# 7ooc x 28 or 32 mm tyres



## kennyc (29 Aug 2008)

Trying to get myself organised with with a drop handlebar bike. Tyres wise looking for comfort rather than speed. 

Anyone got either of the above tyres?. 

Do you have much tread on the above tyres. 

Have you got space for mudguards?

Kenny


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## vernon (30 Aug 2008)

kennyc said:


> Trying to get myself organised with with a drop handlebar bike. Tyres wise looking for comfort rather than speed.
> 
> Anyone got either of the above tyres?.
> 
> ...



If you are going for comfort rather than speed then yopu are looking for a touring bike.

I use 28mm tyres for touring and I have used 25mm tyres for touring didn't notice that much difference to be honest.

Don't get sucked in by the percieved need for a tread pattern on bike tyres unless you intend to do some muddy offraod trecking style activities. Some folk believe that the tread prevents aquaplaning and it has been shown that a slick needs to be travelling at around 80mph before there's a los of grip. HAving siad that, it's next to impossible to purchase touring tyres without a tread pattern of some sort or another.

What is more important is the durability and lightness of the tyres. I recommend Panaracer Pasela Tourguard tyres.

Mudguards are a pretty good idea especially if you intend to ride in the rain or on very wet surfaces as they do help to keep the water that is flung off the tyres away from you and anyone else that might be riding with you. 

It isn't much fun riding behind someone in the rain when they do not have mudguards.


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## simoncc (30 Aug 2008)

kennyc said:


> Trying to get myself organised with with a drop handlebar bike. Tyres wise looking for comfort rather than speed.
> 
> Anyone got either of the above tyres?.
> 
> ...




Space for mudguards and tyres depends on your frame. A touring frame will usually have clearance for wide, 32 or even 37 mm tyres and mudguards, but other frames will have less clearance limiting the width of tyre you can use. Some road frames will only allow you to use very narrow tyres and no mudguards. In between the two extremes are other frames such as audax ones for light touring, which might only have clearance for 25 or 28mm tyres with mudguard clearance. Get a frame with mudguard eyelets for bolting the things on.

I find 28mm tyres best for touring but I have used 25s and 32s as well.


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## jay clock (30 Aug 2008)

A trad drop bar touring bike should be fine for 28 and almost certainly 32. I used 28 on mine and they were very comfortable and certainly I felt no ned to go up in size, even with luggage. I used Continental Top Touring 2000 and these showed no wear even after several thousand km. I think the Touring Plus has replaced it but that looks even more puncture proof and I am sure it is a great tyre


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## Bigtallfatbloke (30 Aug 2008)

My bike came with 32's which I rode until the tread wore on the rear tyre, then I swapped both tyres over to schwalbe marathon+28's. I rode the length of Germany and the length of france on these tyres recently. I only needed to pump up the tyres once or twice on each tour and I had zero punctures.

My experience is that the 28's ride much better/faster on good road surfaces, however on rough dirt tracks/gravel I had a hankering for fatter tyres on tour. All in all though I am sticking with the 28's and simply doing all I can to avoid rubbish surfaces, especially when loaded.

I notided on tour that most German and Dutch tourers take the 'practical' approach and ride on FAT tyres ( I assume because they use their Radweg cycle lane system which in places has poor surfaces) & that many Brits use th eslimmer tyres (in France anyway as the roads out of town there are superb). I even met an American riding on a trek road bike with 4 panniers and a spare tyre strapped to his bike because he was riding on slicks!

If, like me, you want a good speedy solid ride, puncture free then I'd get the 28 marathons+. They do offer a slightly harder ride than the 32's but it's almost unoticeable and ...well I just rode over 2000 kms on them without a single sore/bruise arse day.


