My road bike is capable of having quite wide tyres fitted (38mm plus) so should I fit the widest I can – for supreme comfort?

Most tyre reviews are based on 28mm and occaisionally 30mm tyres, and they say that 30mm is wide for a road tyre, but a few brands make up to 34mm and even 38mm road tyres. Schwalbe Pro One for example now come in 38s

I have two wheelsets, one 21mm internal and one 19mm internal. DT Swiss recommended maximum width  for a 19mm internal rim diameter is 30mm but in theory you can fit up to 56mm wide tyres (😲). DT tyre width recommendations – I imagine that at some point the tyre shape will be compromised and there aren’t many scenarios where you would be trying to fit 56mm wide tyres on a 19mm carbon road rim! So I guess my question is what realistic maximum should I be considering? Is there a noticeable difference between say a 30mm and 34mm tyre?

Is the best plan just to get the widest possible for comfort and stability or are there significant other disadvantages that outweigh these benefits, I’m not concerned about the areo effect of wider tyres or the weight really as I’m no racer (but obv no sense in having additional weight for no reason). That said, I am keen on the most efficient tyres in terms of rolling resistance, don’t want to be pedalling through treacle for the sake of it…

Schwalbe g-one

Try them. I don’t like wide tyres on the road as they just don’t feel as road bikish to me and the bike starts to feel less sprightly but I do like a very sprightly feeling bike that others would probably just label twitchy and uncomfortable.

I’m not a racer, I pootle around enjoying cafes and scenery and i want to be comfortable, my bikes run 30 and 32mm tyres.

Try them

Well I was kind of hoping that I wouldn’t have to try loads of different widths at £100 a go – hence asking on here!

I’m not a racer, I pootle around enjoying cafes and scenery and i want to be comfortable

Yep that’s me also. 🙂

my bikes run 30 and 32mm tyres.

Is that because any larger won’t fit your frame – would you run 34 if you bike would take them? Can you tell the difference between the 30 and the 32s?

32s are the sweet spot.  Larger and they’re both draggy and far less aero and are really punishing on longer rides. I’ve tried everything from 23s upto 40s 38/40 are more comfortable, even at the same pressures, but 32s on a wide internal rim at 45-55psi are perfect for my 72kg.

EDIT – by aero I don’t mean racing, just that once you’re above 20kph you start to feel the difference and above 30, they become bothersome – you’re actively working against them and can fell/see it (with a power meter) and so for short rides less than 50km, it’s okay, but anything longer and for me, they have a cumulative negative effect.

Where are you going to ride?
The worse the surface, the nicer that the bigger tyres will feel.
I ride everything from mirror smooth tarmac to well maintained gravel/dirt roads, so i’ve found something about 30-32 at 4-5 bar is best for me. Use smaller (28 at the moment) when the weather gets worse as the gravel/dirt roads are no longer passable.

That said, I am keen on the most efficient tyres in terms of rolling resistance, don’t want to be pedalling through treacle for the sake of it…

That’s more about construction, quality and set up (decent tubes/tubeless) than the size. Some of those bigger tyres can have relatively good rolling resistance, and something like a schwalbe marathon will have horrendous rolling resistance even at 10 bar in a 15mm width…
Road feel can also be impacted by the tyre, a nice light racy tyre, even in a bigger size can feel quite nice to ride.

I have 37mm continental contact speed on my road wheels for the gravel bike, I used to use 38mm gravel king slicks but found they were too soft and got cut up before worn out, which was a shame as I really liked them.

I worry more about what cake will be at the café than speed, and enjoy the comfort, helps my wrists too.

I agree with Daffy – 32 is best for all round use. I have ridden 38 and 44 also. The problem with big tyres is that they deform a lot more when you’re out of the saddle – steep climbs especially. They can also get quite bouncy because obviously there’s no damping. And they do feel noticeably less aero once you get into the mid 20mph range, but they can very quick over rough roads below 20mph. Plus there are far fewer pure road tyres available above 32mm so your choice becomes much more limited (and slower rolling). Going from 28 to 32 (with a corresponding drop in pressures) is a very noticeable improvement in comfort. Fast 32mm tyres are the best of both worlds.

