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Tire size for 180 lb rider
I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim for whatever tire I use. Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question, I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety. -- Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the newsgroups if possible). |
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Tire size for 180 lb rider
In article ,
David Kerber wrote: I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim for whatever tire I use. Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question, I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety. I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice, but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense for some conditions. When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life. |
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Tire size for 180 lb rider
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Tire size for 180 lb rider
"David Kerber" wrote in message ... In article , cnhyf- says... In article , David Kerber wrote: I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim for whatever tire I use. Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question, I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety. I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice, but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense for some conditions. When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life. Thanks for the comments. I'm looking at some new wheels and tires for fast training rides and racing, while keeping a separate set of "everyday" wheels for club rides, commuting, etc. So tire and rim life just from normal wear and tear aren't a major issue, but possible catastrophic failure at speed is. This set would be for *good roads only*. Well, if you are only going to ride these on good roads and have another set, then 21 is a good choice IMHO. I have had a 20 and a 19 on a bicycle and was ok with them and I weighed 200 at the time. I did get flats now and again, but the roads around here are terrible and I had 20 pounds on you. I think 21's would be fine for the use you are talking about. Curt |
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Tire size for 180 lb rider
In article ,
David Kerber wrote: Thanks for the comments. I'm looking at some new wheels and tires for fast training rides and racing, while keeping a separate set of "everyday" wheels for club rides, commuting, etc. So tire and rim life just from normal wear and tear aren't a major issue, but possible catastrophic failure at speed is. This set would be for *good roads only*. Well if you care about going fast then the 700x23 is still good, apparently the very small tire sizes actually have more rolling resistance. I have been pretty happy with Michelin and it's easy to find them at deep discounts. I use the Axial Carbon as a training tire and have the Pro Race on a set of light wheels I use occasionally. Michelin casings seem tough and stiff to me compared to most other high end tires which is both good and bad. I rode many of the Continental tires and find the tread lasts well for me, harder tread to cut than the Michelins. I went through Vredestein Fortezza Tri-Comps very quickly as they cut easily and developed longitudinal cracks between the different sections of tread... duh! The casing is also wimpy compared to Michelin, rides nice for 500 miles. I like Avocets but they are virtually impossible to find at bike shops. I recently tried the Trek Bontrager Race Lite tires and found they also cut easily and did not get many miles from them. I took a Kenda Koncept on a century ride because I had a piece of wire embedded in my regular tire that I was having trouble extracting. The Kenda was a one-ride tire, blew a 2" gash right down the middle of the tread. Never saw what was stuck in it. They are surprisingly light and cheap. |
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Tire size for 180 lb rider
On Fri, 14 May 2004 20:31:57 +0000, Paul Southworth wrote:
Well if you care about going fast then the 700x23 is still good, apparently the very small tire sizes actually have more rolling resistance. Yep, there's quite a bit of info on this, have a google, it's rather interesting. I'm assuming you want the skinniest tire you can run safely because of a desire for speed and low resistance? Wouldn't you want to ride something a little fatter IF it didn't slow you down? I would, and do. I'm the same weight as you and usually ride 25s--I'm not saying that's what you should ride--but personally, they feel just as fast as 20s, but I have a little more comfort and pinch flat insurance. You should look into researching what the actual resistance is on different makes of tires-- once you're in the sub 28mm category, width is not the biggest factor, design is. From what I've garnered, what causes resistance is tread "squirm" and sidewall stiffness. So with that logic, a very supple tire with a high thread count and smoothish tread would be good. That's why tubulars kicked clincher's butts for many years--suppleness=fast. As far as brand, don't ask me, I'm a cheapskate and ride 10-dollar Nashbar Kevlar belt trainers. Not bad at all for the buck, and when you cut one, you toss it without tears. Happy exploring! |
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Tire size for 180 lb rider
What is the deal...ride 15,000 a year? Less? Conti GP 3000 23's seem the
best from my perspective. "maxo" wrote in message news On Fri, 14 May 2004 20:31:57 +0000, Paul Southworth wrote: Well if you care about going fast then the 700x23 is still good, apparently the very small tire sizes actually have more rolling resistance. Yep, there's quite a bit of info on this, have a google, it's rather interesting. I'm assuming you want the skinniest tire you can run safely because of a desire for speed and low resistance? Wouldn't you want to ride something a little fatter IF it didn't slow you down? I would, and do. I'm the same weight as you and usually ride 25s--I'm not saying that's what you should ride--but personally, they feel just as fast as 20s, but I have a little more comfort and pinch flat insurance. You should look into researching what the actual resistance is on different makes of tires-- once you're in the sub 28mm category, width is not the biggest factor, design is. From what I've garnered, what causes resistance is tread "squirm" and sidewall stiffness. So with that logic, a very supple tire with a high thread count and smoothish tread would be good. That's why tubulars kicked clincher's butts for many years--suppleness=fast. As far as brand, don't ask me, I'm a cheapskate and ride 10-dollar Nashbar Kevlar belt trainers. Not bad at all for the buck, and when you cut one, you toss it without tears. Happy exploring! |
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Tire size for 180 lb rider
On Fri, 14 May 2004 15:49:51 -0700, Bartow W. Riggs wrote:
Conti GP 3000 23's seem the best from my perspective. Why? |
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Tire size for 180 lb rider
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Tire size for 180 lb rider
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