Long Tom

When I bought my bike, used, it had a 25mm up front and a 23mm rear tire. They were new-ish so I've been riding it that way. 600 miles later the tires, rear especially, are showing enough wear to justify replacing.

The bike is a comfortable smooth ride (Spec Sequoia with carbon folk/stays/seatpost) so I'm not feeling the need to soften the ride.

Trying to decide between 23/25. Are 23's more efficient, faster? 25's more durable, softer ride? Or what?

My rides are 25-35 miles every other day and involve lots of hills and also extended flats some days. I'm not racing, but I do try to go as fast as I can.

I'm a Clydesdale at 6-4" 220 if that factors.

Also soliciting input on what brand tire to try. Flatting hasn't been a problem, and I just jinxed myself big time, but I think I'd give up a little ultimate efficiency for durability. A little.

10 Wheels

If I liked the present ride from the tires, I would just buy the same brand new ones.

Tires don't always measure out to what is listed on the sidewall.

I have some 25"s that measure out 20"s.
Have some 35"s that measure out 40"s

WHOOOSSHHH...

25's easily a better ride

Scooper

On my two main rides, I have 25s on one and 23s on the other. I'm getting ready to put 25s on the one that currently has 23s as 25s seem to be better at smoothing out the ride. Performance-wise, I can't tell the difference.

10 Wheels

I ride 23"s for a smooth ride just run a lower PSI.

Silvercivic27

25s don't fit the front or rear of any of my bikes with standard or wide rims, so it's 23 or less for me. Make sure they fit your frame or you may have to buy 2 sets of tires!

LansingWes

Before I tried them for myself, I thought 25s were a bit over-hyped. I thought that maybe the comfort was being overplayed and the seeming non-effect on performance exaggerated. Then I bought a pair and now I don't think I'll ever switch back to 23s.

Brian Ratliff

I ride 25s in the winter so I can lower the pressure (95-100psi) to avoid puncture flats while keeping out of the pinch flat range. The wider tires with lower pressure also help with grip on rain slicked roads.

I ride 23s in the summer with higher pressure (105-110) because they are faster.

Silvercivic27

You should try 28s or a full suspension MTB! You may never go back to the road bike!

LansingWes

I've got far too much invested in lycra to ride anything else!

darb85

https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/...f-wheel-energy

wider is better both ride quality and rolling resistance.

Silvercivic27

I ride my MTB in Lycra! It's totally pro!

sosojeffcc

I ride a 23mm in front and a 25mm in back. front fork doesn't fit the 25mm.

squatchy

25's for sure. Get Continental 4 seasons. Unless your a die hard hammer head you won't notice them being any slower and you'll appreciate the ride quality. The 4 seasons have a high thread count as well as pretty bomb proof and they last a long time

garysol1 

The Sequoia is a comfort road bike. With that and your body weight in the equation I think a 25c is a no brainer. Che k out the Michelin Pro4 Endurance for a fast tire with good wear characteristics.

Long Tom

Thank you; I'll stick a good 25 on there tomorrow, and ride it, and report back.

Avispa

I did ride Continental Force and Attack (22 front/24back), changed to Schwalbe Ultremo ZX 25 (F/R).
A bit smoother, slower up hills, might be placebo.. but they feel slower on accelerations to.
I changed due to the fact that the Contis were destroyed running over wet ashalt.
All in all, i'd prefer the Contis for speed and acceleration.
Psi, well i have been running from low to high and all the inbetweens.

coasting 

My first bike came with 18.

sreten

Hi,

I'm average weight and height (and 50+), don't race just
ride. 30mm near slick rear and 32mm semi slick front.
About 65 psi rear and 50 psi front, come into their own
on rough tarmac, still roll pretty well on smooth tarmac.

I don't understand skinny tyres for mere mortals.

Big guys need fatter tyres, they are generally faster.
You could run a 28mm in the back, same pressure
as the 25mm front. Around 90psi for 220 lbs rider.

rgds, sreten.

A 23mm rear with a 90psi 25mm front needs about 130psi.
A 25mm rear with a 90psi 25mm front needs about 110psi.

JerrySTL

I weigh about the same as the OP. Around where I live we have a lot of chip and tar. Therefore I switched from 23s to 25s and dropped pressure from 120 to 100 psi.

My best results in both a double-century and 24 hour ride came on the 25s. I didn't get beat up as much.

DPN

Same here. Was really surprised that I could tell a difference. It may all be in my head but I don't seem to feel as many bumps and less vibration. DPN

Long Tom

Tire on, about to ride. 96 degrees. Holy carp it's hot.

I'm seeing the variation in tire sizes you guys mentioned. The 25 I just bought (Continental) looks visibly narrower that the 25 up front (I forget).

Had to talk the salesdude down from Gatorskins. Now just watch, I'll flat for sure!

cbresciani

Very interesting article, thanks for the link.

Long Tom

Yes, it is a great read/link.

33 hilly miles later... I dunno, my bike is "comfort" geo and has flexy carbon bits here and there.... can't really say it (the 25) felt any smoother. However, the bike did track tangibly better at higher speeds. I don't know if that's due to now having the same width tires.... or due to my old tire, the 23, having worn itself flat instead of round.

I didn't FEEL slower; it was a route variation I'd never done before so I don't have anything to compare to, really.

I do need to get an air pressure gauge that works with the Presti valves. I have no idea what pressure I'm running, other than "hard".

It was shocking to see that I could easily pay $80 for a BIKE TIRE. That's car tire prices! Man. I do think I deserve a pat on the back for escaping the new Performance Bicycles store in town with just (1) new tire.

garysol1 

A accurate gauge is a necessity not an option if you want good ride quality and long life out of your tires. Who knows if your running 80psi or 120psi?