I have 38mm Gravel Kings on my gravel bike for road duties. I have a nice set of road wheels I swap them over for pure road rides. I think these are made of paper as they cut up very badly. They’ve sealed so not had any issues with them and I guess I do very light gravel on them which they seem to not like. Before the Gravel Kings I had 38mm Rene Herse Barlow Pass, they were ok. Comfortable but did feel draggy but that was likely  to be perceived dragginess due to them dulling the ride – I don’t think there would be much real world speed difference (and yeah they were tubeless).

But to be honest I agree with Daffy. 32mm is the sweet spot for road in my opinion. But a good 32mm tyre, GP 5000 type.  Set up tubeless I’ve found 32mm to offer good levels of comfort.

My riding is north east UK road riding and with that, all the awful road surfaces that we have to put up with. I do a mixture of ride distances from 20k, and regularly up to 80K at the weekend.  I’m after comfort for my carpal tunnel but not at the expense of fatigue on longer rides with my group. I will be using premium quality tyres setup tubeless (Schwalbe Pro One is my benchmark currently). I was thinking of putting 30mm on my 19mm internal road wheels but maybe a 32 is a better option. Am I going to notice the difference between the 30 and 32?

I have a set of gravel wheels which currently have Specialized Pathfinder 38mm on –  I have used them on the road and they are comfortable but not that fast. I’d like to keep those for gravel duties only and have something for pure road use all year round.

My road bike came fitted with 32mm tyres. I thought these seemed wide compared to the 25mm tyres on my old road bike but thought I’d give them a go. I find them more comfortable on the generally poor Surrey country back roads, and also better grip on wet roads – although in the absence of any real A-B testing both could be psychological.

So I was very interested to read the comments above.

28mm on my road bike that acts as a pure road bike, 32mm on my commuter that does long country miles with guards and rack. I’d not want more to be honest. Tubeless and the low pressures that allows extra comfort helps too.

I have some Giant ones around 30mm and they seem good to me.

I’ve ridden 38mm gravel tyres (ultra bites) on a touring style day ride before and they were fine but a bit draggy at the end.

I reckon around 30mm is good. Just a little less jarring than 25mm.

I tend to ride away from main A & B routes so less smooth roads.

25c, 30c and 50c on two road bikes and a gravel bike.

50c for the win on the commute.

30c for the win on long/ fast rides.

25c feels mega harsh everywhere now. Maybe I’m old, maybe I’m not used to it anymore, maybe the roads have got worse maybe all of the above. If that bike could fit wider tyres I’d have them on.

I tried 35mm gravel king slicks when I first got my gravel bike, they were quick enough and fairly versatile, but the handling does start to suffer once you’re over 32mm – the front just doesn’t tip in as well in my experience and it feels like a fast gravel bike rather than a road bike.

Have settled back on 32mm Conti GP5000TL (they measure up around 31mm on 18mm internal DT Swiss rims) as a nice balance between agile and comfy.

I don’t think you will notice a real world speed difference between 30 and 32mm.

When I was racing I did all sorts of testing to find my fastest set up. Including testing tyres of different sizes on different rims. Whilst not scientific (was just me on the local closed road crit circuit with a power meter and a selection of wheels / tyres). I didn’t notice any significant differences. From memory 25mm was the fastest (on 65mm rims); 32mm was only a couple of watts different. I opted for 27mm for the mixture of comfort and speed. But this was on a smooth circuit, averaging 280 watts and 23mph on an aero bike. Real road conditions will bring them closer together.

(The Crit circuit is a kidney shape, ok road surface, small but high intensity high speed climb followed by a fast downhill and then a fast straight – I admit this wasn’t intended to be a real world test)

I’d suggest giving them a go, or possibly even trying a 35mm Rene Herse. It sounds like you would prefer comfort to outright speed. You will lose a very small amount of speed but you will probably make up for it in comfort and less fatigue.

