u235

Long thread with many replies so this may have been mentioned already. Tire size plays a factor in comfort, grip, feel, resistance, quality etc but even more important is the specific brand/model tire itself. There are 28c tires that feel like a frozen garden hose and 28c tires that don't. Size does matter in this case but so does everything else.

Fourbtgait

Intriguing thread, glad I found it as I have just gotten back to riding my CAAD9 after 10 years. Original 23 Vittoria Zaffiro Pro tires on it that I never gave a second thought back then to the quality of. Now older, smarter and google savvy I find that they are a good tire. Only reason I thought of going larger was to smooth out the expansion cracks on local bike trails. But only up to a 25, never imagining going to 28. 23 sucks in loose gravel at trailhead parking lot but I love how I can throw the bike around, accelerate on them. I would hate to lose that feeling going to wide, thinking I can keep it with a GP5000 in a 25 and smooth it a little. I still like that edge at 63.
thanks to all of you, I learned a lot reading all of the posts.

Russ Roth

So the new frame I built up I tried to fit a 25mm challenge tire on a 22mm internal width rim and there wasn't enough space to make me happy, the tire measured 28mm wide on that rim. I've since built velocity a23 and have put 23mm Conti on it which I pumped to 90 being a heavier guy. Riding down the street has felt very smooth, grippy and nice and light to throw around. On this rim it measures about 24mm and the wider rim makes it feel nicer than the old open pros did, feels faster too.
i did like the ride of the challenge and will be building the rim with a match into my original race bike which will easily handle the wider width. Admittedly the combo feels fairly quick and nimble as well but not quite as nice, but will do well for the rough roads I prefer riding the steel frame and fork of the old bike on.

SethAZ 

I rode 28s and liked them so much I figured why stop there, and the tires on my bike right now are 32mm, and I love them. They're not run-of-the-mill 32s, and weigh just a few grams more than typical 28s. I love them.
No, 28s aren't run at the same pressure as 25s. You'll run them lower (lower max pressure rating on the sidewall too).

I didn't lose any speed at all, and gained comfort. It was a win/win.

I've run tubeless and tubed, and am currently running tubed (my current tires aren't TL either so if I try TL again it'll have to be after these wear out). The tubeless had great road feel, and I had at least two instances I know of where I ran over something, heard the hiss, and then it stopped and I rode on. I may try TL again, we'll see.

rumrunn6

Yes to 28s commuted on them for a cpl years. They’re just right. But right now been riding 25s past decade

Carbonfiberboy 

28 and 32mm work great on our tandem, 285 lb. team weight, 95 psi. I ride 23mm on my singles, 100 rear, 80 front..

eduskator

Looks like 28 is becoming (or is already?) the new standard in race bikes, isn't it? I always look around when I am in bicycle shops and I see many 2020s with OEM 28mm.

Research seem to indicate they are indeed more efficient & more comfortable. Pwwwwoblem solved!

thehammerdog

28's on good steel is like riding a cadillac ....smoove.

RiceAWay

It isn't nearly so much the size as the road surfaces you ride over that the specific tire. I really was shocked going from 23 mm Continentals to 28 mm Michelin Pro4 tires on our rotten roads here. The difference in ride and speed was immediately plain. I'm a pretty large guy, 6'4" and 190 lbs and that definitely makes a difference but the pros are using 26 mm wide tubular tires presently on most of their "smooth road" European races. I tried Schwalb and a few others but they didn't rode nearly as well as the Michlin's.

I was curious about why they were still using tubular tires and questioned it on another site. All of the group "experts" spent several weeks telling me that they were the best tires ever, to ride (I rode tubulars racing and was never very impressed with them). I said that I had rolled a tubular a couple of times in races only to be told that I was stupid and didn't know what I was doing.. Those tires were glued on by a man who worked his entire life as a bike mechanic, made his own frames and supported his own semi-pro teams.

Well, I got a private email from one of the pro mechanics who said that the only reason that they use them is because they have limited roof rack room and that when a team member gets a flat you give him a tire off of the roof rack, and take the flat into the car and as you're pulling him back to the group (illegal but everyone does it) the mechanic can strip the bad tubie off and throw a pre-glued one on, CO2 it to the proper pressure and lean out the window and stick the repaired wheel into the roof rack wheel carrier. I could not even ride my Time Edge VR with 23 mm tires on it. It was far too painful to ride. Yet with the 28's on it, it became one of the nicest riding bikes I ever owned. But it was early and consequently a heavy carbon bike and I moved on.

I mentioned that to these "experts" who again told me I was stupid and no one did that. But watching the Tour de France coverage I saw team mechanics leaning out and putting repaired flats onto the roof rack. I suppose that no one informed these mechanics that they didn't know what they were doing and were stupid.

RiceAWay

It all has to do with the weight of the rider and the size of the bike. None of the tires used in the grand tours are over-the-counter. They are all custom made for teams. The last I heard was that the average tire width was 26 mm. Well, makes sense since most pros are pretty light.

As for OEM's - maybe that reflects our pus guts. At the end of a season I'm generally back down to 180 lbs and can really tell the difference climbing.

Wildwood 

Don't us tubular people get a category? - you're not even considering the best tires? Bike must not be worthy!

...no need to reply.....

Rides4Beer

Recently bumped from 28mm GP5Ks to 32mm GP5Ks, and it just keeps getting better. On my stock wheels, the 32's are only about 1mm wider than the 28's on my wide wheels, but they're significantly taller, so def more volume. More comfort, more grip, no loss of speed (yes, I'm sure in a wind tunnel or TT there's a difference, but normal/fast riding around on crappy roads, gimme the extra rubber). If you've got the room, go for it, they're great!

