Tire width questions

msgthall said:

I have a standard 1998 Specialized A1 Elite Crossroads with Araya TX-350 rims and 700x38C tires and plan to ride the Death Valley Century in October. Would I gain anything by going to a narrower tire? and how far can I go and use my current rims, 38c seems wide to me.
Thanks

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Hi.
Yes you would
Go for the narrowest, safe, puncture resistant tyre you can fit.

Narrower tires generally have less rolling resistance. I probably opened a can of worms here as others are now going to bring up the comforts of riding wider tires and we are going to get several treatises about tire engineering.

Anyway, as a GENERAL Rule, narrower tires inflated to the maximum pressure will usually have less rolling resistance. Check with your LBS as to what tires you can fit onto your rims. Test ride them to find your most comfortable riding pressure. Fully inflated tires will give you a harsher ride. Lower pressures will increase the rolling resistance. Your weight will also be a factor in the pressure used. It is generally recommended that heavier riders ride closer to the max inflation while lighter riders can ride at a lower inflation. I don't know much about riding in Death Valley but I think that I would buy puncture resistant tires like Bigbananabike suggested. Either that, or get kevlar tire liners if you can find them.

msgthall said:

I have a standard 1998 Specialized A1 Elite Crossroads with Araya TX-350 rims and 700x38C tires and plan to ride the Death Valley Century in October. Would I gain anything by going to a narrower tire? and how far can I go and use my current rims, 38c seems wide to me.
Thanks

YES, you will want a narrower tire!

I think your rims are probably 622-22 (where '22' is the interior bead-to-bead width), which means that you may be able to mount a 700x28 tire. If the bead-to-bead dimension is wider, then you can't use 700x28 tires.

Regardless, perhaps a better choice is a cyclocross-type clincher (generally, 700x30-to-700x32) ... WTB used to have an All Terrainasaurus tire which was pavement friendly -- it had with SOME tread pattern (basically, I would classify it as being EITHER a narrow fire-road tire OR CX-training tire) -- THAT, or a similar CX-type tire may serve you better than the 700x28 tires.

You'll need NEW, smaller tubes for the smaller sized tire.