Rene Herse Bon Jon Pass – 700c x 35mm

I’m also a huge fan of Compass tyres. I don’t know how they are so comfortable but they really are good. I didn’t lose speed with these, I found them a very fast but comfortable tyre. I really did feel like the 27mm tyre felt as comfortable as a 32. So you could also give the 33mm a go.

https://www.challengetires.com/shop/products/strada-bianca-6/230712

Well I was kind of hoping that I wouldn’t have to try loads of different widths at £100 a go – hence asking on here!

Great, but as always you will ge a variety of opinions so whose opinion will you take and will that rider be the same as you and want the same as you.

Saying that, sounds like there is some consensus around 32 and as you have already used 30 then don’t expect a really noticeable difference from 2mm.

I don’t like wide tyres on the road as they just don’t feel as road bikish to me and the bike starts to feel less sprightly but I do like a very sprightly feeling bike that others would probably just label twitchy and uncomfortable.

This is what worries me, I have 25mm GP4000s at 80psi (I’m 87kg) on my ‘fast’ (relative term…) road bike. I don’t find them especially uncomfortable but do tend to adjust my lines for broken tarmac and found myself taking less than ideal lines on some roads on a ride recently to avoid broken tar/loose gravel on the fastest line.

So 28mm tyres might ACTUALLY be faster due to smoothing out the road, and might be more comfortable, but would they make the bike FEEL faster? I know my gravel bike with 38mm Terrenos can be reasonably quick on tarmac (I’ve only recently beaten my PB on a longish road climb originally set on the gravel bike) but it doesn’t FEEL as quick as the road bike.

Saying that, sounds like there is some consensus around 32 and as you have already used 30 then

No I haven’t tried any 30s yet.

Yes, comfort is my aim but without compromising my ability to keep up on longer rides.

Those Compass tyres look good. Quite ££ though!

So 28mm tyres might ACTUALLY be faster due to smoothing out the road, and might be more comfortable, but would they make the bike FEEL faster? I know my gravel bike with 38mm Terrenos can be reasonably quick on tarmac (I’ve only recently beaten my PB on a longish road climb originally set on the gravel bike) but it doesn’t FEEL as quick as the road bike.

Most of that feel is just the high frequency vibration you get from high pressure narrow tyres. After a couple of weeks you stop noticing it’s gone….

My gravel bike has 47mm tyres and they work great on the road 😀 My “fast” road bike is currently fitted with 28s but I’ll be changing those to 30 or 32mm as soon as the tyres wear. If you’re not racing then the added comfort is well worthwhile and you’re much less fatigued on longer rides as a result (which buys speed in another way).

I’d not worry about rim width. We were running 2.1″ and 2.25″ MTB tyres on 19mm rims just a few years ago.

I have Wtb Exposure in 36c but I’ve measured them at 38mm with calipers. They’re very comfortable but definitely a bit more draggy than the 30c tyres my buddy was riding. I think 32c might be the sweet spot but I haven’t yet tried them.

My tyres are on 19mm width rims and they seem to work ok. I read somewhere that you can go double the internal width so I’m on the limit on that basis but I haven’t noticed any issues related to my relatively narrow rims.

I really need to up my road bike tyre widths as the state of most of the roads, not to mention my aging knackered wrists/palms make extended rides quite uncomfortable these days.

Have an old Van Nic Zephyr Ti with Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheelset with Conti Gran Prix 4000s Mk2 (23cc).

I’m not entirely sure if those rims would take a 32mm tyre.

Seems like 30 or 32 then. I’d like some of those Compass tyres but £200 is a bit excessive even for me!

Schwalbe Pro One tubeless are about £80 for a set so perhaps I’ll give them a shot in a 32C…

£82.00 – £97.00

Jeez! I thought my G-Ones were expensive!

