Confusion about which tyre size to buy

[John_S]

Hello All, I commute all year around and having already start to slip in a few places I’m thinking about giving some winter tyres a try.

However I have a question because I’m confused as to what size tyre I should buy and any help & advice will be greatly appreciated! Having read some good reviews I’m considering getting some Continental Top Contact Winter II tyres. They do seem quite pricy but I figure that if they save me from a few slips/falls and crashes into the ground in cold slippery conditions then they’ll be worth the outlay.

When trying to figure out what size tyre to buy part of my problem is also the fact that I’m currently saving money and I’m planning to change my bike next year if possible. However before that I’ll still be riding through this winter on my current bike, a Trek 7.1 FX which is about ten years old. I’ve looked on the rims and there’s no info left on what size they are but I’m confused and I don’t know if the rim size has an impact on which tyres I can put onto the rims or not but I’m assuming that the rim size will make a difference. The tyres that are currently on my bike are Bontranger Select Invert 700 x 35C (37-622).

The Continental Top Contact Winter II tyres are available in 700x37 (37-622) and 700x42 (42-622) sizes. Therefore I wondered if it’s just my current Trek 7.1 FX that I’m buying for I guess that the 700x37 (37-622) Continental tyres will be okay. http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti topcontactwinter.shtml

However what complicates the situation is my plans to change my bike next year if I’ve saved enough. I’m looking at two different bikes with one being the:-

Cube Travel SL RF
http://www.cube.eu/uk/bikes/tour/travel/cube-travel-sl-rf-anthrazit-green-2015/

On the Cube the rims are CUBE ZX24 and the tyres are Schwalbe Marathon Supreme Kevlar 42x622.

The other bike that I’m considering is the:-

VSF Fahrrad Manufaktur T-500
http://www.fahrradmanufaktur.de/katalog/trekking?product_id=673

On the VSF T-500 the rims are Exal MX19 and the tyres are Schwalbe Marathon Racer, 35-622, reflex.

My hope was that if I bought winter tyres now for my Trek 7.1 FX I could use them again next winter on whatever bike that I buy. However I’m wondering if there’s a problem with that because the Cube bike has 42x622 and the VSF has 35-622 tyres. Therefore I’d guess that if the Continental tyres were to go on the Cube bike I’d need the 700x42 (42-622) or if they were to go on the VSF T-500 I’d need the 700x37 (37-622) tyres. If that’s the case then I think I’ll just have to stick with my current tyres throughout this winter and wait until I’ve hopefully bought a new bike because I don’t want to risk buying tyres that won’t fit my next bike. However if either the Continental 700x37 (37-622) or 700x42 (42-622) tyres would fit on any of my current Trek or the Cube or VSF bike then I might take the plunge and buy some Continental tyres now.

Thanks for any advice and help by reply which will be really appreciated because I am confused about rims and the tyres sizes that will fit on them.

John

 

[gambatte]

Keep the Trek for those shitty days you need winter tyres (N+1)

 

[John_S]

Hi gambatte, thanks for your message and I had thought about keeping the Trek for the worst of the winter. However it's a bike I bought secondhand from a friend who emigrated. The friend is considerably taller than me and the frame size really isn't right for me and it's never been very comfortable. He had the bike for a about 5 years and used it as a year round commuter in all weathers and it was never really cleaned, serviced or maintained in the time that he had it and it was kept outside. Therefore it was already showing signs of considerable wear when I got it and the fact that I've been using it in all weathers for about 5 years now has added to the wear. I've replaced things like cables, brake pads, chains, cassettes in that time but now that I've moved house and have a slightly longer daily commute than I used to I've reached a point whereby given that the bike isn't the correct size for me anyway I'm going to stop spending money on replacing & repairing parts on it and save my money towards a new bike.

However until I can afford a new bike I will be commuting all winter on a mixture of country and urban roads not all of which will get gritted in the winter. I want to give myself the best possible chance of staying upright throughout the winter which is why I'm interested in the Continental winter tyres but they're quite expensive which is why I want to make sure that I can use them again on any bike that I buy in the future.

Thanks,

John

 

[MacB]

John your limitations, if any, are more likely to be around frame clearance than rim sizing. From the above then you clearly understand the ETRTO way of sizing so your 35x622 and 42x622 just mean a difference of 7mm in tyre widths. Most bikes that come with that sort of size of tyre will have a rim in the range 17x622 to 19x622 - the same as for the tyres the 622 is the diameter in mm and the 17/19 the internal width of the rim where the tyre bead sits. To give you an idea of tyre ranges accommodated the Mavic TN719 rim or the DT Swiss TK540 are both sized at 19x622 and both are rated for use with tyres from 25x622 up to 60x622.

Which is a long way of saying your tyre choice will fit your rims fine but as for frame/mudguard clearance...well that's a try it and see I'm afraid.

 

[John_S]

Hi MacB, thanks for the advice and this is staring to make more sense to me with the realisation that it's more about mudguard & frame clearance than it is about the size of the tim.

Many thanks,

John

 

[Tynan]

Where are you and what weather this year has caused condition where there tyres slip/skid?

Any tyres should be fine on tarmac other then when ice is present (or perhaps gators in the wet)

If you plan to ride on ice/sno then fill your boots but that means some very different tyres, I use the same tyres all year round, tarmac is tarmac surely

 

[John_S]

Hi Tynan, thanks for your message and I'm in the east of England and so I don't think that they'll be too many occasions where I’ll be cycling in ice & snow however if you take the two winters in a row from a couple of years back as examples you never know.

Like you I’ve never ever changed my tyres for winter ever before however my daily commute takes in both rural and urban roads and the ones in the country are never ever gritted and if the temps are really low and the roads are icy first thing I’m just wondering if it’s worth getting a tyre that’s designed to suit the conditions.

