What Tyres / size?

[Surfacefire]

Hi,

I am a newbie to cycling and have Carrera Vanquish Road bike with 700 23c Tyres. I am planning to continue using the bike through the winter including commuting to and thro from work. I am wondering what tyres I can change too so I can cope with the changing road conditions. What is the biggest width tyre I change too or what do you recommend I should do?

Regards

Peter

 

[ianrauk]

If you are sticking to tarmac then the 23's will be suffice. Keep then pumped up to the correct psi and they will be fine.
I commute al year round in all weathers (apart from fresh snow) on 23's.

 

[shippers]

Yup, in pretty much all weather you'll be fine as you are. Pay more attention to slippy bits of road though- man hole covers and painted bits, and make sure you give your bike a good clean when the gritters have been out.

 

[Mac66]

Welcome<BR><BR>With the winter comming up, you may want to consider running tyres that are better able to withstand punctures rather than worrying about tyre width, althoug I know some that use 25cc in the belief that they offer more comfort and grip, although I have never been able to tell the difference between 23cc and 25cc in this respect. That just may be down to my fat ar$e though!<BR><BR>Such puncture resistant tyres are quite pricey, but personally, having dealt with punctures in the dark and rain, it's a price I am willing to pay. Everyone has their preference but mine is for Continental 4 Seasons.<BR><BR>For some, road bikes with any sort of mudguard is heresy, but you can buy some reasonable clip on ones, as its unlikely your bike can take "regular" guards. These offer protection for you and your bike, from road crud and I think are another worthwile investment for winter commuting.<BR><BR>+1 about cleaning bike after gritters have been out.<BR><BR>PS as you are a newbie I have used a certain word beginning with P and ending in uncture for clarity. It is generally regarded as an unlucky word for cyclists, much like Macbeth is for actors, so pray for my soul, as those who use it are in peril of of suffering from at least 1 occurence of said word in the near future, however tough their tyres are

 

[Tynan]

I've put a 25 on the back recently and it hasn;t slowed me down at all, so if it's a bit more grip and a bit less wear, why the hell not

 

[frank9755]

I went to work on my Carrera Vanquish today! A much underrated bike - I've modified mine a bit and got it to fit me, and really love riding it.

One of the changes I made was to put 25mm tyres on it. I don't race on it any more so the marginal loss of speed vs 23s is not noticeable, but the extra comfort is. I have on Schwalbe Blizzard Kevlars, which were pretty cheap (Spa Cycles) and seem to roll ok. No punctures so far.

The Vanquish has decent clearances so I think you could fit 28s with mudguards if you wanted to trade a bit more speed for comfort and grip. However I will stick with the 25s on mine.

 

[John the Monkey]

There are 25s and 25s though - I love 25c Pro Race 2, and will be sad when I can't get them any more. They have a plush ride that belies their actual size, imo.