28mm Tyres

richard36

I've got several questions and would appreciate some advice.

I have a winter steel bike which has 23mm Continental Grand Prix 4000s tyres which I run at about 100psi. The ride seems comfortable enough and they roll quite well. I rarely get a puncture though the side wall of one of the tyres is fraying.

I've been reading the blurb about 25 - 28mm tyres and wonder whether

1. There is any real point in spending £50 to upgrade from 23mm to 28mm - is the ride going to be that much more comfortable/faster?

2. If the advice is to go for 25mm or 28mm then looking at the reviews on Wiggle for example there are loads which seem to be highly rated. For example lots of people are going to rave about one tyre and others will rave about a different tyre. Are they all pretty much the same with marginal perceived differences?

I don't want to waste £50 unnecessarily though happy to spend the money if a really strong case can be made for going to 25mm or even 28mm.

Thanks for any replies - much appreciated.

Bobbinogs

Why don't you wait until your tyres are worn out, then replace them with some 25mm ones and make your own mind up? What's the worst that can happen? Lot's of threads on tyres, use the search tool. Most folks will opt for something like Conti GP4000sII or Schwalbe One, etc. Bear in mind that faster tyres will cut up a little. To get a benefit in comfort you will need to drop the pressure, again, this will be down to you. It will depend on your weight and roads but start at a 10-20 PSI drop and go from there.

Personally, I ride on 25s and wouldn't go back to 23s by choice...but that doesn't mean they are unrideable.

richard36

I am inclined to stick with what I've got - I said as much in my post - though I am wanting to know what others think i.e. those who have switched.

The various articles would have you believe that 25's or 28's are so much better than 23's and again the experience of others is what I was interested in.

There is then the issue of which ones to go for if and when I do switch. As they will be going on my winter bike I'd be looking for tyres with good puncture resistance and reasonable rolling resistance. There are a plethora of tyres which fit the bill and I was interested to know whether they are all pretty much the same or whether there are some stand out tyres.

drwae

I had a Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elite II for a while, never punctured the thing. that was in 23mm, too.

luv2ride

Michelin Pro4 Endurance convert here. 25mm come up as 27mm on my Ksyriums with narrow rims. Run at 80-85 psi and find them very quick and comfy. Last well too. I don't buy 23mm tyres anymore....

FatTed

Read this article:- http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/arti ... ted-49101/
for me I am using a 28 Conti GP4000sII on the rear at 75psi, very comfortable, but there really is not enough room on my bike for it, so I will be going back to 25s, and for much the same reason to go from 25 to 23 on the front.

trailflow

There is a diffrence but its not massive. More of a slight enhancement.

The biggest difference will be felt if you buy the highest TPI tyres that use supple polycotton cases like Open Paves/Corsa G+,Veloflex which are 320TPI, and then mate them to wide 17c+ rims. If you buy 28c and are using narrow rims it will cause them to lightbulb and not grip the road or feel quite as good when cornering. Those tyres also cut up easier,have weaker sidewalls and wear out faster. But they are the smoothest, comfiest, 'nicest feeling' option. At least for clinchers. But they arn't cheap they normally start around £30+ a tyre.

Any other lower TPI tyres usually use less supple nylon cases instead, so the comfort levels are not quite as good but the bigger the tyre size is, it can compensate for feeling more supple if you use a lower PSI. If they are for winter aim for something in the 110/150 TPI range like the Rubino Pro's or Michelin Pro4 Endurance. They are alot more durable and longer lasting.

Other tyres with 60tpi or less will feel less supple and generally will not feel as nice to ride.

richard36

Appreciate the replies. Thanks

pippi_langsamer-2

Michelin Pro4 Endurance.

stueys

I run conti 23's 4K on my summer bike (on deep section wheels) and 28's conti 4s on my winter cx bike. I did run 25's on the summer bike for a while but went back to 23's to keep things as aero as possible.

on the summer bike there was a slight but noticeable dip in ride quality switching back to 23's. There may have been a difference in rolling resistance but i figure you would need something more accurate than comparing strava segments to pick it up ;-). Also worth pointing out that my summer wheels are enve 4.5's which are really stiff, they transmit a lot of the road. A shallower rim or something less stiff would make the difference between 23 and 25 fairly small IMHO.

The winter bike on 28's is really, really comfy. I run the tyres at 80 psi and it just absosrbs road noise and the war zone that passes for my locals roads. The traction in the winter grime is also pretty good.

For me I'd the tyres until their wear and then switch to 28 if your winter bike will take it. I found the 4K.s a puncture magnet in winter conditions so switching to something like the 4s would also be a good move. They seem to grip better in the wet as well IMHO.