Nman

Not sure why anyone runs a tyre that small. 32mm minimum, vastly superior. Lower pressure, more grip, more confidence.

kansukee

I only run tubulars and just went up to a 28mm Veloflex Raven. Used to run Vlaanderens which are spec'ed at 27mm and I loved the soft ride; can't imagine these being any worse.

diphthong

i'll continue to be one of the few, riding tubular, dissenting voices. i find 28's heavy and slow. rather have the bars double wrapped to minimize road chatter and run 23's to
maintain what little nimbleness, acceleration, handling and lightness they give me vs 28's...or 25's. if all i rode were flats, i'd probably feel differently. if i'm doing a tour
with some/all roads i've never ridden, i'd be more predisposed to do 25's vs 28's. if i'm doing a road ride with a significant percentage (20+%) of dirt/gravel section(s),
then yes, slap on the 28's. i haven't found 28's (or 25's) to be less/more prone to flats or wear than 23's with the same manufacturer/model.
i run the 23's at 95-100 and weigh abo 180. to each their own...

NumbersGuy

I've recently moved from GP4000 25 to Michelin Power Protection + 28 and could not be happier with them. I previously had used Schwalbe Marathon Plus 25 as there is a ton of debris on the roads where I ride and I was tired of puncture flats from small sharp objects penetrating the tire. Those tires were relatively heavier, slower and harsher riding than I'd like but being able to ride without ever getting a flat was a worthy trade off. I decided while riding in another part of the country to go back to the GP4000 25s and they were definitely much better riding and noticeably faster than the Marathons, which was enjoyable on the smooth, debris free tarmac I was riding on. But back on my usual roads, I began having to deal with the periodic punctures again. I also tried a set of Specialized Turbo Pro 26 w/ blackbelt protection that I had on hand, but found those to not offer much better puncture resistance.

I didn't want to go all the way back to the Marathons and researched to find a happy medium, as well as determining whether my Ultegra 6800 brake calipers would clear 28c tires. I ended up with the Michelins as they seemed to offer considerable puncture protection without the weight and stiffness of the Marathons. I've found that with the lower pressure I can run on the 28s, they're very comfortable, have excellent grip and thus far with a few hundred miles I haven't had any punctures. They are 299g in 28 vs the GP4000 25 at 225g and Specialized Turbo 26 at 250g; meanwhile the Schwalbe Marathons 25 at 580g so not nearly the weight penalty of the Marathons with thus far similar flat protection. I only have experience with this one tire in 28, so how much is the 28 vs the 25 I can't say at this point, but I am finding this 28 setup to be pretty ideal for my riding conditions thus far. I'd definitely recommend trying a 28, especially if your paved roads are not super smooth.

Kapusta

Yep. 32mm is now my “pavement only” tire size.

ABQIan

I put 28 Gatorskins on whatever road bike will fit them. Seems to hold up better here in the land of glass and goatheads than narrower models -- it might be in my head but they seem to impart a certain security and I don't notice a speed penalty.

cynracer

I went from 23's to 28's on a Specialized Roubaix, made a world of difference, especially on the rougher portions of the asphalt

79pmooney

There are two other factors - safety and wheel changes. Wheel changes; a tubular can be ridden flat to a good point to make the swap, even if that is a long distance. Safety; a well glued tubular stays on after blowouts, even at high speed. Braking to a stop is no big deal. I've blown out tubulars downhill going 45. Big heart rate spike but the stop to change the tire was just routine. You can ride and brake on the blown tire (gently). There are pros with enough standing to insist they ride tubulars. Some even having accounts at a top tubular maker. The rest ride what their sponsor offers and try not to think of consequences on mountain descents,

Pure speculation here - those mechanics know that if they run out of spares, that rider cannot finish under the time limit and is out of the Tour and can no longer assist his team leader. Simply not acceptable. I bet that re-tired wheel is not used until the rest of the spares have been depleted. (After all, the mechanic's job and reputation are on the line, A rolled tire doesn't look good for him and may well have big consequences on team earnings. But a rider not finishing because they ran out of wheels? Also not good. Those mechanics earn their pay.)

Edit: You rode tubulars racing and weren't impressed? Did you ride good ones? I raced the Criterium Setas in the '70s like so many of us did. I'm guessing they were no wider than 23c. (Most tires didn't say and width numbers wasn't really in the lingo yet.) Magic carpets. Completely trustworthy cornering. Handled any road surface. Perfect for racing down Smuggler's Notch in VT in the rain, glasses pulled down my nose so I could "see" (barely). Going around corners I'd never seen before but had been told brakes were not needed. Thankfully there was a yellow line. My poor eyesight could see that. Now those tubulars all had their flaws, usually in the stitching around the valve. (Just like true magic carpets - handmade in Persia.) But once you were riding, that didn't matter.

Ben

Racing Dan

Im sure, if you wanted, you could glue a clincher too ;-) - or just not ride paper thin race tyres down a mountain a ludicrous speed. Thats just asking for it ...

tomato coupe

If a mechanic can strip a tubular off a rim and mount a new one in the back seat of a team car, he/she can certainly replace a clincher tube in the back seat of a team car.

Hermes

I recently got a new bike that came with Roval 50 and 28mm tires. The tires match the Roval 50 rims perfectly. I would speculate that the aero drag coefficient is pretty good but the frontal area not so good. The ride is nice and rolling resistance is great.

I think it gets down to how fast are you going to go and what is the road surface. I will take narrow and higher pressure on good roads versus wider and lower pressure.

justonwo

That is my feeling as well. I find 25 mm tires plenty comfortable for the roads I ride and don’t need low pressure and 28s. They’re fine. I have them on my Roubaix, but I don’t need the added cushion.

dr_max

just had both of my continental GP4000S side walls slashed by road shoulder gravel. But they ride great.