Originally Posted by
John E
Warning regarding tire sizes: not all tires with a 700Cx28 callout size are equal in width or height. My Bianchi can take Continental 28s, which run a couple of mm small, but no way can it accommodate Specialized 28s.
Putting calipers on your tires is both enlightening and sometimes discouraging. I like the Vittoria Corsa Gs and Panaracer Paselas. Often, but not always, their dimensions are spot on. That Vitt 25c tubbie that rubbed on my old race bike was 25mm exactly. A true 24c would be tight but work. The 23c was so small it looked like it was hanging out in a touring bike. (22.3 mm) I bought a pile of those 23s. (Cheap and required to keep that bike going.) Haven't measured the rest but I put all on rims and inflated them and they all look identical. (Great QC. Just not what I really want. But they do ride great.)
Note - the above tires were tubulars where rim width has no effect at all on tire width. In fact, the rim isn't even needed to inflate the tire to full pressure. It's just a poor practice to inflate tubulars not mounted because the hoop they form turns inside out and stretches the stitching.