35 down to 28 tyres - worth it?

[happyslug]

I have a Cyclocross with 700 X 35 tyres (Continental Cyclocross Speed)

I'm finding I'm mainly sticking to tarmac - doing 30 miles - aiming for more.

Thinking of putting some 28 tyres on (Continental Gatorskin or similar)

Is this really worth it?

Any comments?

 

[John the Monkey]

Not really the same, but I took 32c tyres off my Surly in favour of 42c tyres, and there was no difference in average speed on my commute - the ride was a lot comfier though

You might get some benefit from having a slick tyre rather than a treaded tyre (better grip on road, quieter ride).

If it were my choice, I'd stick with the bigger tyre size, but choose a slick (Continental Comfort Contact, maybe?) If it's the sort of thing that will niggle away at you until you've tried it, go for it though - tuning your bike to you, and finding what works and doesn't for your ride is all part of the fun, after all .

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I'm planning to swap the 32c Vittoria Randonneur Pros of the Jamis Aurora Elite commuter for the 28c Conti Gator Hardshells currently on the Genesis Equilibrium 853 on the best bike at the weekend to see if it adds some extra zip. The Vittorias look much larger than 32c to me. I'll save them for touring. Then Genesis will get 27c Vittoria Open Pave dodahs for no better reason than the green stripes will look good with that frame.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

When I bought my Tricross I immediately changed the 35 stock tyres down to 28, much better riding experience on the 28s than wider tyres in my opinion.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Same here, when I switched from 35 to 28c, the bike seemed to roll better.

 

[John the Monkey]

When I bought my Tricross I immediately changed the 35 stock tyres down to 28, much better riding experience on the 28s than wider tyres in my opinion.

I've liked pretty much every tyre I've chosen better than the tyres that come on new bikes, regardless of size