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## P.H (30 Aug 2008)

It's tyre pressure rather than width that determines contact area, a 20mm and 40mm tyre will feel almost identical if all other factors are the same. A lower pressure will increase comfort at the cost of speed, a wider tyre allows you to run lower pressures without risking tyre or tube damage. Weight, compound, casing and aerodynamics will all contribute to how a tyre performs. Although wider tyres are often heavier and run at lower pressure it's not always the case. There's some disagreement about how much affect weight has, I swap my commuting Marathon pluses for something lighter when touring and notice the difference, either Pannaracers (28mm)or Marathon Racers (30mm) The quality of the casing will affect comfort, the more flexible the comfier, this is where old fashioned skin sidwalls have an advantage. Compound is a tough one to either determine or choose, the best gripping tyres are also likely to be the fastest wearing. I think for touring you can ignore aerodynamics. Pun***re resistance always comes at a price, I'm more concerned about getting one on the way to work than when touring. Tyre choice is always a compromise…


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## Paulus (30 Aug 2008)

See my post in Beginners.


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## andrew_s (30 Aug 2008)

kennyc said:


> Trying to get myself organised with with a drop handlebar bike. Tyres wise looking for comfort rather than speed.
> Anyone got either of the above tyres?.
> Do you have much tread on the above tyres.
> Have you got space for mudguards?
> Kenny



Comfort-wise, the fatter the better, but if you go too fat it slows you down (though if you go off road you go faster with fatter tyres). Too fat is probably 35mm or wider.
I use 28mm tyres, since they are the widest that will fit on my bike.

You have to make your mind up to some extent before getting a bike, as the maximum tyre size that will be usable will depend on what brakes the frame was designed for. You can always fit a narrower tyre.

Standard racing brakes will allow tyres up to 25mm (no mudguards) :- most road bikes
Shimano 57mm deep drop dual pivot brakes allow 28mm with mudguards, or 32mm without :- "Audax" bikes
Cantilever brakes allow tyres as big as the frame designer felt like - usually up to 40mm :- touring bikes and cyclocross bikes

Well set up cantilever brakes are as good as the dual pivot brakes, but you need to get the right model, and look after the setup more than just twiddling the cable adjuster once in a while. 
Good cantilever brakes are Frogleggs, Tektro CR520 or 720, or Paul Neo-Retro (if you are feeling rich). These are all old-style stick-out-sideways models, and there can be problems with them fouling panniers or hitting them with your heels. Because of this some people fit a low profile cantilever at the rear, since it doesn't need a very strong brake to lock the back wheel.


Tread isn't needed on road bikes, and just reduces the grip and slows you down if you have too much of it. The road chippings dig into the tyre, not the other way round, and you have to be doing 100mph to aquaplane a bike tyre.
A token amount of tread can be useful as a wear indicator, but that's all.


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## P.H (30 Aug 2008)

Here's some information to go with the opinion;
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tyres.html


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## Tony (31 Aug 2008)

Changed from Conti toptour 2000 32's to Schwalbe Marathon Plus 28's. Despite the interesting conditions of my last two tours, I have had nil faery visits since putting the new ones on.


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## Kirstie (8 Sep 2008)

Depends what kind of riding you want to do. On mytouring bike I have continental contact 28mm but they are quite heavy. They have only punctured once in 2000 odd miles of touring. Another great tyre is the continental gatorskin - I have a 25mm pair of those and they are also fantastic, in my experience. They have less rolling resistance than the contact. I'm a fan of continental tyres and generally I wouldn't go below 25mm for touring. My road bike (I don't tour on this) has 23mm tyres and I have to use mudguards which strap onto the seat stays/front forks in winter as there is not enough clearance for proper mudguards. Always have mudguards as there is nothing worse than a wet bum. 

One of my friends who does really big tours swears by Schwalbe marathons in all their various sizes.


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## just jim (8 Sep 2008)

I put a pair of 32mm Vittoria Randonneurs on the other day, nice!

The bicycle I hasten to add, not on me...


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## Kirstie (8 Sep 2008)

just jim said:


> The bicycle I hasten to add, not on me...



Actually that might work if worn in a Borat - like manner. Might not be so comfortable though!


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## samid (8 Sep 2008)

Some more anecdotal evidence: I used Grand Bois "Cerf green label" 700C x 28mm tires as seen here:

http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/tireoffer.html

on my tour from London to Edinburgh, and they were great, felt "fast" and comfortable, with no flats over the 850km tour. As others have noted, tread is not needed for on-road riding, and if you'll be riding where it can rain - be sure to have mudguards and a mudflap on the front fitted - you'll thank yourself (I actually found riding in light rain quite pleasant, and proper mudguards played a big role in that feeling).


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