25mm vs. 23mm road tyres any difference?

[Nibali]

Look, it could just be personal experience, but thats how opinions get formed

 

This

[Headshot]

Allright, so my riding buddy reckons the difference between 23mm and 25mm road tyres is barely tangible and cannot tell the difference in ride feel. I however, feel the difference between 23 and 25 is night and day and can be felt immediately. Frankly the 25mm provided such a smooth and welcome change,that if I could fit 28mm in my frame I would do just that.

 

So hub land, what are your thought and experiences?

I rode an Argus Tour on an old Cannondale fitted with 19mm tyres. You can imagine the ride quality. My bike now has a 25mm up front and a 23 out back. Viva fat road tyres. 

[buchanan]

Please help if someone can?

 

I have Fulcrum Quattro's and the inner width (according to the sticker on the rim) is 15C - I presume this means 15mm? So not sure if 25mm would fit on the 15mm?

Or are they basically only made for 23mm tyres?

 

I have tried Google already and also on the Fulcrum site and 2013-2014 catalogues with no luck...maybe somebody else knows where I can search?

 

Or should I just send a mail to FULCRUM Technical?

 

intheknowcycling.com is a very informative website. They have a specific section on matching rim widths to tyre sizes. Their articles go into some detail and reference testing and studies. They would definitely recommend you are better off sticking with 23mm tyres if your inner rim width is only 15 mm. Apparently the too big difference between the inner rim width and tyre  will result in a light bulb effect on the tyre, compromising handling. Also there will be more aerodynamic drag (dirty air) where the rim and tyre meet. If your inner rim width is 17mm+ then you could probably move up to 25mm.

[CASSIE1975]

intheknowcycling.com is a very informative website. They have a specific section on matching rim widths to tyre sizes. Their articles go into some detail and reference testing and studies. They would definitely recommend you are better off sticking with 23mm tyres if your inner rim width is only 15 mm. Apparently the too big difference between the inner rim width and tyre  will result in a light bulb effect on the tyre, compromising handling. Also there will be more aerodynamic drag (dirty air) where the rim and tyre meet. If your inner rim width is 17mm+ then you could probably move up to 25mm.

 

Thank you, much appreciated    knowledge is KING   I had an idea that this could be an issue, but now I think it's best to stay on 23mm for now...on this wheelset.

 

When I upgrade / buy a second hand set of wheels, I will look for wider rims to fit 25mm.

[eddy]

Thank you, much appreciated    knowledge is KING   I had an idea that this could be an issue, but now I think it's best to stay on 23mm for now...on this wheelset.

 

When I upgrade / buy a second hand set of wheels, I will look for wider rims to fit 25mm.

 

It is not an issue.

 

I regularly run 28mm GP4000's on an old set of narrow Open Pro rims. No noticeable problem at all and certainly not worth buying new rims for.

 

I for instance run 40mm Gravel tyres on a 17mm rim despite 37mm being the theoretical limit.

 

If Sheldon Brown says you can run 32mm tyres on your 15mm rims, you can safely do so. 25mm will definitely be safe particularly as he adds the following comment to his table :

 

Note: This chart may err a bit on the side of caution. Many cyclists exceed the recommended widths with no problem.

 

I for instance run 40mm Gravel tyres on a 17mm rim despite 37mm being the theoretical limit and have done so for 3 years and many 1000 km on both tar and dirt.

[Fat Boab]

It is not an issue.

 

I regularly run 28mm GP4000's on an old set of narrow Open Pro rims. No noticeable problem at all and certainly not worth buying new rims for.

 

I for instance run 40mm Gravel tyres on a 17mm rim despite 37mm being the theoretical limit.

 

If Sheldon Brown says you can run 32mm tyres on your 15mm rims, you can safely do so. 25mm will definitely be safe particularly as he adds the following comment to his table :

 

Note: This chart may err a bit on the side of caution. Many cyclists exceed the recommended widths with no problem.

 

I for instance run 40mm Gravel tyres on a 17mm rim despite 37mm being the theoretical limit and have done so for 3 years and many 1000 km on both tar and dirt.

 

 

100%. I have a set of 32mm touring tyres on open pros  - the conservative max tyre width from Sheldon Brown - and from eye-balling it, there's plenty of room to go to 35mm or greater. And the handling is fine. The caveat is the bike ain't a racing machine so I'm not taking every corner at maximum warp......

 

I looked for 23/25/28mm benefits etc on google a while ago. I can't find this particular article now, but it made sense at the time. The cushioning/dampening effect of a tyre relates to the cross section of the tube/tyre combo when at pressure. Approximating this shape to a circle of nominal diameter of 23 or 25mm, the increase in cross sectional area of 25 vs 23mm is over 18% (the ratio of the square of the tyre width/diameter). Or 28 vs 23 is over 48% increase. 

 

(NB I'm not saying the dampening effect is proportional to the ratios above, just related to....)