# Wider tires or carbon fork - which one affects the ride more?



## sbob (May 28, 2012)

I'm struggling to get accustomed to how much more jarring my road bike is vs my previous bike (mtb with front suspension). I'm wondering if I should try wider tires because I'm really not enjoying the ride but I don't want to give up on the bike. I'm pretty sure it's not the bike's fault, there are just too many rough spots on the paths I ride most.

My bike came with 700x23 tires, if I put on 28s will that be a noticeable difference in how smooth the ride is? And would I need new rims? Currently have Weinmann TR18, but I don't see any mention of acceptable tire sizes on their web site.

An alternative would be a carbon fork. My current fork is chromoly, and in test riding various bikes, carbon forks were definitely smoother but the tires (and presumably tire pressure) varied across the bikes so it's hard to isolate their specific effect. Any thoughts on how a carbon fork would compare to the wider tires?


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

"My bike came with 700x23 tires, if I put on 28s will that be a noticeable difference in how smooth the ride is?"

If you use less air pressure.


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## Schneiderguy (Jan 9, 2005)

do you have sufficient clearence for 28 to fit? A 25 may or may not fit. Many would argue that a good steel fork will absort rough roads better than carbon. What surfaces are you riding on? You used the term "paths". You have a "road" bike not a mt bike or cross bike. Are these paved bike paths? You may be using the wrong tool for the job.


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## icsloppl (Aug 25, 2009)

sbob said:


> My bike came with 700x23 tires, if I put on 28s will that be a noticeable difference in how smooth the ride is? And would I need new rims? Currently have Weinmann TR18, but I don't see any mention of acceptable tire sizes on their web site.
> QUOTE]
> 
> Not to hammer you overly, but
> ...


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

A few steps to a better ride.

1) Less air pressure. If you're inflating to the pressure printed on the tire's sidewalls, it's too much.
2) Fatter tires. Especially if you have to inflate to the pressure printed on the tire's sidewalls to avoid pinch flats. These will let you use even less pressure. I'm actually pretty happy with 23mm tires on my race bike. I can inflate to "my" pressure and I don't have pinch flats. Also, I think fancier casings have a little smoother ride even at higher pressures. On my commuter, I'm probably going to go to 28mm tires. I might be smart enough to post, but the bike's not.
3) Technique. You wouldn't ride a root bed on your MTB with your ass planted on the saddle. (I hope.) When you ride a rough patch on the road, post. You can also do all the same things with manuals, bunnyhops, and weight shifts on a road bike that you can on a mountain bike. They're just a lot smaller. And, you need to do them for smaller irregularities.

FWIW, based on the dimensions of that rim, I'd totally put a 28mm tire on it. The general guideline, per Sheldon, is that tire width should be 1.4-2.0 times the inside width of a rim. You probably already exceed that by quite a bit on your MTB, though. I suspect for an off-road rim, it's more like 2-3 times.

Specific forks can be stiffer or flexier than other forks. The old-school chromoly forks with thin legs and a lot of curve frequently had really nice, mellow rides. What do you have? Be specific.


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## sbob (May 28, 2012)

Schneiderguy said:


> do you have sufficient clearence for 28 to fit? A 25 may or may not fit. Many would argue that a good steel fork will absort rough roads better than carbon. What surfaces are you riding on? You used the term "paths". You have a "road" bike not a mt bike or cross bike. Are these paved bike paths? You may be using the wrong tool for the job.


They're paved, but with sporadic crappy sections. Maybe I'm just being a baby and need to HTFU and ride...


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

There's been some study into the matter, and 25mm tires can be set up for less rolling resistance than 23mm tires. Of course they're still heavier, but it's by a tiny amount. My takeaway was that unless I'm going at racing speeds, when air drag starts to kick in, 25mm tires are probably just better.

That said, I'm too much of a cheapskate to swap out two perfectly good 23mm tires.  And I do take my hairy legs and steel bike to the occasional race, and train on the road a fair amount.

Definitely experiment with your air pressure, though. For the sake of comparison, I weigh 165 lb right now and do 80 psi front/95 psi back. Heavier riders need more, lighter riders need less. YMMV.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

My advice is to contact your LBS and/ or bike manufacturer, find out the widest tire the frameset will support and buy that size with the highest TPI count you can afford. Then reference the chart below to begin experimenting with f/r tire pressures.

If you aren't already wearing them, consider good quality gel gloves.They tend to quell road buzz but also offer a level of protection. 

If you find that you're still not satisfied with ride quality, you could consider a new fork, but finding the 'right' one with good ride quality and matching your OE fork specs might cost 'some' and take some research. And depending on your results they may further limit your tire size, so some things to consider. 

FWIW, after I had a crash a few years back I had to replace my steel fork with a CF fork. Rake went from 47mm's to 43, otherwise same wheelset, same tires, same PSI's - and IME there was little or no difference in ride quality. As always, YMMV. 

Here's the tire pressure guide:
Michelin Bicycle USA - A better way forward®


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

Agree with the others on tires. I run 23 on my race bike and 28 on my plush bike. Huge difference. Despite carbon v. Aluminum. Although different geo too. 

Whether you can use 28 is another question but even 25s should help.


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