Tyre sizes

[baggytrousers]

Hi, I commute a modest 8 miles each way into Chester each day mainly on the road but some canal towpath as well. I ride a Trek hybrid with 700 x 35C Bontrager tyres. I'm looking to replace these now with a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Can I slim down to 700 x 32C without any problems?

 

[hubgearfreak]

32s are 90% of the comfort and rim protection of a 35.

only you know the towpath, and whether your current tyres are at their limits

but i've ridden some roughish farm tracks on 25s without too much trouble, so my guess is it'd be ok. are there other cyclists that you see on that same track?? you could ask any on hybrids or tourers what they think

 

[Steve Austin]

You'll be fine. and probably won't even notice the difference

 

[mickle]

The design and construction of a tyre is of more importance than its cross sectional dimension in terms of its rolling resistance, so a crappy OE 28mm tyre will likely roll slower than a good quality kevlar beaded 35mm. Shwalbe 'Big Apples' for example have excellent rolling resistance characteristics which compare very well with some much skinnier tyres on the market. You can have your cake (comfort) and eat it (low drag) if you are prepared to fork out for good quality rubber.

Anyoldhoo, the biggest consumer of your energy output at cruising speed isnt rolling resistance, its aerodynamic drag. Changing to a set of tyres just 3mm narrower will have no discernable effect on your speed.

 

[baggytrousers]

Hi, thanks for your advice guys - I belive the Marathon plus is quite a bit heavier than a normal tyre so was thinking about getting the thinner ones - however you're probably right I'm not really going to notice the difference so I'll stick with the 35s for the sake of "me crown jewels",