Another (what could be very dumb) question

[SPHDS]

As my bike is proving so unreliable at the moment (and the motorbike is in the garage after someone tried to nick it!) I have been riding my mum's bike, which is great - reliable, good brakes etc! Only problem is the fact that the tyres seem about a mile wide (700x41), so becomes a bit of an effort after a while, particularly after the 700x28's on my Raleigh! What is the narrowest tyre I can concievably fit to the bike?

Cheers
Sam

 

[Phill P]

You don't want the narrowest. Most people run 700x23c on road bikes as going 20 or 19mm is too hard a ride and actually slows you down.

Assuming you don't have really wide rims then try fitting 25s or 23s. They will feel harsher than riding 28s.

 

[SPHDS]

Will check, but pretty sure rims are wider than those on my Raleigh, the current tyres are veritable balloons! All I was wondering was to go less than the 41's without fitting a silly tyre - not going to assume I can fit a racing tyre as the bike is one of those enourmous TREK Town/Country things with emourmous handlebars - very comfortable and less bumpy than the Raleigh, but a bit of an effort in the long run!
Also what is the narrowest I can get away with on the Raleigh for not going over quite so billiard table smooth surfaces - ie cyclepath/towpath (Kennet & Avon near Bath - my commute into work) Want something for minimum effort and maximum reliability!

 

[Phill P]

Well how wide are the rims?? That is what is going to be your limit. Mount tyres slightly wider than the rim, and run a higher pressure (just below the tyre's limit).

Plenty of touring bike tyres out there in the 25-35mm range. Just make sure it has a pressure limit above 60psi, pref above 80psi, and that should help speed up your ride.

As for your puncture problem, cheaper tyres often have weaker side walls. They can be cut by things you ride over or past, and can be cut when the rim starts hitting the ground. Buy a respectable brand name tyre, and it should have better side wall strength.

There are also tyres with better puncture protection. Or you can run extra puncture protection strips inside the tyres to stop glass etc getting through to the tube..

 

[Peter@vecchios]

As my bike is proving so unreliable at the moment (and the motorbike is in the garage after someone tried to nick it!) I have been riding my mum's bike, which is great - reliable, good brakes etc! Only problem is the fact that the tyres seem about a mile wide (700x41), so becomes a bit of an effort after a while, particularly after the 700x28's on my Raleigh! What is the narrowest tyre I can concievably fit to the bike?

Cheers
Sam

No dumb questions, only dumb answers..none here tho...

 

[dgregory57]

Here is one chart for appropriate tire widths for a given rim width:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#width