Skinny or fat tyres?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

mikeymustard

Veteran
Here are a couple of links you may find interesting then Tangroup51 ; https://janheine.wordpress.com/2018/01/03/12-myths-in-cycling-1-wider-tires-are-slower/

and; https://www.compasscycle.com/product-category/components/tires/ You need the dollars though . . .
Jan Heine's take on cycling is always interesting, and he's a pioneer in the push for wider is better, but he does suffer a bit of "religious tyre zeal":smile:
I've got the front wheel of the first set of wheels that a friend built me, probably around 1990, pinned as a plant trellis on the wall in our back garden. The tyre on it is a 700x20mm. I have vague recollections of inflating it to some eye-wateringly high pressure too! I guess the roads were much better then (ah, nostalgia) and, like the tyre I was considerably skinnier!
Maybe I am reading it wrong but the OP seems to think that it is tyre size affecting speed, acceleration and responsiveness. I would suggest that it is more likely the tyre type. GP4000 II are a performance race tyre, marathon greenguards are built for tanks.
I think he's just making a general observation :smile:
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
Jan Heine's take on cycling is always interesting, and he's a pioneer in the push for wider is better, but he does suffer a bit of "religious tyre zeal":smile:
I've got the front wheel of the first set of wheels that a friend built me, probably around 1990, pinned as a plant trellis on the wall in our back garden. The tyre on it is a 700x20mm. I have vague recollections of inflating it to some eye-wateringly high pressure too! I guess the roads were much better then (ah, nostalgia) and, like the tyre I was considerably skinnier!
I think he's just making a general observation :smile:
The 700c x 20 (Continental Grand Prix 'Supersonic') I occasionally ran needed 150psi in the rear tyre to avoid 'pinch flats' on road 'imperfections' but I could get away with 130 or so in the front (Max recommended pressure is 170psi)
 
OP
OP
Alan O

Alan O

Über Member
Location
Liverpool
Maybe I am reading it wrong but the OP seems to think that it is tyre size affecting speed, acceleration and responsiveness. I would suggest that it is more likely the tyre type. GP4000 II are a performance race tyre, marathon greenguards are built for tanks.
Not really, no. I think the difference is in the weight of the wheel/tyre combination (especially the weight at the rim), and the more suple nature of the tyre itself. The tyre size affects the feel and comfort for sure, and the point I was trying to make there was really that the 700/25 tyres at their higher pressure weren't as hard-feeling and uncomfortable as I'd feared - their "race" build when compared to stiffer Marathons and Gatorskins seems to compensate pretty well for the extra pressure hardness.

In short, there's a noticeable performance improvement, with actually not that much trade-off in comfort. And, most importantly, the skinnies are fun.
 

Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
Wider tires are faster as they don't deform as much under rider weight due to that deformation causing friction, but rider size and weight make a difference in this in some cases. I notice I am slightly faster on wider tires, tire weight and pressure and tread being equal between tires.
 

mikeymustard

Veteran
In short, there's a noticeable performance improvement, with actually not that much trade-off in comfort. And, most importantly, the skinnies are fun.
But... don't forget your Orbit is not only lighter but the angles on it are gonna be much steeper with a shorter wheelbase, which adds to the 'fun' (some might say skittish or twitchy :smile:) element of the ride
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
But... don't forget your Orbit is not only lighter but the angles on it are gonna be much steeper with a shorter wheelbase, which adds to the 'fun' (some might say skittish or twitchy :smile:) element of the ride
I dunno, I've got a really SWB 653 TT bike and that is very stable, the handling is 'quick' but it's not skittish or twitchy.
 
OP
OP
Alan O

Alan O

Über Member
Location
Liverpool
But... don't forget your Orbit is not only lighter but the angles on it are gonna be much steeper with a shorter wheelbase, which adds to the 'fun' (some might say skittish or twitchy :smile:) element of the ride
Yes, that does seem to make a difference over the Raleigh, especially as I've got the rear wheel all the way forward in the dropout - it's less than an inch, but it's noticeable.
 

mustang1

Guru
Location
London, UK
I've had cx bikes in the past with 32 or 35mm tyres. I loved the smooth rides on those bikes. I also have 25mm tyre bikes and I love the rapid acceleration of those too.

Between the two however, being a weakling, I can show power more readily with the skinnier tyres so I choose a road bike more often than not. While I admire the smooth ride of the wider tyres, I also get bored of those CX bikes more easily.
 

mikeymustard

Veteran
I dunno, I've got a really SWB 653 TT bike and that is very stable, the handling is 'quick' but it's not skittish or twitchy.
I wouldn't say that, but others might; I love a lively bike, me!
I've had cx bikes in the past with 32 or 35mm tyres. I loved the smooth rides on those bikes. I also have 25mm tyre bikes and I love the rapid acceleration of those too.

