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mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Probably but it depends on the width of the wheel rims and if they'll fit in the frame with them on. What width do the rims say on them? There's a conservative compatibility chart at www.SheldonBrown.com somewhere.
Big Dave laaa
Biking Ninja
- Location
- Flintshire
Yes
Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
Yes.
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
That. Very marginal weight difference, (larger margin) less comfortable.
Mrs M
Guru
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Yes, if you want to.
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
You can, but I wouldn't bother unless the tyres you have on there are rubbish.
Boon 51
Veteran
- Location
- Deal. Kent.
Tyre quality should be factored in as well.. the dearer ones are normally better.
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
I wouldnt bother. 25c are more comfortable. If you are thinking of speed, do some research on this years TDF. You will find that even the Tour riders are switching to larger tyres.
EasyPeez
Veteran
- Location
- Cottingham, East Yorkshire
Glad someone else brought this up as I think I might have just dropped a b*llock with this!
My bike came with 25mm Contis, which I have now worn out. I have just bought some 23mm Schwalbe Durano S Etapes to replace them, because they were going for just £20 each and get good reviews online. As others have pointed out, 25mm have advantages over 23mm - I would have chosen 25mm tyres if the Durano S came in that size, or if I had a bigger budget to spend on a different type of tyre. As I'm skint and the Duranos only come in 23mm, that's what I got.
But the catalogue quotes my Fulcrum rims as 17c, and Scwhalbe's safety guide says 25mm is the narrowest tyre this rim can take -
http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/tire_dimensions
Wish I had thought to look at this before buying the rubber!
So, people above are telling the OP he can go ahead with 23mm tyres but if he has 17c rims like I do isn't this bad advice?
My bike came with 25mm Contis, which I have now worn out. I have just bought some 23mm Schwalbe Durano S Etapes to replace them, because they were going for just £20 each and get good reviews online. As others have pointed out, 25mm have advantages over 23mm - I would have chosen 25mm tyres if the Durano S came in that size, or if I had a bigger budget to spend on a different type of tyre. As I'm skint and the Duranos only come in 23mm, that's what I got.
But the catalogue quotes my Fulcrum rims as 17c, and Scwhalbe's safety guide says 25mm is the narrowest tyre this rim can take -
http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/tire_dimensions
Wish I had thought to look at this before buying the rubber!
So, people above are telling the OP he can go ahead with 23mm tyres but if he has 17c rims like I do isn't this bad advice?
EasyPeez
Veteran
- Location
- Cottingham, East Yorkshire
Does the fact that a couple of people like my post mean that some of the previous advice on here is poor? And that my tyres need to go back to the shop (if they'll take them)? On this occasion I'd much prefer to be proved wrong, if being right is potentially going to cost me 40 notes! Cheers.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
After reading http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html I'd not be keen to try 23mm tyres on 17mm rims.
Sbudge
Cyclist
- Location
- NW London & The Chilterns
I've been experimenting (by accident and on purpose) quite a lot with 23 vs 25 and I've found it to be quite a noticeable difference particularly with different wheel types. For me on lightweight alloy (climb-friendly) wheels I've found 25s more comfortable without any noticeable performance penalty. However on some deeper carbon rims, somewhat bizarrely, 23 on the front and 25 on the rear are by far the best choice for me. I guess my advice is to just try it and don't be afraid to experiment.
