starkmojo

back when I was cycling all the time and a svelt 275 lbs I could run my CAAD 7 on 700 by 23... well what with the baby, new job moving and all I havent biked much in months. I got a blowout and I assumed it was from forgetting to check my tire pressure. Got the tube replaces and it blew out again a week later (about 100 miles) and this time I was certain it was fully inflated before I left. (100lbs) The LBS kind delicately mentioned I might want to get 25s for the rear to spread the load. Which I did. And he took the time to show me how to replace a tube, which will be great next time as the last blow out lead to a very long walk.

Good news is I learned a new skill. Bad news is I feel like I am going backwards having to get fat tires.

TrojanHorse

since when is 25mm considered a fat tire? Half the pro peloton rides on 25mm tires!

sstorkel

I run my tires at 100psi rear/90 psi front, but I'm 100+ pounds lighter than you are. At your weight, you probably need to be inflating your tires to the maximum pressure allowed by the tire (or rim; whichever is lower). Psimet's recommendation has always worked well for me. Just remember not to go over the maximum pressure allowed by the tire/rim, no matter what the formula says.

donalson

here is a good baseline (use the second box)
https://www.dorkypantsr.us/bike-tire-...alculator.html

at my weight it says I should inflate a 23c tire to 220psi... on a 28c that goes down to 156psi and on a 32c its 120psi...

in short... for me the smallest rear tire I can reasonably run using this chart as a gauge is a 32c... that isn't to say that tons of people my weight haven't pulled of riding skinny tires but it's a good baseline all the same

starkmojo

143 lbs seems like a lot... lets just say I will inflate it to the maximum allowed by the companents

bbeck

I run 25's on mine @ 330# & 110 psi with no issues. Im running gatorskins now had hard case lites on before. Both great tires and only one pinch flat running low pressure.

ahultin

I am @305 and run 25 gatorskins at 120 psi and top them off before EVERY ride. I have run 23's but find the 25's more comfortable and would go to 28's if they would fit

bobotech

Around 350+ pounds for me and I run generally 25c or 28c depending. I am running 32c hard case lites right now and love them though but they seem somewhat slower than the 25c on my other road bike.

I run max pressures at my weights.

starkmojo

as close as the 25s are on my CAAD i dont think 28s would fit.

Bill Kapaun

I'm only 235 and tried running a 23mm up front. It was just too harsh for my liking and I went back to my 26mm.
It produces less "road buzz", and thus less numbness in my hands.
I like "skinny" tires, but i also like a bit of comfort.

squatchy

On the 41 there was a recent thread that had graphs showing that 25's ride with less rolling resistance than 23's and they sure as hell ride way better than 23's. One thing that makes a difference is both the rim and the rubber being 25. Cant beat that.

Cyril 

You are not too fat for your tires. You are too fat for your tires at the pressure you like to run them.
100 psi will give you pinch flats...as you are now aware.
143 psi is dead on for someone of your weight running 23s.
If that is greater pressure than your tire will allow, get a higher pressure tire.
Or a wider tire...(which you have done)

starkmojo

Well I am running a 25 in the rear (thats the tire that kept blowing... the tire itself was also pretty shredded from my winter commuting in the hinterlands of PDX- late nights and glassy pathways do not a happy commute make..) and took it for a spin on one of my usual routes. It felt a bit more sluggish but the time was pretty typical for me (10 miles @12.7 MPH- sad I know) so maybe its just psychocomatic feeling of sluggishness. I plan on waiting till I blow the front out before replacing it- now that I have a spare tube and CO2 tire inflator I feel a lot more comfortable saying that. The tire says max 100PSI but I filled it to 110 and we shall see how that goes. I dont ming going over by 10%, but 43%? seems pushing it to me .

Bill Kapaun

Since you're in PDX.....

I have these on my hybrid. Although the website shows less, max pressure listed on the tire is 140 PSI (26mm)

I've been very pleased with mine, which are probably getting close to 2000 miles.

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/panaracer-stradius-sport-tire-folding

Hairy Hands

This may not be a popular answer, but a person your size should be on 32 to 41mm tires. If your over 200 lbs most likely u are not actually racing so why be on a bike made for racing. I fell for this scenario for years and didn't find nirvana till I gave up thinking i had to have a racing bike. Get a cyclocross bike or similar and all your tire problems will go away

brons2

I prefer a thinner casing tire for getting a better road feel and less harsh ride. On my faster bike I ride Michelin Pro3 Race 700x23 with 120PSI (max sidewall pressure 116...). Seems to work out pretty good most of the time. The tires don't last that long but I enjoy them while they do. I weighed in at 268 last Friday. This bike will not accommodate anything bigger than a 700x23 under the front fork so I pretty much had to find something I liked in that size or not ride the bike. Or maybe get a new fork.

