Is there really much difference between 700cx23 and 700cx25 tyres

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Globalti

Legendary Member
A softer compound and thinner side wall makes all the difference to comfort but not puncture-proofing and durability.
 

Nebulous

Guru
Location
Aberdeen
I moved from 23mm tyres to 25s on my carbon road bike. It certainly felt more comfortable. Pressure dropped from 120 rear and 110 front to 100 / 90. There are too many variables to say if it was faster.

I've now moved to a steel bike with 28s at 90 / 80. That has been even more comfortable, and slower, but bike is less aggressive and heavier, with mudguards. I've been running gp4000s for a while now and like them. Good blend of longevity, grip and puncture resistance.
 

postman

Legendary Member
Location
,Leeds
My family bought me for Christmas Schwalbe Marathon Greenguard tyres.I asked for 700 x 25c.I had been using 23c of another well known tyre.I find the Greenguard superb.Much smoother and dare i say it 'faster' well it seems easier to cycle, like gliding over the road.
 

Smudge

Veteran
Location
Somerset
Schwalbe Delta Cruiser Plus 700x28 on my road bike, which is the max width i can get on there with no room left for guards. They're very similar to the Marathon Greenguard with the same level PP and at a cheaper price.
These tyres feel much better on our potholed roads and rougher surfaces like uneven gravel canal paths. Very happy with these tyres for my particular use and i'll probably use them in wider sizes on my other bikes when tyre changes are due.
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
Just as an aside, I swapped from 28 to 25mm Durano Plus (because the 28s were prone to mud clogging inside the mudguards) and noticed not one jot of difference.

I suspect that the type of tyre, the weight of the rider, the pressures used, the type of riding and whether the rider is a princess capable of detecting a pea under a mattress are all factors.
 
I used to use 23c conti 4000 gp11s, then went to the same trye in 25c. I did not note much difference in comfort despite 10psi less in the tyre. It was only when I put a 23c tyre back on that I noticed how harsh it was. I have given 23c tyres I had stored up for future use.
I also found that on the Shimano rims I was using a 23 measured 25, a 25 measured 28 and a 28 measured 33, but that may just be because it was on older, thinner rim.
I now run tubeless, so even lower pressure, and more even more comfortable! I have no real data to compare the speeds of any tyres, I seem to average about the same regardless of which bike, wheel or tyre combination I use.
 

mythste

Veteran
Location
Manchester
I might just have a numb arse but between 23-32 I really cant tell much difference in feel. It's only when you get to 35c that I start to feel the tyre absorb the road rather than skip over it.

Your arse may vary. Results are wholly unscientific.
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
Lighter, more supple (more expensive) tyres of whatever size will make far more difference than a size-change within a given make. But you do trade speed for puncture-resistance.
Again, all other things being equal (which they rarely are), a narrow tyre should puncture less. It's a question of probabilities. A narrow tyre sees fewer potential puncture objects. Think of a tyre the width of the whole road - it's going to hit every tack, thorn and shard of glass.

There is a massive range of comfort in each tyre size. The 23mm Durano+ I use for commuting give a really hard ride, harder than 23mm Vredestein Fortezza TriComps or even 22mm Vittoria OpenTri tyres on a track bike with an impossibly short wheelbase. There is usually a trade-off between puncture resistance and ride quality, although some tyres achieve a remarkable balance. First-generation puncture-resistant tyres with kevlar belts gave a hard ride and marginal grip due to their lack of flexibility. There are better alternatives now, such as a layer of softer rubber that tends to squeeze penetrating objects back out of the tread.

I'd ride Fortezzas all the time, but I need the extra assurance of the Durano+ due to my use of cyclepaths as part of my commute; these are invariably covered in broken glass, because the local yoof think it's funny to smash bottles on them.
 
Can't say for certain that I notice the difference in performance/comfort between 23s and 25s but generally touch wood psychologically at least I feel that more confider in 25s (more resilient and grippier). If there's performance/comfort benefits to the 25mm's, whether noticeable or not I'll take them too.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
.I asked for 700 x 25c.I had been using 23c of another well known tyre.I find the Greenguard superb.Much smoother and dare i say it 'faster' well it seems easier to cycle, like gliding over the road.

Schwalbe Delta Cruiser Plus 700x28 on my road bike, which is the max width i can get on there with no room left for guards. They're very similar to the Marathon Greenguard with the same level PP and at a cheaper price.
These tyres feel much better on our potholed roads and rougher surfaces like uneven gravel canal paths. Very happy with these tyres for my particular use and i'll probably use them in wider sizes on my other bikes when tyre changes are due.

I've found Marathon Greenguard to be a very easy-rolling tyre, and comfortable if some experimentation is done with pressures. My old 531 Dawes Jaguar has these in 28 mm and for poor roads littered with debris they are probably the best compromise of p*ncture resistance and weight. I've not felt the need to "go nuclear" with M+.

DC+ in 35 mm wide make very good tyres for general purpose bikes such as a flat bar hybrid. I'm running two sets currently and the tyres were cheap enough @ £12 each. However, I'm not seeing such good offers on them recently compared to a year ago.
In terms of running cost per mile, Marathon Greenguard are probably the most economical tyres you can buy, because they last up to twice as long as nearly everything else. Marathon uses a harder wearing compound and a higher TPI carcass (67TPI vs 50TPI on Delta Cruiser) and I perceive them to roll slightly easier than DC+ if anything.
I'm now running a set of 38 mm Marathon on a Raleigh Hybrid and they are both comfortable and easy-rolling. I got them at under £16 a tyre and decided to get some to experiment with the biggest 700c size of Marathon.
In future, if I can get Marathon Greenguard at a good price when on special offer, I will be buying these in place of Delta Cruiser+, although I will probably stick with 35 mm and not bother with 38's. They seem to add more weight than they add comfort and also reduce mudguard clearance so mud & plant life debris picked up riding on woods tracks etc will sometimes get caught in the gap between tyre and guard and make an irritating noise.
 
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