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Are 25 mm road tires skid prone?

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Are 25 mm road tires skid prone?

Old 05-08-21, 07:22 PM
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Aagra1207
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Are 25 mm road tires skid prone?

I am new to this forum so please excuse me if my question sounds stupid..
i recently moved from trek fx4 hybrid/sport bike to cannondale super sixevo…this have 25mm tires and I am bit heavy (220lb) is it risky to ride in these thin tires?
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Old 05-08-21, 07:36 PM
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You might get a Flat.
Do you know how to change a tube?
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Old 05-08-21, 08:24 PM
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Skidding is caused by applying the rear brake too much. Use the front brake primarily since it has the most stopping power. I use the rear brake for general slowing, but the front for harder braking and stopping.

25 mm tires should be fine for you.
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Old 05-08-21, 08:27 PM
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I ride 25mm and do just fine and I'm heavier then you. Skidding just means you're squeezing the levers too hard or you need to shift your weight. If you have to stop hard and fast move your weight back but I don't find skidding to be a problem with this size.
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Old 05-08-21, 08:56 PM
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Like the others said, more front and less back brake, but never use the front without the back.
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Old 05-08-21, 09:50 PM
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Most new tires need a little break-in period to feel right. It's not unusual for any bike tire to be squeaky when brand new and feel a bit sketchy on fast curves and hard braking. But they should be fine after around 20 miles.

Also, specs for some Canondale Supersix Evo models show that bike is equipped with Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Slicks. I haven't ridden that particular tire but the Vittoria Zaffiro was the harshest riding, sketchiest road bike tire I've ridden. It had poor grip on fast curves and skidded on braking if I didn't feather the brakes -- and this was with an old school steel road bike with the mushy, anemic rim brakes that were typical of that era.

If the tires still don't feel quite right after a couple hundred miles you might consider another set. If the tires will clear the frame without rubbing, you might try a 700x28 set. But don't squeeze in wider tires if there's any risk of rubbing -- it can damage the frame. I've seen a few carbon fiber bikes with badly worn inner chain stays where the owner tried to squeeze in tires that were too wide and rubbed the chain stays until the paint was gone and the carbon fiber was exposed. I don't know how they didn't notice the tire rubbing. It must have been like riding the brakes while pedaling.

Even the low cost Continental Ultra Sport II was far better than the Vittoria Zaffiro tires I tried in 2017. The only downside to the Conti Ultra Sport II is that most users report the tire is very difficult to mount without a bead jack. I always use a Kool Stop bead jack with mine. Unfortunately it got to be a PITA to carry a bead jack on every ride so now the bike with Conti Ultra Sport II tires is on my trainer. I mostly prefer Continental GP Classics and Soma Supple Vitesse tires on my road bikes, but there are a zillion really good tires out there. It's always a compromise between rolling quality, puncture resistance and durability.
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Old 05-09-21, 08:04 AM
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Simple physics will tell you the answer. If you compare the area of tire in contact with the road surface between a 25 mm (~1") tire and a wider tire as you might find on a mountain bike (1.75"), there is significantly less tire in contact with the road for the narrower tire. You are more likely to lose traction with the narrower tire. Some of this can be partly offset by using a more aggressive tread or stickier rubber composition. Just ride knowing the limits to the bike you are riding. I learned to slow down before making a corner turn if the pavement was wet with runoff from lawn irrigation but it took a few close calls.

With your weight taken into consideration, don't run the tires at the lower end of the correct pressure range or you may get more pinch flats than you would if you run it at the higher end. Most tires have the range or maximum pressure embossed somewhere in the sidewall. Lots of riders your weight ride bikes with even narrower tires without problems.
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Old 05-09-21, 08:22 AM
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Persons weighing much more were riding road bikes back in the days of skinny 18 mm tires. They didn't seem to think width of the tire was a problem.

As for skid, are you asking about skidding while braking or skidding in a turn. With either, it's technique you have to learn. Some brakes just grab and stop the wheel quicker. So you learn to modulate your braking pressure with more finer finesse. Similarly on turns you find out how fast you can go, how sharp you can turn and how much lean to put into them.

Geometry and your position matter too. Typically your rear wheel carries the most weight, but going down a steep incline, the weight on your wheels will shift and you'll find your rear wheel easier to skid with less brake force. Same for turns down steep hills, so be careful, especially till you get a handle on it.

You can always be dazzled by the math, but those calculations don't mean much when they aren't made using your bike's geometry and the position you ride or even the surface you are riding on.
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Old 05-09-21, 09:07 AM
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It's not just the incline. Braking throws your weight forward, which is why cars, and even some bikes have larger disks on the front wheel. This unweights the rear wheel. This is why I tend to brake with two fingers in the front lever and one on the rear. It doesn't take much effort to skid the rear wheel under hard braking, especially on descents.
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Old 05-09-21, 10:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Homebrew01
Skidding is caused by applying the rear brake too much. Use the front brake primarily since it has the most stopping power. I use the rear brake for general slowing, but the front for harder braking and stopping.

25 mm tires should be fine for you.
I think you missed the point. I don’t think Aagra is talking about skidding during braking. I suspect the question has more to do with sliding during cornering. Technically still a “skid” but most people would call it a “slide”.

Originally Posted by Aagra1207
I am new to this forum so please excuse me if my question sounds stupid..
i recently moved from trek fx4 hybrid/sport bike to cannondale super sixevo…this have 25mm tires and I am bit heavy (220lb) is it risky to ride in these thin tires?
Assuming that you are talking about a slide during cornering rather than a slide (skid) during braking, the size of the tire has only marginally impact. The conditions on the road and the way you ride have much more impact. A wider tire may change the contact patch slightly but that’s only a tiny gain in friction which is what you need to keep the bike from sliding in corners. Knowing how to corner...outside pedal down and pushing on the pedal with your weight...as well as reading the road...seeing debris in corners...will probably have more impact on cornering ability than the width of the tire. I ride tires from 23mm to 55mm. None of them are any better or worse in corners than the others.
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Old 05-09-21, 04:48 PM
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Overinflate the tires, do silly things with the brakes, throw your weight around, look for wet leaves, the bike will skid just fine.
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