On my Rivendell I run 700x30 Grand Bois Cypress, love them! But they last even shorter than the Michelins, I get less than 1000 miles out of a back tire and they are expensive to boot. But for a wide tire they sure do roll nice and 85PSI max pressure is sublime.

ursle

Tufo, sewup's with a bead for regular rims, 220tpi, 220lbs of air, which may I add is half the bursting pressure, lot's of tread choices, lot's of price points, I run 'em around 145 and I weigh 165, any softer feels mushy, couldn't imagine 90 or below harder just feels harder, not faster, just sayin...
Basically the feel of a sew up, indestructible, and able to take air...

jc650

At my heaviest, 305 I was riding on Schwalbe Durano plus 25's. Max rec pressure was 115. I ran them at 125 on some bad roads and they were fine. I can not recommend these tires highly enough. Yes they are heavier but they are outstanding for durability. I don't necessarily agree that you have to give up a pure road bike cause your over 200 lbs. I don't weigh 300 anymore but I always enjoyed this style of bike over any other kind out there.

Jason300

My madone came with Bontrager R2 23mm tires and I wore them out. Got a replacement set of R2 take-offs for free but they were 25m. So much more comfortable. I don't feel as beat up during the ride.

I started getting a lot of flats. About 1 per week so annoying. Finally after inspection of the tires and tubes I found the flats were happening because of glass/thorns/somethingelsesharp puncturing the tire and tube.

I now have a Bontrager AW1 hard case tire on the rear. I have not had a flat in a couple hundred miles.

I am 6' 280lbs and my tires are topped off at 120psi at the start of every ride. Not doing so will get you a "snake bite" style flat in short order.

Typical group rides are at 15-17mph and fast rides average 19mph+. I have not noticed any difference in speed when I moved to the 2mm wider tire.

starkmojo

Ok I am glad driving a cyclecross bike works for you. . . but yeah its not the same for me.

How do I know? Because I also own a cyclecross bike and its like driving a truck or an SUV. Its awesome when I want to head onto gravel putter around with 80lbs of kids in tow on a trailer, but does it compare with bombing down some 11% grade on a road bike- not hardly. Maybe you dont understand I am not racing I am riding my CAAD, like I dont race my motorcycle but I enjoy a spirited ride, hard cornering, fast handling and pushing the limits of my machine and myself. Now a congential heart defect and 25 years of smoking have ruined racing for me but please dont think I need a f@cking hoveround just because I am fat. My CAAD is 7 years old and has 1000s of miles on it with my fat ass bearing down on it and it still survives. I have hit 50 MPH on a downhill, gotten a speeding ticket (45 in a 35... only in California) climbed hills and taken on traffic in PDX, SEA, & NYC, never weighing less than 275, the only alteration to the bike is a 32 spoke rear wheel. So to say I need a Xcross bike is a bit of a stretch.

Secondly I know my own habits and I wont ride as fast, as far or as hard on the Kona because it just isnt that much fun. If I want to lose weight I need to get off the couch and in the saddle and the CAAD gets me there, gives me that thing in my reptilian brain that I need from riding. I love digging into that bike and making it scream down the road, pass lycra wearing posers puttering down the road (dont get me wrong real lycras leave me in the dust, as well they should). Two days ago and chugged my way up the Point Richmond hillside for an hour to spend fourty seconds screaming down the other side. I love seeing how far I can go in the short amount of time I have to ride (1-2 hours usualy)... thats not the kind of thing you take the truck out for.

starkmojo

Well update- Now that i have been running a 25 on the rear (I am just waiting for the fron 23 to blow or wear out... why waste a good tire?) @120 front and rear the last 150 miles without a blow out. Yesterday I biffed a corner on bike path and bit the rear wheel pretty har on the corner of the sidewalk. I was certain I had blown the rear... but no. So while I cannot say the issue is resloved it certainly seeems better at any rate, and though the tires say 100 max psi, 120 seems to be ok for now.

Null66

My marathon plus (38) on the back seem to like 95. First time I put it over 85.
Rides MUCH better and is quiet!

Anyone know where to find max tire / rim combination pressures?

Sayre Kulp 

You're not too fat.

I run 700x23's at 100psi and I'm around 290.