Tires for road bike

enoonan

Lo All,
Long time looker, first time poster.

I bought a Specialized Allez in Feb and have being doing a bit of cycling since to try and get a bit fitter. The biggest problem I have at the moment is cycling on the brutal roads around where I live near Bruff in Co. Limerick.
The Allez has 700 X 23 tires and they are on a set of Alex S500 Rims (standard kit). I was wondering would it be possible to get a more comfortable ride and less vibration through the bike with a bigger set of tires, say 700 x 30 or am I just being daft?? Would tires that wide even fit onto the rims?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Eoin

Doc_Savage

you could be tight for clearance on the bike... i wouldn't bother going that big.

if you want to remove shock then get nice padded cycling gloves or bar tape with gel inserts.

Lumen

Rims are not the problem, it's the clearances that will limit your tyre choice.

25mm will be more comfortable (as long as you run slightly lower pressures). What pressures are you running now?

You may just need to keep at it and be patient whilst your body adapts. Stand on the pedals a bit more over bumps, keep a nice bend at the elbow.

Slowness is the enemy of ride comfort - try and cycle faster.

enoonan

Thanks guys for the info.
Not sure what pressure is in the tires at the moment as I don't have a gauge that fits Presta valves. But its hard enough that I cannot squeeze the tire that easily
Might see if I can pick up some goo tape for the handle bars as suggested I have fairly good gloves as it is.

I'm not that concerned about the vibrations myself but more so worried about the damage they could do to the bike and rims or am I just being over cautious?

Thanks again

Eoin

Lumen

enoonan wrote: »

I'm not that concerned about the vibrations myself but more so worried about the damage they could do to the bike and rims or am I just being over cautious?

You're being over cautious. Your body will break before your bike does.

enoonan wrote: »

Not sure what pressure is in the tires at the moment as I don't have a gauge that fits Presta valves.

Get a track pump with a gauge. 10% pressure difference makes a huge difference to ride quality.

blorg

700x25c tyres will make a big difference to comfort, more so I think than gel bar tape.

Some road bikes particularly at the entry level will take up to 700x28c but anything bigger would not be possible.

Chris Peak

blorg wrote: »

700x25c tyres will make a big difference to comfort, more so I think than gel bar tape.

Some road bikes particularly at the entry level will take up to 700x28c but anything bigger would not be possible.

I tried gel bar tape and it only helped a bit.
I then changed the 700x23 tyres, which were murder, for some 700x 28's and now it's great.

enoonan

Thanks guys. That info is most appreciated.

Eoin