Tubulars 19mm vs 23 mm ?

Just purchased some new tubulars for racing. What are pros and cons of 19 mm vs 23mm ? What about RR vs TT ?

 

23mm would handle better. For example riding on the track if you have to turn up and down the track, or in a crit/RR. For TT I reckon they would be a smoother more comfortable ride.

 

In my opinion the 19s would be too dangerous for fast cornering, therefore there's no way I'd use them in a criterium, and I don't see the point of using them in a road race. I'm not sure about time-trials, but I don't know why you'd be going as narrow as a 19mm because most of the Vittoria tubulars are 21mm, with their TT model being 20mm, although most of the Continentals a 19s.


http://www.vittoria.com/index3.asp?lingua=en

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/race/folder_en.html

Before people start talking about contact patch and deformation, just be aware that these factors are different for clinchers and tubulars

 

I tried several 19mm tires and my experiences are: on 19mm tubular I feel faster than on 23mm. I have no problems with stability anywhere. But theese tubulars need to be inflated more to be fast (12-15 bar) and it is not much comfortable to ride it. So I just bought several only for TTs on my new ZIPPs. For training or normal races I think that 23mm or something like that is ideal.

My experiences are with TUFO JET tubulars. Fast, but hard.

 

23 mms have less rolling resistance than a 21 or a 19, so would be 'faster.' The 23s would also probably be a little more comfortable, due to the lower rolling resistance, as well. Wider tires also corner better due to a larger contact patch.

The 21 or 19 would provide an aero advantage on the front wheel as compared to a 23 mm. That aero advantage would be outweighed by the higher rolling resistance in a peleton, but the aero would probably outweigh the rolling resistance in a TT. Potentially a gram or so of weight savings (19 mm) as well.

Of course, we're talking about tenths of a second here - at most. in other words, you wouldn't know the difference.

I've ridden a 19mm front with a 23 mm rear in all types of races and haven't had any problems. My next front will probably be a 23 since I ride mostly road/stage/crits.

 

The 23mm will feel much better to ride - they have a little more give in them and will be more comfortable.

The 19mm may feel a little faster but the difference will hardly be perceptible.

Cheers

bicyclerubber.com

All the rubber your bikes need !

 

I don't have the data, but I think this is different for tubulars because they deform differently, which is one reason why Vittoria make several tubulars in 21mm