Between the two however, being a weakling, I can show power more readily with the skinnier tyres so I choose a road bike more often than not. While I admire the smooth ride of the wider tyres, I also get bored of those CX bikes more easily.
I've just built a Genesis Equilibrium as my new summer ride, and I'd say it's a perfect compromise (if that's not too much of an oxymoron) handling-wise. In fact it reminds me of the "clubman" style of bike - just about quick enough for a club ride but you could throw some panniers or a saddle bag on it and do a bit of light touring if desired. I'm currently running 25's on it, cos' that's what was on my wheels, but when I need new tyres I would consider 28mm
 

mustang1

Guru
Location
London, UK
I wouldn't say that, but others might; I love a lively bike, me!

I've just built a Genesis Equilibrium as my new summer ride, and I'd say it's a perfect compromise (if that's not too much of an oxymoron) handling-wise. In fact it reminds me of the "clubman" style of bike - just about quick enough for a club ride but you could throw some panniers or a saddle bag on it and do a bit of light touring if desired. I'm currently running 25's on it, cos' that's what was on my wheels, but when I need new tyres I would consider 28mm

A bike I'm considering. Why is it "just quick enough".... does the geo hold it back for really fast riding?
 

mikeymustard

Veteran
A bike I'm considering. Why is it "just quick enough".... does the geo hold it back for really fast riding?
Not so much as the dodgy engine powering it! :whistle:
It's not a lightweight racer by any means, and neither am I, but it hustles along nicely, goes up hills ok (again, legs excepted) and comes back down unbelievably well. Of course, because I've been using it to go to work I've got mudguards on it, so when these come off, if spring ever arrives, the removal of said 'guards will instantly turn it into a lean, mean racing machine :laugh:
 

JhnBssll

Veteran
Location
Suffolk
Some interesting points raised about the pros and cons of different tire sizes. I run a range of sizes to cater for most situations;

70x25 on my two main road bikes
70x32c on my road commuter
26x2.1 on my hardtail mountain bike
27.5x3 on my full bounce mountain bike

I notice a big difference in average speed between the commuter and the other two road bikes but the added comfort and the ability to bump up curbs and venture onto gravel and dirt paths more than make up for it. I do have to remember to avoid mud though, they slide all over the place :laugh:
 
Last edited:

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
700 x 35 Delta Cruiser+ on both my old 501/531 Raleigh hybrids.
26 x 1.75 Delta Cruiser+ on my old 501 Raleigh "urban bomber" MTB
26 x 1.75-2.1 knobbly anythings on my worthless skip-rescue beaters. Whatever I've got available that still hold air having been removed from other bikes/wheels. Mismatched front/rear, don't care, anything goes so long as it's tyre-shaped.

I don't *do* skinny fragile road tyres, I wouldn't even entertain owning any bike that can't take a minimum 32 or 1 1/4" size tyre and still be able to fit mudguards. For me it's all about puncture-resistance, robustness and easy-rolling properties on my "good" bikes - the ones that get ridden more than a couple of miles away from base, as I want reliability & good road manners. The strictly local use hacks are shod with any old secondhand knobbly cheapo efforts that still have a few miles left in them and would otherwise have been binned.
 
OP
OP
Alan O

Alan O

Über Member
Location
Liverpool
Just thought I'd offer an update on this, after a few rides back on my touring bike.

It currently has 27 x 1 1/4 Marathons, though I also use same size Gatorskins when the routes I ride are firmer in the summer - I should have swapped before this weekend really.

Anyway, riding on my big fat Marathons (which measure 32mm) at about 70psi, I was sort of expecting to think "Ah yes, these are far comfier". But they weren't. Yes, it was smoother and more comfortable than riding the bike with the 4000s at 90/100psi, but really not by a lot.

I'm aware that stiffer sidewalls can negate a lot of the comfort benefit of wider tyres at lower pressures, and that must be a big part of what I'm experiencing. The 4000s do seem to be a lot more supple than either the Marathons or the Gatorskins.

I'd love to be able to try fatter 4000s on my touring bike wheels, if only they made them in 27" versions.
 

GuyBoden

Guru
Location
Warrington
The problem I have is that I can't get the wider 28mm tyres out of the 531c Road bike frame without letting the air out of the tyres, even with the QR on the brake released...........
 
Top Bottom