"Joe Samangitak" wrote in message
om...
I have 700 x 35 tires on my hybrid bike, and I've recently learned
that I can change the 35 (width?) to a different size, ie. 32, 28 etc.
Question is, do I want to? I ride exclusively on pavement in a city,
so I'd like to maximize tire efficiency for this type of driving.

- First of all, will it work to put different width tires on my
hybrid/city bike, or is there an issue with narrower widths coming off
the rim, etc.?

- Secondly, is there an advantage to using a different tire size if I
can, or should I assume the original 700 x 35 tire size was already
designed ideally for city driving?

- Lastly, I read expert testimonials that said slick tires are best
for pavement riding, cornering, wet driving, traction and have less
rolling resistance, basically because more rubber contacts the road. I
was looking to buy the Michelin Transworld City, but its not a pure
bald slick, it has fairly deep recesses, presumably to siphon off
water (which I read isn't necessary for bike tires, and that this
system doesn't work better than slicks). So my question is, would I be
better off driving in my city with a pure bald slick, such as the
Avocet Road 20, instead of the Michelin Transworld City? Or is it even
better to use DIFFERENT TIRES for the front and back? Any commonly
known disadvantages to going with pure bald untreaded slicks on
pavement, such as premature tire wear, as compared against tires with
a tread?

Yes you can switch widths within broad limits ( A 700-47 will probably not
clear your frame and a 700-20 won't last a day on a wide rim). On most fat
700 rims a 32 through 38 are fine. I do not know your rim model so I can't
say what the limits are. If your dealer has a clue s/he should be able to
make a recomendation. Do you want faster? Tougher? A softer ride? The
ability to better corner agressively?

Tread is completely irrelevant on a paved surface.

The Michelin Transworld City is a great urban tire, I like them lots more
than the cheap knobby o.e.m. tires on $300~$500 bikes. They're long-wearing
and smoother riding. That said, the siping is only there to pander to
customers' misunderstandings of tires and treads. Smooth would have been
better and Michelin knows it. They are made in 700-35, 700-32 and 700-28 .
There's theoretically a 700-40 that is perenially on backorder if they ever
made them at all. ( and a nice fat 700-47 that may not be useful to you)

Other popular tires for your bike are Inoue-IRC's Metro 700-38 on the fat
side, Panaracer Pasela 700-35 for a medium tire and the wonderfully fast
IRC Tandem 30 if you are not a heavy or abusive rider and your route is free
of pavement anomalies. Keep the pressure up always but especially if you go
to a skinnier tire.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971