Tyre width advice

[sebinho]

Hi, I'm riding a newly purchased used road bike with worn 23mm width 700 tyres. I'd like to replace them and was thinking of putting on 25mm tyres (either Michelin Lithion 3s or Continental Ultra Sport 3s )
for a bit more comfort on rougher surfaces. The rims have printed "NOVA 13x622 Ridida France". The frame takes up to 28mm width tyres but the forks only up to 25. Should i stick to two 25mm tyres or would a rear 28mm tyre be an option? Are the rims suited to greater greater widths? Thanks

 

[CXRAndy]

For added comfort go for a 28mm rear. There will be no noticable speed difference by having a slightly larger rear tyre.

It's been proven that larger tyres upto around 30mm have no speed detriment, only better ride, which reduces fatigue on longer rides

 

[Dogtrousers]

Scroll down to "Width Considerations" on this page https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html for your question "Are the rims suited to greater tyre widths". The answer will very probably be "yes".

 

[sebinho]

Scroll down to "Width Considerations" on this page https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html for your question

Thanks, yes, if the rims are 13mm, that limits the choice to 25mm tyres.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Thanks, yes, if the rims are 13mm, that limits the choice to 25mm tyres.

Although it does say there: Note: This chart may err a bit on the side of caution. Many cyclists use slightly wider tires with no problem. You'd probably be absolutely fine with 28s.

 

[Kajjal]

Even 23mm to 25mm tyres noticeably reduces the bone shaker effect. 28mm is even better if you also have clearance in the frame and forks for that width.

 

[T4tomo]

I would go with 2 *25mm given that is all the forks will take, and then you can swap them over as rear often wears quicker than front

 

[si_c]

How much space is there between the forks and the tyre? If there is less than 5mm either side then I would suggest just getting 25c tyres, if there is a bit more then you could try risking 28s and see if you can get them to fit front and rear.

I'd always opt for the same size on both wheels but that's because it would annoy me having different sizes.

 

[sebinho]

How much space is there between the forks and the tyre?

About 6mm and a bit either side at the rear and just shy of 5 either side at the front. So definitely a 25mm width at the front. Will have a good think about putting a 28 on the back wheel. Thanks all for the help.

 

[GuyBoden]

I tried 28mm tyres with less than 4mm clearance on my summer bike, I was plagued by gravel chips sticking between the tyre and fork. Especially on the resurfaced roads, which is a nuisance and potentially dangerous.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

28R and 25FR isn't an issue

 

[HLaB]

Hi, I'm riding a newly purchased used road bike with worn 23mm width 700 tyres. I'd like to replace them and was thinking of putting on 25mm tyres (either Michelin Lithion 3s or Continental Ultra Sport 3s )
for a bit more comfort on rougher surfaces. The rims have printed "NOVA 13x622 Ridida France". The frame takes up to 28mm width tyres but the forks only up to 25. Should i stick to two 25mm tyres or would a rear 28mm tyre be an option? Are the rims suited to greater greater widths? Thanks

The late great Sheldon Brown doesn't recommend going larger than 25mm tyres on a 13mm rim (the red/green matrix towards the bottom of the page). That aside you may find that 28mm tyres are too big for your calipers. 28mm would be more comfy but I'd err on the side of caution and go for 25mm.

 

[DCBassman]

The late great Sheldon Brown doesn't recommend going larger than 25mm tyres on a 13mm rim (the red/green matrix towards the bottom of the page). That aside you may find that 28mm tyres are too big for your calipers. 28mm would be more comfy but I'd err on the side of caution and go for 25mm.

Thanks for that, now I know I can put 32s on either of the wheelsets I have. This will make the Revell mixte a real comfort machine!

 

[CXRAndy]

I've never really subscribed to wider tyres narrow rim. I pretty much started out running 32mm tyres when I started riding.

There are plenty of wheel rims now which are well above 20mm internal width, allowing smaller tyres to widen out. I,have a set which make 25mm tyre measure a comfy 28mm wide.

I bought some carbon rims which are designed to run 32mm tyres, (internal width 25mm), and boy do they fit perfectly, creating nearly 100mm deep aero tyre combination wheel

 

[Alex321]

The late great Sheldon Brown doesn't recommend going larger than 25mm tyres on a 13mm rim (the red/green matrix towards the bottom of the page). That aside you may find that 28mm tyres are too big for your calipers. 28mm would be more comfy but I'd err on the side of caution and go for 25mm.

According to that chart, I can't change my tyre size at all
My bike came with 28mm tyres on a 19mm rim, which are the smallest the chart allows for, but there is no clearance to put larger tyres on the bike.

I might get away with 30mm if I took the mudguards off, but officially it isn't designed to take more than 28.