I was thinking about this as I was out on my road bike last weekend.

The boarder roads in Shropshire / Wales are getting very muddy/greasy etc. My new GP5000 28mm are on the best bike, and I have some super heavy 20 yr old CX tyres on my CX that i use for winter duties. The CX bike is so sluggish in comparison due to the tyres.

It would appear that 30/32 would be good for winter bike. But what I cant decide is whether to stick with slicks or get something with slight dimples / grooves?  The majority of the time I think slick is absolutely fine and offers the most grip. However on a steep decent last week the road was greasy and mossy, and it was a case of dont brake or brake and slide (on 28mm) Are there any fast rolling slightly grooved/dimpled tyres or is a wider 30/32 slick going to give more grip anyhow?

i used to run 700 x 38 panaracer gravelking SK, on tarmac they were happy peddling 24-25km an hour with 300-350m climbing, very very comfy bike topstone carbon with those tyres around 35psi

I really need to up my road bike tyre widths as the state of most of the roads, not to mention my aging knackered wrists/palms make extended rides quite uncomfortable these days.

Redshift stem…

However on a steep decent last week the road was greasy and mossy, and it was a case of dont brake or brake and slide (on 28mm) Are there any fast rolling slightly grooved/dimpled tyres or is a wider 30/32 slick going to give more grip anyhow?

I doubt it would make any difference, any tyre will slip on that…

The boarder roads in Shropshire / Wales are getting very muddy/greasy etc. My new GP5000 28mm are on the best bike, and I have some super heavy 20 yr old CX tyres on my CX that i use for winter duties. The CX bike is so sluggish in comparison due to the tyres.

My winter bike runs 28mm GP5000 on the front and 30mm on the rear. 30mm is a bit too wide for the 40mm deep section wheels, so would be throwing away any aero gains on the front.

The boarder roads in Shropshire / Wales are getting very muddy/greasy etc

Yes, this is a consideration too. I read that tread makes no difference in the wet on a thin road tyre but riders like tread as it inspires confidence. Now I’m not sure if that also applies to moss and general road grease on a UK road in the winter. I try and ride off the main roads so debris and slime is likely to be encountered.

So that’s another question I suppose – are wider tyres going to be safer?

I ride everything from 21mm GP4000’s (one on the front HED3 on Sunday) to 30mm G One Speeds. If I am honest, the best handling tyre/wheel combo for me is GP5000’s in 23c on an Open Pro with latex tubes. I also have the same in 25c on wider carbon rims, but don’t really notice the difference in ride quality. Since I like the GP5000’s so much, and the G One Speeds are now tubed after a few slits, and a killer to remove, I was thinking of going to 28c for testing on CXP33 rims (19 mm internal). I’m 72 kg today.

I am unconvinced of the speed advantage of wider tyres, and the comfort isn’t such a massive thing for me either. Latex inner tubes, however, are noticeably more compliant. Like riding tubulars.

NOTHING is as aero as a 21mm GP4000 on a 19mm HED3 running at 100 psi.

I have Schwalbe G One Allround 35 tubeless on my general road bike and they’re a godsend on B-roads, light gravel and just generally on less than perfect tarmac.  Ideal for NCN / Sustrans-type routes.  I’d say it’s the small knobbles than help the most, but of course add drag at higher speeds.

My more classic road bike runs Schwalbe One Evo 28c, also tubeless.   This is just a generally less comfortable bike, though definitely faster – aero wheels and 20% lighter weight help.  I wouldn’t choose these tyres for allround use.

Finally, I run WTB 650b Byway 47c on a hybrid.  These are excellent across urban cobbles and unsurfaced bike paths, almost MTB-lite, but between the flat bar setup, weight and tyres this bike runs out of puff quite quickly.

The problem with big tyres is that…. They can also get quite bouncy because obviously there’s no damping.

