Tyre advice

[mynydd]

Hi, can anyone advise me as to what the thinnest road tyres I could put on my tricross are?

I currently have to standard 32 mm ones on it and I'd like to put something a bit quicker on for the summer, as I will be riding soley on the roads.

Also any reasonably priced recomendations?

Thanks very much

 

[tincaman]

You could probably go as low as 23mm, but you will find that a hard ride after running 32mm. I would go for a slickish 28mm, for example Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech, Continental Gatorskin, Continental Sport Contact, or even Michelin Pro4 in 25mm as they tend to blow up nearer 28mm than 25mm

 

[Dogtrousers]

Sheldon has a table of rim size/tyre size compatibiltiy: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html (see "Width Considerations")

I've certainly disobeyed him in the past by running 28mm tyres on very skinny rims without being struck by lightning or turned into stone. You're coming at it from the opposite direction, though.

 

[Cycleops]

I think 25c would be a good compromise, but if you need a bit more comfort go for the 28s.

 

[ianrauk]

I think 25c would be a good compromise, but if you need a bit more comfort go for the 28s.

I echo this sentiment.
There's really no need to go lower then 25's.

 

[Old Plodder]

28mm - likely your rim will be 17mm - should have 5mm x2 more than rim width.
(Usually; 23mm use 13mm or 15mm rims - tourers use 17mm or 19mm with 28mm ~ 35mm tyres)

 

[Cold Snail]

I was just about to ask a very similar question regarding both me and my wife's Giant Escape 3's (oddly her bike has 35 tyres whereas mine has 32)
As I have over twice the mass as her, there is a bit of a difference in our speeds, so I think it would be an idea to get some 28's for her for the summer, and I'll stick with 32's, but with more than the 65psi max the standard tyres allow.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

So you switch from 32mm to 28mm tyres and precisely how much difference will that make to the speed you will ride at?

I would guess the 'at?' in the above sentence is about 4mm wide.

Should put oooh........at least 5mph on top of what you do now.

 

[MikeW-71]

It's more the construction, compound and weight of the tyre rather than just the width IMO. Gatorskins or 4 Seasons in either 25mm or 28mm would be good.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

It's more the construction, compound and weight of the tyre rather than just the width IMO. Gatorskins or 4 Seasons in either 25mm or 28mm would be good.

I hear all that but seriously - this is Beginners and how much difference will these things really make?

FWIW instead of spending money buying tyres a few mm narrower the OP would probably gain the same amount of speed by sellotaping the trailing edge of each of his ears back - much cheaper!

This nth degree daftness is rife on forums - just go onto eg audio/watches/skiing forums and the same thing happens.

 

[MikeW-71]

I was quite surprised how much difference there was between my Giant stock tyres and GP4000S.

Since it's a Tricross, it may have fairly knobbly stock tyres? If so, almost any slick tyre will be nicer on tarmac.

 

[buggi]

try in-between city tyres rather than nobblies or skinnies. I've got 32c schwalbe marathons on my cyclocross and its fine for the road. I bought it 2nd hand and the previous owner had put skinnies on it. Looked ridiculous because of the massive gap between tyre and fork. i upgraded to 32c schwalbe marathons. Better than nobblies and brought some balance back to the aesthetics of the bike. If you go lower than 28 they might start to look out of place bcoz of the massive clearance thro the forks.

 

[Boon 51]

Sorry to but in..
I have a pair of SR 485's on my cross trail but cant find any info on the internet what the rims size is wide.. is it 17mm or 19mm.
Would anyone know?

 

[tincaman]

Sorry to but in..
I have a pair of SR 485's on my cross trail but cant find any info on the internet what the rims size is wide.. is it 17mm or 19mm.
Would anyone know?

If it was fitted with 45mm tyres as standard then its probably 21mm

 

[Boon 51]

If it was fitted with 45mm tyres as standard then its probably 21mm

The bike was fitted with 38 cc tyres and at the time and I asked if I could fit some Gatoskin's 28cc to use on the road and he said yes. I have a pair of 25cc Gatorskins that I want to use when the 28cc's have worn out and just wondered if they would fit.
Cheers tincaman