Right now I’m running 23c but since I moved I’ve noticed a harsher ride and a slightly increased amount of flats due to the crappy roads. I want to step up to a larger tire size. I had a pair of 38c that someone gave me but they don’t fit under the bridge in the rear. I’m basically lost. Is a 28c going to make a lot of difference, or should I go for a 32. A 37 would probably work because the 38 was just about 1mm too large, but I’m concerned that a 37c tire is going to mean significantly more rolling resistance. Any help or advice would be good. Oh and an average ride for me is about 15-18 miles on potholed and gravel crusted streets.
28c will make a lot of difference. Depending on the tire of course. Armadillos are bomb-proof(I got a fish hook stuck my 28s and didn’t notice for a mile or two, didn’t flat), but they ride like shit.
You know the usual suspects, Schwable, Conti Gators, etc.
Thanks. I was leaning more towards 28 but just didn’t know if I’d get much difference in terms of smoothing out the bumps.
I wanted to try something different on my IRO so I threw on some 25’s. I was looking for bigger and would have gone bigger if they had been in the store… I hated them! they felt huge! I would recommend either going up just one size, or trying some cheap tires… It really is a dramatic difference
Vittoria Randonneurs all the way
look for something in the 100 psi range. and watch out for those curbs.
You need these…
http://www.biketiresdirect.com/productd ... sp?p=COCLJGet a pair of 32s…they run small and are closer to 28s.
I ride a 28c armadillo on the back of my bike. I like it a lot. It’s durable. I haven’t had a flat since I started using them. I swear that both tires would go flat right now before my eyes if i even thought about mounting a 23c tire on the back of my bike. When I ran 23’s I generally flatted at least twice a week. I went to a 25c conti for a while and substantially fewer flats then on any 23 that I tried. The ride of the armadillo seems fine to me. I want to try out other 28c tires, but I just keep buying these because I know that I’m spending $40 for around two months without a flat or visible casing.
i switched over to 28s about a week ago on my commuter. armadillos all the way. the difference is huge.
I went with the cheapest 28’s they had at my lbs. So far I like the little extra give. Now that I know I like the size I’ll run em till they die then get some higher quality rubber.