I thought the opposite was true. Thin tyres at high pressure are bouncy so they skip over bumps on the surface, lose grip and generate fatigue. Wider tyres at a lower pressure are more absorbent of road imperfections and remain in contact with the surface for a greater percentage of time. No?

Wider tyres will certainly give extra comfort, but they don’t have to sacrifice loads of speed. My 4″ Jumbo Jims were comfy, bit draggy but fine for short commutes, but the 2.35″ G One Speeds were comfy and positively flew. Surprisingly enough, my 38mm 45Nrth Gravdal 240 ice spike tyres are draggy as hell, but they keep you upright in snow/ice!

Around 38mm size I’ve had positive experiences with Marathon Cross and currently have Marathon Supreme on my hybrid (40mm rear, 35mm front, they size a bit small to ~38/33).

My road bike has had 32mm rear and 23/25mm front GP5000 for a few years, for a mix of comfort and semi-aero (without being that harsh at all with 23mm at ~95PSI when I was ~80Kg).

I’ve never tried them, but Panaracer Gravel King variants have a decent reputation and go from traditional road size to at least up around 40mm. Orange 38s for £27 https://www.merlincycles.com/panaracer-gravel-king-slick-colour-edition-tlc-folding-tyre-700c-264245.html , fancier casing for £40 https://www.merlincycles.com/panaracer-gravel-king-slick-tlc-folding-tyre-700c-248528.html , SK (small knob) variant goes all the way to 50mm for £32-39 https://www.merlincycles.com/panaracer-gravel-king-sk-tlc-folding-tyre-700c-90671.html

I’ve always got on really well with Gravel King slicks, 32 on the road bike, 35 on the commuter and 38mm on the gravel bike for more road based rides. Set up with a mix of tubed and tubeless and I’ve never felt slow. Recently swapped out GP5000 32 tubed on the road bike to the 32 Gravel King tubeless and the Garmin isn’t suggesting I am any slower.

I thought the opposite was true. Thin tyres at high pressure are bouncy so they skip over bumps on the surface, lose grip and generate fatigue. Wider tyres at a lower pressure are more absorbent of road imperfections and remain in contact with the surface for a greater percentage of time. No?

It’s a bit of both. I’ve a background in TT riding – I used to race on 18mm tyres at 10 bars (160psi – yes really!) because that’s what we thought was fast back then…..in a TT position especially it fatigued you like something else. Unless the road was super smooth I’m sure the jarring slowed you down too. At the other end I now run a fat bike – 4.8 inch tyres at something like 6 psi. Big tyres at low pressure do indeed soak up all the small stuff but you do get a bit of rebound too – ride over a small pothole and it will soak it up…ride over a small pothole fast or a bigger pothole and they will also compress and rebound you back up too.

Like everything a compromise is probably best. On a road bike on actual roads I’m just not convinced there is much to be gained above 32mm unless you are loaded touring etc. Wider rims will make that 32mm pretty voluminous too. If you are a chunky monkey sat up like a bag of spuds it maybe not all that, but wider tyres present a wider frontal area also. And whilst road rims have been altered significantly since my 18mm rubber days, I’m not convinced there are many rims around that will make anything above 28mm not an aero drag.

Yes, comfort is my aim but without compromising my ability to keep up on longer rides.

FWIW a lot of pro teams are moving to larger sizes, and not just for the classics. Not usual to see 26-28 sized tyres on some bikes. And they are travelling at speeds where aero is a serious concern. So i don’t think it’s likely to be a serious issue. Unless you’re going 38+ and running them at 3 bar.

NOTHING is as aero as a 21mm GP4000 on a 19mm HED3 running at 100 psi.

Should be running double discs…
And might not be as aero, but lots of combinations are faster.

They can also get quite bouncy because obviously there’s no damping.

Well, if you will just get off your bike and roll it down a hill, riderless, it will get a bit bouncy.

What about a combo then? Say 30c up front with a 32c rear? Near perfect Goldilocks solution???

Should be running double discs…

Treble Hed3’s is enough 😉