfortable.

To give you an idea I am over 6ft6 and weight just under 100kg. I run my 23's tyres at 105psi which is fine for me but other riders prefer higher / lower pressures and sometimes wider tyres.

tomisitt

25s...more comfortable, more grip, more aero, more speed, less rolling resistance.

thegreatdivide

tomisitt wrote:

25s...more comfortable, more grip, more aero, more speed, less rolling resistance.

99.9% of the cycling population will not be able to tell the difference in ride quality between a 23mm an 25mm tyre and as for aero they’re only aero if you’re running a wide deep section rim, preferably with tubs. Sticking a 25mm clincher on an alu clincher rim will not make it aero.

I’m on 28’s at 70psi this winter – lovely.

hatch87

Where's the more grip come from Less rolling resistance means less grip. The reasons 25's roll better is because the surface area they take up is more round. 23's compress more (at the same pressure) and give a more oval surface area which helps with lateral grip

GiantMike

At the end of the day it all makes so little difference that you probably won't notice the difference between 23 and 25 as much as you would with a different brand of tyres or different tubes. I could feel the difference between normal and latex tubes, but not between 23 and 25mm tyres.

hatch87

GiantMike wrote:

At the end of the day it all makes so little difference that you probably won't notice the difference between 23 and 25 as much as you would with a different brand of tyres or different tubes. I could feel the difference between normal and latex tubes, but not between 23 and 25mm tyres.

On one of the tests they found a 5% difference between tyres and 10% between tubes. I think I'll be swapping over to them rather than 25's once my stock of tubes run out

bill_gates

I can't get 25's to fit under Crud Roadracer Mk2 mudguards.

majormantra

It's worth noting that 25s (and all tyres) vary considerably in real width. "25mm" Conti GP4000Ss and Gatorskins for example come up close to 28mm on standard rims.

I just put some 25mm Michelin Lithions on my winter bike and they're on the large side too, at least they are on 23mm wide rims.

kajjal

GiantMike wrote:

At the end of the day it all makes so little difference that you probably won't notice the difference between 23 and 25 as much as you would with a different brand of tyres or different tubes. I could feel the difference between normal and latex tubes, but not between 23 and 25mm tyres.

I would tend to agree, 23 v 28+ then you would expect to feel the difference.

borisface

A couple of years ago I would have said that I prefer 25mm for winter on the basis that a bit more rubber on the road, a bit more comfort and so on but I am unable to fit them with mudguards on my winter bike as the clearances are too tight. So the last couple of winters I have ridden gatorskins 23s with very few punctures and can't say that I've noticed any difference.

Simon-R7

Bill Gates wrote:

I can't get 25's to fit under Crud Roadracer Mk2 mudguards.

I run 25mm Conti GP 4 seasons and Crud Roadracer Mk2 Mudguards. Front is easy, rear is a bit tight so i have fabricated a spacer to go under the bracket on the rear stay to increase the clearance

bill_gates

OK, you got an example of what your spacer looks like? What pressure do you run the 25mm's at?

CptKernow

I have 24s !

Simon-R7

Bill Gates wrote:

OK, you got an example of what your spacer looks like? What pressure do you run the 25mm's at?

My Spacer is a bit of plastic bar about 5mm square and 30 mm long taped to the frame with electrical tape. I run the tyres at 100 psi with no problems.

I hope that answers the question

bill_gates

Maybe reducing the PSI will help me. I was only noticing a slight 'scuff' between tyre and Roadracer but I had the 25mm's at 120PSI which is maybe too much in general anyway?

B5NGV

Is there any benefit of running a 23 front and 25 rear? I recently bought tyres and inner tubes from Wiggle in these sizes as an offer and thought i'd give them a go.

tramotane

madasahattersley wrote:

B5NGV wrote:

Is there any benefit of running a 23 front and 25 rear? I recently bought tyres and inner tubes from Wiggle in these sizes as an offer and thought i'd give them a go.

No benefit at all. Lots of people think that because motorbikes and dragsters have chunky rear tyres and skinny front ones then bikes must need them too but It's totally unnecessary, unless you can kick out 1000000000+ watts in a sprint. Sheldon Brown even recommends fatter on the front, IIRC.

Yes, there is a significant aerodynamic benefit see http://www.aeroweenie.com/assets/img/da ... attack.png
23mm tyre compared to a 25mm tyre.If your doing TT's on drag strips,selecting an aerodynamic tyre
can also save you valuable seconds. http://www.aeroweenie.com/assets/img/da ... r-tire.jpg

Your assumption that having a skinny front only matters if you have a high power output is incorrect.The aerodynamic drag of a 23mm tyre at 10 deg yaw angle is 50 grms or 6.5 watts at 29 mph.

tramotane

madasahattersley wrote:

tramotane wrote:

madasahattersley wrote:

B5NGV wrote:

Is there any benefit of running a 23 front and 25 rear? I recently bought tyres and inner tubes from Wiggle in these sizes as an offer and thought i'd give them a go.

No benefit at all. Lots of people think that because motorbikes and dragsters have chunky rear tyres and skinny front ones then bikes must need them too but It's totally unnecessary, unless you can kick out 1000000000+ watts in a sprint. Sheldon Brown even recommends fatter on the front, IIRC.

Yes, there is a significant aerodynamic benefit see http://www.aeroweenie.com/assets/img/da ... attack.png
23mm tyre compared to a 25mm tyre.If your doing TT's on drag strips,selecting an aerodynamic tyre
can also save you valuable seconds. http://www.aeroweenie.com/assets/img/da ... r-tire.jpg

Your assumption that having a skinny front only matters if you have a high power output is incorrect.The aerodynamic drag of a 23mm tyre at 10 deg yaw angle is 50 grms or 6.5 watts at 29 mph.

I think if you're choosing tyres for your winter bike based on a 6.5 watt saving at 29mph you need to have a good long hard look in the mirror.

Have a read of what you have written in response to the quote you replied to. Then compare it with the links I have enclosed.What you have written is completely wrong.I made no reference to winter tyres.My point was to purely correcting your newbie assumptions.The poster asked if there is any difference between the two tyres and yes there is.

Get over it your you are wrong not sure what the mirror reference is about but that's wrong too.
Go find another post and correct them you clearly are the font of all knowledge

rpherts

I had an enormous blowout on a 23mm GP4000s last Sunday on a filthy road in filthy weather so decided to get 25mm Gatorskins. First impression looking at them is that they do seem a lot 'chunkier' than the 23s, more than 2mm would suggest. Will measure them tonight.

Also a total pig to put on (Campagnolo wheels). Took two evenings and raw thumbs and fingers. Even the first bead was difficult - unprecedented.

captain_tiara

There is of course always a third way!

I normally run 23mm GP4000S's, but for winterish months stick a 24mm Grand Prix tire on the rear. Almost the same, a bit more durable, and a bit cheaper. You can feel they're a tiny bit slower, but that's the trade off. I weigh about 70KG. And they go on open pros & kryseriums fine.

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle ... prix.shtml

Sprool

I love it that cyclists are such a passionate bunch about gear and tech stuff. I use 25's all year round and see no reason to change by 2mm for the different seasons.

hatch87

Sprool wrote:

I love it that cyclists are such a passionate bunch about gear and tech stuff. I use 25's all year round and see no reason to change by 2mm for the different seasons.

Indeed, which is why I stick to 23's all year round 8)

macleod113

well after reading this forum for the past 6 months i decided to dabbel in 25's this winter. not everyone's first choice but i went for Vittora Rubino Pro 3's (i think) they are fine after a week cycling (swimming) on the commute. pot holes in the dark will still kill them as much as 23's though.