What tyres - 23 or 25cc?

[Marcellus]

I know the current thoughts are for 25s but never really understood why.

My winter bike that I've been using since November/December and have done c3/4,000 miles on has been using 23s as 25s won't fit and I've not had any issues with comfort or grip.

I'm now planning on getting my summer bike back on the road, putting new tyres on and windering whether to go 23s or 25s.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

[Get Karter]

23 in one make can be same width as 25 in another in my experience.

[gazza285]

I've got 24s on mine.

[BoRED S2upid]

28 is the new 25 and with the state of the road now we will all have to ride those crazy fat bikes!

There really isn’t much in any of it from 23-28 probably more confidence cornering on the bigger tyre.

[Kawasicki]

I ride 23mm. My local roads are very smooth though, if I road coarse chip or roughish roads I would change to 28.

I only weigh 65 kg and I run the front at 75 psi and the rear at 90.

Edited by Kawasicki on Monday 9th April 22:41

[MC Bodge]

I have bikes on 23,25 and 32(previously 28)mm

My favourites are the 32mm. They are Schwalbe Marathon Supreme (not the very heavy, puncture proof Marathons). The ride comfort and pothole/stony track resistance @75psi are excellent. They are also fast rolling, grippy and wear resistant. Superb tyres. If I had only one bike I'd use these.

The 25mm Schwalbe Durano on the road bike are also good, but are a bit harsher over rough tarmac. I've used the 32s on this bike for a rough century ride and they were great. Mudguards won't fit over bigger tyres.

NB. Durano 28s are virtually the same and only a bit smaller than the Marathon supreme 32s

The 23mm, Vittoria something, on the TT bike are noticeably harsher and really need to be kept above 100psi to avoid punctures. I'd prefer some wider tyres.

Ps. On a local farm track, the 23mm are awful, the 25mm better and the 32mm can fly along it with no problem as well as being good on the road.

Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 9th April 22:42

[Matt_N]

Get Karter said:

23 in one make can be same width as 25 in another in my experience.

Yep, Conti for example tend to come up big on wide rims, Vittoria are about bang on.

Rim width is the other key here, what wheels do you have?

If you have a 23mm wide ride, I'd say go 25mm tyre, as long as you have the clearance.

Some of my experiences are:

H Plus Son Archetype 23mm wide - 25mm Conti GP4000 comes up 27mm wide
Same rim - 25mm Vittoria Corsa SC / CX / G+ comes up 25.5mm wide
Same rim - 23mm Vittoria Corsa SC comes up 23.5mm wide

[MC Bodge]

It's the overall "volume" that makes the difference, not the measured width as such.

Some tyres sit taller than others.

A standard width rim will happily take a 32mm (width about 30-31mm) Schwalbe tyre.

[Marcellus]

Matt_N said:

Yep, Conti for example tend to come up big on wide rims, Vittoria are about bang on.

Rim width is the other key here, what wheels do you have?

I've got Carbon Comic Pros on the Summer bike, last season I rode with Mavic Yukon 25s (as that's what they came with)

[timnoyce]

I wouldn't even consider running anything smaller than 28mm on my road bike. My advice is to fit the largest tyre you can!

[Barchettaman]

Yep, it does seem to make sense.

Minor aero penalty.

Major advantages in rolling resistance, comfort, cornering, pinch flat resistance.

[Dannbodge]

I'd always go for the widest option available.

My 25mm Pro 4 endurance come up as nearly 28mm on my fulcrums but the 26mm S-works turbos actually come up as 26mm.

[TwistingMyMelon]

ive ridden on 23, 25, 28, 32 & 38s

If mainly british lanes with cracks and potholes then 25 are best I have found for me

If you include the odd gravel track or really bad roads then 28s

I stuck with 23s on my summer bike till last year, but on the last ride of I did I double punctured after hitting a bad pothole and the roads have got lot worse since then

If I was in a nice warm climate with smooth roads it would be 23s for me, Britain is neither though

[Marcellus]

Barchettaman said:

Yep, it does seem to make sense.

Minor aero penalty.

Major advantages in rolling resistance, comfort, cornering, pinch flat resistance.

So despite having a larger contact patch wider has a lower rolling resistance so everything else being equal will give a speed advantage?

I've not had issues with pinch flats, cornering or comfort this winter on 23s at 80/100psi (f/r) I assume I'd run 25s at same pressures?

Or would I increase pressures as I would with the 23s during the summer to 100/120?

[Cupramax]

GCN did an interesting tyre review recently, I know it’s cobble related but worth a view.

https://youtu.be/xPi6lvkp7qw

[leyorkie]

Read this for a comparison of 23, 25 and 28 all tested on the same compound pressure etc https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/...