B1KE

I currently have 30mm tires that came with my road bike and I want to swap them out for a 25mm. My question is do I have to buy a new wheel set as well as a new tire to accommodate it?

Or Do I just have to buy a new tire and the wheel I have will fit the smaller size?

prathmann

A given rim will fit a wide range of tire widths. I currently have 38mm tires on my Sequoia, but I've also run tires as narrow as 20mm on the same rims. Just get the 25mm tires and go ride.

CNC2204

Specialized Bicycle Components

You want these Homie, i recommend the 700x26, they ride like a 23, worlds fastest tire.

B1KE

Thanks CNC it's like you read my mind! My next post was gonna be what tire should I get. I'm going to take your choice into consideration because the S works Turbo looks like a great tire.

yankeefan

The short answer is no [to needing a new wheelset], you can run a wide range of tires sizes on a given rim just prathmann said. The long answer is that the width of the rim affects the shape of the tire to a much larger extent than the actual width of the tire, so it may be worthwhile finding out the internal width of your rim (its usually stickered on somewhere close to the decals) and the right tire width to optimize performance, rather than arbitrarily going with 25mm because you think its lighter/faster/all the pros use it/etc.

B1KE

I'm looking for something light and quick because I currently have 700x30cm speicalized espoir sport and they are comfy and great for gravel but I also want to feel what a more racey wheel will feel like. I want something that's mostly light weight and sporty but also has good puncture protection. Besides the S works turbo what else would everyone recommend?

B1KE

Thanks for your insight. That's exactly what I'm gonna do as I want to optimize performance as much as possible. From what I can gather I'm running a Axis Classic Disc Etro 622 x 16. Is that the right information? Sorry if its a simple question but I'm a beginner so this is all new to me. Thanks

Panza

Tire will stretch as needed to fit the rim, 5 or 10mm here and there shouldn't matter much. : ) I was worried about the same thing earlier this year.

B1KE

I like your quote Wouldn't the stretch lead to less puncture resistance?

Marcus_Ti

As someone who rode 23mm tires (IRL on my rims) for a long time...I've gone back to 28mm (32mm IRL on my wheels), and don't miss the 23mm tires one bit.

That "racy feel" on most real-life roads (ones the ProTour peloton never touches)...amounts to little more than getting your teeth rattled out of your head.


OP what do you weigh? I ask as most USA casual rider folks have no business on anything smaller than 25s at a minimum.

B1KE

I weight 170lb, I was thinking of getting the 26s turbo S works but they may be too racey from the reviews I've been reading. Still have many pros and cons to consider.

The Turbo S works 26s weight 220 and my current tires weight 440g so I'm confident it will make a difference. Ideally I want either a 25 or 26 size. What do you think?

CNC2204

S-WORKS TURBO is the "hold on to ur ass" tire ...

Better hope the rest of your bike is roadworthy cuz that tire will find the "weakest link" in your bike.

B1KE

What do you mean by this exactly? I have a Specialized Secteur Elite, it's not the best of the best bike but my purpose behind changing the tires is to get a more racey an faster feel because the 30mm espoir sport tires I have are great all around multi terrain tires.

Panza

It might not feel like a true 25mm tire because of the stretch, but you'll get most of the benefits as well as the draw backs. So a 26mm may feel more like a 25mm. Drawback of any thinner tire is the increased risk of pinch flats & less corner grip. Pump up that tire to the recommended PSI or more for increased puncture resistance. Your rear may not thank you though...
I used 40PSI on my 31mm's CX tires, 70~80PSI on my 30mm hybrid bike, and 100PSI on my 25mm and 110PSI on my 23mm for the road bikes. I'm 180~200lbs though you can add or decrease some depending on your weight.
If I'm not racing I like the reliability of gatorskins ... 25mm vs 28mm.

I'm only as slow as I lead you on to believe. ; )

RPK79

Just ignore them.

growlerdinky

lol

CNC2204

What i mean is if you havent had your bike in the shop for routine maintenance or have something thats worn and about to go the speed factor from these tires will wear out parts ......basically.

B1KE

Would I also need to change the tube if I get a different tire? The way I see the process now is I take my current tire, deflate it, remove it, put on the new tire, inflate it and I'm ready to go. Is this correct, if not what is the best procedure?

CNC2204

If the tube is more than a year old id replace it but thats me.

B1KE

How is your experience with the turbo S works? It looks like a great wheel based on the reviews here;

Specialized Road Tires 2014 - Slowtwitch.com

Only thing I'm afraid of is how puncture resistant they are and how they will hold up over time. I live about 20 km(12 miles approx) from nice flat roads so I have to deal with city potholed roads.

I was thinking either the S works Turbo or Paris Roubiax Pro, anyone else have any other good tire suggestions?

CNC2204

I run the Armadillos Elites in the winter, the S-WORKS TURBO has a kevlar belt and higher than average thread count on the sidewall to keep it light and puncture resistant.

I was concerned about not having a full kevlar tire but ive done 60 mile rides last 2 months and run over alot of stuff and had no issues.

The S-WORKS TURBO is everything you want in a race/fast tire, durable, light, great handling and then some.

Ive had regular Spesh Turbos, Armadillos, Condi hardshells and Mavic tires, the S-WORKS TURBO is by far the best.

Its your call at the end of the day, i have no skin in your game.

yankeefan

622 x 16 is the right info. Its a narrow box section wheel, which is an odd choice for a modern road bike but I suspect that its due to the fact that you're running disc brakes and/or specialized wanted to equip it [the bike] with a more versatile wheelset for light off-road use. The "standard" internal width for road wheels is usually 19, but wider widths are slowly becoming de facto. 25mm will be fine, but I doubt it will make you feel any racier unless you get one with low rolling resistance. I personally run and enjoy Schwalbe one tubeless, and I suspect that their non-tubeless version will be almost as good. GP 4000 IIs tend to be very popular around here, but they cost a pretty penny unless you import it from the UK. I've never used them myself so I can't comment much on the quality.

yankeefan

The tire widths that are compatible with your tube are usually printed on the tube itself, so once you remove your tires you can inspect it. You can ignore the recommended tire widths as they tend to be conservative, but if you exceed them by too much (more than +/- 5mm) you run the risk of your tube not expanding to its intended size and likely

a) microscopic tears that will leak air slowly - I call these ghosts punctures as they are usually impossible to detect with the naked eye and leak air too slowly for you to hear it fizzing. Happens when you use a tube that's too small and it stretches in an attempt to fill the tire

or

b) tube expands too much and unseats the tire effectively forcing it off the rim. Happens when you use a tube that's too large

B1KE

Thanks for your detailed review. I will def look into them. How many miles should I expect to get out of them?

B1KE

Thanks for the awesome explanation!