Who rides 28mm + tires on tarmac?

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wheelsONfire
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by wheelsONfire

Is it usual people riding 28mm tires and wider on tarmac?

I doubt i have seen any so called aero wheels really optimized for such wide tires.
Easton Aero 55 have a leading edge of 28mm, still tested as most aero benefit is with 22 (max) 23mm tires
Ofcourse you can ride much wider.
For a 28mm tire to be as aero as possible, how wide should the rim be i wonder...
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scale29
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by scale29

I ride 28’s on Roval CLX32 nearly all the time now, they inflate up to just over 30mm. Having said that, I give not one rats ass about aero!

TobinHatesYou
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Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

I ride 28s on my 202s and 25s on 5.6s. I have considered going to 30s or perhaps even trying to squeeze in 32s on my Emonda using the 202s because our roads suck. If the gas tax in California gets repealed this November, the roads will suck even more...

zefs
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Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2017 8:40 pm

by zefs

I have tested them compared to 25mm and found them slower on tarmac (GCN did a test and they were 2sec faster on cobbles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPi6lvkp7qw) since the point of using wider tires is comfort, meaning using 20psi less to feel the difference.
Add the extra weight and they get even slower when climbing.

Also when aero wheel companies mention "optimized for 28c tires" they probably mean measured, that doesn't mean you should use 28mm tires for 19c internal wheels for aero, since they will then measure 31mm when inflated, so you need to use 25c which will then measure 28mm.

If comfort is your goal they work great.

Theologian
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Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2018 3:34 am

by Theologian

I'm using Schwalbe G-one Speed 30mm on Roval CLX 50 now. Surprisingly it inflates to about only 30.1mm, unlike other Schwalbe tubeless which tends to be a few mm over spec on wide rims. I might've lost the aero advantage, but honestly, I don't miss 23mm or 25mm anymore. It feels like a whole new bike on Tarmac.

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LocoDuck
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by LocoDuck

I use 37mm g-ones on my commuter/winter bike. Compared to my 25mm tubs I have on another bike they are a lot slower as can be expected... I could imagine the difference between 25 and 28mm being negligible without much of a resistance/weight penalty.
I think a lot of the pros race on 28mm tyres in the classics races? Especially Roubaix at least.

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themidge
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by themidge

There was someone on this morning's group ride on a cool looking steel 'randonneur' style bike (metal mudguards, shiny bits, etc, it was pretty cool). He was on what must have been at least 35mm tyres, maybe 40mm, and seemed to get on okay. Our roads are quite bumpy (surface changes a lot, lots of repairs etc, and properly smooth tarmac is rare) so maybe if it had been smoother then he would have struggled because of the extra Crr.
Personally I wouldn't ride bigger than a 25 actual on any road I ride around here, but I'm light and don't do any moto GP style cornering :wink:. Ultimately, I'd say it comes down to personal preference. If a fast tyre feels shit, I won't ride it.

mbdurham17
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by mbdurham17

I alternate between 26 turbo cotton and 28 sworks turbo on my SL6 UL with zipp 404 depending on where I’m riding. I prefer the cottons normally but sometimes hit some dirt/light gravel backroads in my area and the 28 hold up better and feel better. The sidewalll of the cottons don’t like that very much. In general the cottons feel a little faster under normal conditions.


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Bordcla
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by Bordcla

Been running 28 Continental GP 4000s on my Enve 4.5 AR all summer on my Aeroad. If it's slowing me down, I haven't noticed it. In a pack, I essentially freewheel half the time on the flat and catch everyone on descending false flats and descents. Wouldn't go back.

markdjr
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Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:21 pm

by markdjr

Bordcla wrote:
Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:35 pm
Been running 28 Continental GP 4000s on my Enve 4.5 AR all summer on my Aeroad. If it's slowing me down, I haven't noticed it. In a pack, I essentially freewheel half the time on the flat and catch everyone on descending false flats and descents. Wouldn't go back.
Why not something tubeless on the AR's? 30mm tubeless on my ARs is my favorite wheelset that I've got.

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tymon_tm
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by tymon_tm

been playing with 28c on some worse roads/gravel/forrest paths even, and it's a cool 'transition' option, but on good tarmac they feel too 'bubbly' and I swear I can feel the lower psi too. conquering local koms feels a bit sluggish too, but perhaps it's just my mind playing games with me seeing this fat ass piece of rubber in front of me... for me 25c is max, I switched from 23c only because I bought Cosmics set up with their Xixions or whatever tires, and the size sort of stuck (the tires didn't, I'm a die hard Pro Race and "old" Vittoria Evo Corsa fan).
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bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

Does riding my MTB on a club run count.

Bordcla
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by Bordcla

markdjr wrote:
Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:16 pm
Bordcla wrote:
Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:35 pm
Been running 28 Continental GP 4000s on my Enve 4.5 AR all summer on my Aeroad. If it's slowing me down, I haven't noticed it. In a pack, I essentially freewheel half the time on the flat and catch everyone on descending false flats and descents. Wouldn't go back.
Why not something tubeless on the AR's? 30mm tubeless on my ARs is my favorite wheelset that I've got.
Simply because I've got a few of these tires lying around and happen to like them. Grippy, fast, durable, trouble-free... I've got some Schwalbe Pro One 28s to try next, in tubeless.

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

Bordcla wrote:
Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:35 pm
Been running 28 Continental GP 4000s on my Enve 4.5 AR all summer on my Aeroad. If it's slowing me down, I haven't noticed it. In a pack, I essentially freewheel half the time on the flat and catch everyone on descending false flats and descents. Wouldn't go back.
If the 28mm is doing so well for you, why aren't you riding 32mm?

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themidge
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by themidge

bm0p700f wrote:
Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:52 pm
Does riding my MTB on a club run count.
Only if you don't get dropped! :wink: :D

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