700c/32c or 700c/25c

[Chislenko]

Am I the only person left in the UK still with some 23's on my bike😄

 

[vickster]

M+ are not very different - just 1 more.

I don’t follow, 1 more what?

 

[vickster]

Am I the only person left in the UK still with some 23's on my bike😄

Nope, one of my bikes has 23s, no clearance for anything else

 

[Vantage]

why are number of people on this board obsessed with Marathon and Marathon plus tyres, that they get suggested to fix every bike ailment. they have their place on a commuter bike or similar, they have excellent puncture protection, but they are numb and comparatively weigh a lot,

The OP is asking about improving a road biking experience - its a strange response!

You're probably thinking of the cast iron bomb proof Marathons that feel like they're made from lead.
The Marathon Supreme is in another league in that they are designed and made to be fast rolling and very comfortable. It's comparable to Vittorias Voyager Hyper tyres which are known to be also very quick and comfortable although sadly no longer in production.

 

[gom]

new trek road bike with 700c/32c tyre should I swap them for 700c/ 25c

if rims are good for 32 I wouldn’t expect a 25 to be happy on them, you'll be sacrificing depth (rim-to-road distance) for width

 

[Willd]

Am I the only person left in the UK still with some 23's on my bike😄

Nope, another 23 user here, I might replace them with some massive 25s in the summer when they wear out. There's probably just enough clearance, but not with clip on mudguards as well. Not sure wider tyres are a sufficient argument for a new bike quite yet

 

[matticus]

if rims are good for 32 I wouldn’t expect a 25 to be happy on them, you'll be sacrificing depth (rim-to-road distance) for width

Plenty of rims will cope with both - Conti have a nice online table listing the "sanctioned" combos. Worth checking.

 

[Tripster]

Stay at 32. I specced Schwalbe pro ones 30. UK roads suit a bigger tyre

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I've got 23s on my road bike.
My tourer has Marathon Mondial 40mm, the town hack has Marathon plus in 35mm, not a fan of the latter.

I agree that naming conventions really don't help, I started researching Schwalbe (especially Marathons) well over ten years ago and I still haven't quite got their model range vs protection level system worked out off-pat, at least not without donning nerdy glasses and a white coat and looking up some (to me) quite scientific tables, and even then I have to take notes.
Tyres of different types (but with the name "Marathon") come in all of the following protection categories:
Raceguard (protection 3)
Greenguard (4)
V Guard (5)
Dual Guard (6)
Double Defence (6)
Tubeless easy (6)
Smart Guard (7)

So one "Marathon" is often not that closely related to another.

 

[cyberknight]

Run 28s on the commuter , nice compromise between the two

 

[MichaelW2]

Bike tyres suffer from rolling resistance, aerodynamic resistance, weight and puncture vulnerability.
At the same pressure, wider tyres have lower rolling resistance ( good for cruising along). Narrower tyres can take higher air pressure and also have less aerodynamic drag ( better at high speeds)
Heavy tyres accelerate more slowly, usually have higher rolling resistance but are sometimes more puncture resistant.

In recent years pro riders have shifted from 23 to 25mm using 28mm on cobbles. These race 28mm are usually thinner and lighter than the 28mm that road riders use.

I like 32 but consider it a tyre for rough roads. 28 is a good all round road tyre if you dont race. My urban bike uses 2" balloon tyres which roll very nicely.

 

[matticus]

Tyre width factoid: UCI allow tyres upto 33mm in cyclocross. So just about everyone uses 33mm (or v close). In local leagues anything goes, so on some courses folks use MTB tyres to good effect.
HOWEVER some teeny female pro said at the Worlds that she mainly uses 30mm (IIRC?), due to being so light that they work better for her!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

check post #3 ming

Marathon Supreme which are neither Marathon or Marathon plus.

 

[Sharky]

Am I the only person left in the UK still with some 23's on my bike😄

Nope, even got a pair or 20mm supersonics on one bike. Been riding 28mm during winter and the regular summer bikes are 23 or 25.

 

[Rusty Nails]

Can someone help Im getting a new trek road bike with 700c/32c tyre should I swap them for 700c/ 25c for a better road biking experience

What specifically is a better road biking experience?

What concerns do you have over 32c tyres?