Running wider front tyre

Michael-B

Hey, I was wondering if anyone runs a wider front tyre than back? I'm doing a retro bike up and bought 25mm Contis but the rear clearance is minimal to non-existent in grimy weather. The front has plenty of clearance though.

I was thinking of sticking a 23mm on the back and leaving the front as 25mm. Aside from offending the OCD elements of my personality I figure it'll give me a lot of the benefits of wider tyres without risking jamming the rear. Thoughts?

Maybe there's some other way of adjusting the brake callipers I suppose. I'm not the most mechanically minded. They're retro so the old version of Ultegra, the 600 group set. I only have about 1-2mm clearance on the rear with 25mm set up which isn't enough.

fenix

Most will run the same front and rear.
Some will have the bigger tyre on the back as that's where your weight is.

Never heard of your strategy before but go for it if you want.

Michael-B

Fenix wrote:

Most will run the same front and rear.
Some will have the bigger tyre on the back as that's where your weight is.

Never heard of your strategy before but go for it if you want.

Yeah, I'd usually run same front and back but just occurred to me rather than run 23mm on both I could stick with the 25mm on the front. I could see the theoretical benefit but wondered if anyone ran it in the real world? Maybe there are negatives I hadn't considered.

bbrap

Don't think there would be any issue having a 25 on the front. You would also be able to run it at a lower pressure than the 23, so in theory it should be more comfortable on the less than perfect roads which abound. Also as most of the braking is done by the front that should also be slightly better. Can't think of any negatives other than traditionalists who think tyres should match both in make and size.

chrisw12

I've run wider in the front in the past because of the same reason as you have now. I was into 25mm before they became the thing but couldn't fit one on the back. I think going wider on the front has some advantages as said above.

fat daddy

Well it works great on mtbs, so I say go for it and hit those potholes !!!

sloppyschleckonds

I run a 27mm front rim, 25.5mm rear rim

Michael-B

Thanks all, think I'll give it a go.

keef66

I have a 25mm Pro4 SC on the front and a 23mm Pro4 Endurance on the rear of my CR1 because of clearance issues. Works for me, and you'd be hard pressed to spot the difference.

FatTed

I'm the other way because of clearance issues, 25 back 23 front.

btiratsoo

Not a problem on MTBs or BMXs so shouldn't be any sort of issue on a road bike.

term1te

I ran 25mm at the front, 23 rear, for a while, simply because a wrote off a 23mm front tyre and only had a spare 25mm one. To be honest, I didn't notice a big difference in comfort or performance.