Minimum tyre widths

Headdy

Hi - after more than 1000 miles on my Giant Escape 4 Hybrid (<12mths) the back tyre has worn out, I am going to change both and am tempted to go for narrower tyres. Current width is 35mm can anyone advise on the minimum I can get without having to change the rims. All advice greatly appreciated.

07Lapierre

Why change tyre sizes?

Headdy

Thanks, 07Lapierre, I'm led to believe that I will get a better speed return for effort with the narrower tyres. I know the usual response - get a road bike, but that's not on for the time being.

kumate_champ07

hybrid rims are generally 22-25mm wide, so 25mm tyre would be fine, just measure the rim width. tyre cant be narrower than the rim

kumate_champ07

I'd go with 28mm, speed improvement but still robust

tomasrojo

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

I'd go with 28mm, speed improvement but still robust

I second this. I ran hybrid on 28s for years, and now run a tourer on 28s. It's a good compromise size.

km991148

Also some 25m tyres on hybrid rims can be a right p.i.t.a to fit i.e. very tight to go on - 28 will still roll much better and should fit nice.

Headdy

Thanks folks 28 it is - heres to a 20% improvement!

Keep_Her_Lit

I'd agree, 28mm should make for a good all rounder.

If you want to be sure that this represents a good fit for you rim, check the rim to see if it is marked with an ISO specification. It should read something like 622-XX, where "XX" is the rim width in mm.

This guide advises that tyre widths should be 1.4 to 2.2 times the rim width:
http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3802

So for a 28mm tyre, the rim should be no wider than 20mm. That sounds about right.

If there is no ISO marking, you can measure the internal distance between the rim flanges and add ~1mm, which will get you there or thereabouts.

Also, some rims are marked with maximum tyre pressure limits, e.g. 110psi for a 622-28 tyre. If so, observe the stated limit, otherwise the rim may be damaged. These upper limits are usually pretty high and you wouldn't want to exceed them anyway, as the ride would be too harsh.

blorg

Skinnier tyre does not necessarily mean faster. The type and quality of tyre is more important. For example, I doubt the Schwalbe Marathon Plus in 700x28 would be faster than a Marathon Racer in 700x35. If it was something like a Ultremo in 700x28, or similar 'race' tyre not available in bigger sizes, it could be faster, but it is more the tyre than the size.

I wouldn't put 28s on a hybrid, waste of time. You are compromising comfort for no good reason. Get good quality fast slick 35s and pump them to a reasonably high pressure. (I would recommend the aforementioned Marathon Racer for a fast 35.)

If you want to go faster see if you can lower your handlebars; that will have more of a benefit. Road bikes are faster primarily due to the riding position, not the tyre width.

smacl

I went from 38c Marathons to 32c Marathon Supremes about a month ago on my hybrid, for much the same reason as the OP and don't notice much difference in performance. Did get my first puncture in over a year though....

I did something similar for an old mountain bike with knobbly tires earlier in the year, and putting slicks on (Schwalbe city jets) made massive difference on the road. Also had two punctures on this set-up since the change.