Vslowpace

I've got 28, 25 and 23 GP4000s on different bikes and as you go up the widths you do notice a smoother ride.

Would I throw out a perfectly good set of tyres just to get some wider ones on, no. However I would get wider tyres the next time I needed some.

ZMC888

I've used all three 23mm 25mm and 28mm. I prefer to run Conti GP4000 S2, but sometimes run a Gator on the back due to road crap and cutting. I'll try Schwalbe Pro ones next when I get a tubeless wheelset to run tubeless mostly due to road crap, plus I'm very experienced with tubeless setups from MTB.

I would always go as wide as possible, but I wouldn't sweat it. Be green, wear out what you've got at switch to 28mm tires if they fit, or 25mm if not.

btiratsoo

I've just been through exactly the same except I had to swap as the 27mm I was running are cut to shreds, thanks winter. I've just swapped from 27mm to 25mm Vittoria tyres. Can I notice a real difference? No. Messed about with pressures and again, no real difference. I ran the 27mm tyres at 95ish. I run the 25mm at 95ish. I'm 100kg without riding kit and the bike is an Equilibrium. The best advice is to try a different set as and when your present ones need to be changed and make your own mind up. You might find that 28mm Schwalbe's are your fave or 25mm Continentals are.

Read a few threads on here, read a few reviews (with a pinch of salt) and have a play about. Certainly most advice is to go as wide as possible, but as I mentioned, I really didn't notice any difference and this is in the same tyre.

Ben

richard36

Thanks

I'll stick with what I've got though I have ordered some Michelin Pro4 Endurance from ChainReaction at £22.99 each which seems a good price. Will swap them over when my 23mm Contis are bust.

chrisw12

I was a very early convert to 25s on racing bikes, so much so I'd use a 25 up front cause it fit and a 23 rear 'cause it wouldn't fit on one bike. i could tell the difference between the two sizes and in particular I was having less pinch flats on the 25s than the 23s. I'm now trying 28s and strangely don't find them much different to 25s, it's not like night and day which the move from 23s was. Life's to short to ride shit tyres, if you're buying the 25s at least try them NOW, put the old ones on a spare wheel or turbo wheel or just keep for spare.

houndlegs

Anyone know how the Michelin Pro4 Endurance measure up in 28mm size? I've read a lot about the 25mm being bigger, and wondered about the 28mm.

lincolndave

I have been using 28mm contis since Christmas, I was riding on 25 mm before, I cannot really feel or tell any difference between the two.

the_chief15

It's not just the tyres that make the difference, the width of your rims also has an affect on the comfort, grip and rolling resistance of different width tyres.

I've switched from running 28s on 17mm rims to 28s on 19mm rims and I feel more of a difference from the rim width change than I did going from 25s to 28s on the 17mm rims.

richard36

This guy seems to know what he's talking about - https://intheknowcycling.com/2016/04/03 ... eel-sizes/ - and if I've read his conclusion properly he's suggesting that for someone like me with 15c width Shimano RS11 wheels then tyres that are 23mm wide are the best option. Any thoughts?

Snowblind

As to the debate about 23mm vs 25mm or even 28mm, I think by now the science (and, for 25mm at least, what a lot of pro riders use) probably speaks for itself.

As to personal opinion, I also used to wonder whether more expensive tyres really made much of a difference; whether the perceived gains were more a placebo that was symptomatic of having spent money on an item and feeling good about it. However, having taken the plunge at the time and shelled out £50 for a set of Conti GP4000SII, I personally think there is a huge difference between cheap and (some) expensive tyres. I caveat 'some' because I can only personally speak for the GP4000s (they are the only expensive tyres I have tried). The difference between those and the stock tyres that came with my bike (or other, cheaper tyres I have tried) is night and day.

I hope that helps.

birdie23

Stueys wrote:

I run conti 23's 4K on my summer bike (on deep section wheels) and 28's conti 4s on my winter cx bike. I did run 25's on the summer bike for a while but went back to 23's to keep things as aero as possible.

on the summer bike there was a slight but noticeable dip in ride quality switching back to 23's. There may have been a difference in rolling resistance but i figure you would need something more accurate than comparing strava segments to pick it up ;-). Also worth pointing out that my summer wheels are enve 4.5's which are really stiff, they transmit a lot of the road. A shallower rim or something less stiff would make the difference between 23 and 25 fairly small IMHO.

23s on a ENVE 4.5 rim should be less aero than 25s because those rims are a tad wide for 23s.