I might be applying the wrong logic here because I appreciate that there’s a very big difference between cars & bikes but looking a videos on the internet of cars on normal standard tyres versus winter tyres and the stopping power and control in icy or snowy conditions shows a really big difference between the two. At the same time reading lots of forum posts & reviews it says that winter tyres are not just for snow and ice but the compounds used mean that the tyres work better than standard ones as soon as the temperatures fall below say 6-8 degrees C depending on what reviews/sites you read. At the same time reading other posts the tread patterns are different and are designed to grip better in wintery conditions including shifting more water than other tyres would.

I appreciate that the logic of applying the different performance of normal car tyres versus winter car tyres might be completely useless when it comes to bike tyres but I'm thinking of buying some winter bike tyres to experiment with and see what I think of them. Thinking ahead and if winter bike tyres do offer better grip in cold slippery/icy conditions even if they prevent one fall then they’d be worth it. If I could get winter tyres at a good enough price then overall the economy of it shouldn’t be too bad because whilst winter tyres are on the bike my other tyres aren’t being used & wearing.

Thanks,

John

 

[Tynan]

Hi Tynan, thanks for your message and I'm in the east of England and so I don't think that they'll be too many occasions where I’ll be cycling in ice & snow however if you take the two winters in a row from a couple of years back as examples you never know.

Like you I’ve never ever changed my tyres for winter ever before however my daily commute takes in both rural and urban roads and the ones in the country are never ever gritted and if the temps are really low and the roads are icy first thing I’m just wondering if it’s worth getting a tyre that’s designed to suit the conditions.

I might be applying the wrong logic here because I appreciate that there’s a very big difference between cars & bikes but looking a videos on the internet of cars on normal standard tyres versus winter tyres and the stopping power and control in icy or snowy conditions shows a really big difference between the two. At the same time reading lots of forum posts & reviews it says that winter tyres are not just for snow and ice but the compounds used mean that the tyres work better than standard ones as soon as the temperatures fall below say 6-8 degrees C depending on what reviews/sites you read. At the same time reading other posts the tread patterns are different and are designed to grip better in wintery conditions including shifting more water than other tyres would.

I appreciate that the logic of applying the different performance of normal car tyres versus winter car tyres might be completely useless when it comes to bike tyres but I'm thinking of buying some winter bike tyres to experiment with and see what I think of them. Thinking ahead and if winter bike tyres do offer better grip in cold slippery/icy conditions even if they prevent one fall then they’d be worth it. If I could get winter tyres at a good enough price then overall the economy of it shouldn’t be too bad because whilst winter tyres are on the bike my other tyres aren’t being used & wearing.

Thanks,

John

I ride from East London so back roads in Essex is a different kettle of fish, but that said I use a heavy road tyre to deal with pot holes and all manner of debris in the road.

I don't think any regular (non studded) road tyre is going to help you on ice, big knobblies tyres sure but the contact patch on any sort of road bike tyre is so small. And the accepted wisdom is that road tyres do not need tread to deal with water, the physics are different to car tyres, the more rubber you have touching the road the better, I never even heard of Winter Tyres before this year, smells like marketing to me. A wider tyre makes sense. And riding smarter makes most sense, anticipating, braking earlier/gentler, reading the road, picking the right line

That said, no-one can tell you what tyres to use, fill your boots

 

[Aperitif]

I ride from East London so back roads in Essex is a different kettle of fish, but that said I use a heavy road tyre to deal with pot holes and all manner of debris in the road.

I don't think any regular (non studded) road tyre is going to help you on ice, big knobblies tyres sure but the contact patch on any sort of road bike tyre is so small. And the accepted wisdom is that road tyres do not need tread to deal with water, the physics are different to car tyres, the more rubber you have touching the road the better, I never even heard of Winter Tyres before this year, smells like marketing to me. A wider tyre makes sense. And riding smarter makes most sense, anticipating, braking earlier/gentler, reading the road, picking the right line

That said, no-one can tell you what tyres to use, fill your boots

700 x 25 Schwalbe Marathon Plus from Spa Cycles etc. Talcum powder on the inner tubes, point the arrows on the tyre in the direction of rotation, be patient and fit them. Wipe the sweat from your brow and forget.
The reflective sidewalls are an added attraction at this time of year.
MacB and Tynan talk sense...I don't very often, but I am happy to trundle over anything that London's detritus strewn surfaces have to offer.
How about a 'winter treat'? Something like this?

 

[Tynan]

Aperitif! Marathon +!

Conti Super Sport plus for me, I don't think I've had a flat with them barring one being cut almost in half by (I think) a roof tile after one of those gales, and even when they eventually wear through the rubber, the breaker layer carries on indefinitely, I wore a rear almost completely square once, that said they're hard to get in shops and I'm running conti gator hard shells or whatever the heavy duty one is and they seem to be very comparable.

All Tynan does is regurgitate what he's read in the past, I still recall my horror a very long time ago upon reading that cycle tyre tread was put there only because people wouldn't buy them otherwise, that still amazes me

 

[Kookas]

All Tynan does is regurgitate what he's read in the past, I still recall my horror a very long time ago upon reading that cycle tyre tread was put there only because people wouldn't buy them otherwise, that still amazes me

That's the case with road tyres, at least, which are better off with as little tread as possible. Off-road tyres do need tread for grip.

 

[Tynan]

well yes, we are in the commuting section and OP was asking about road tyres but yes, I took a hybrid into the Epping Forest a fair few years ago to find that road tyres were outright terrible on even a track with some wet grass on, that tarmac is brilliant stuff