4 ms·

28mm is actually common. That's what I have on my brand-new Giant TCR (which is to say: an aggressive, go-fast road bike).

tpm 3y ago
You are right 28mm is currently a common road tire width, but that's the total external tire width. What I mentioned rising from about 17 to (not yet common, but getting there) 25mm is the inner rim with - the narrowest measure between opposing rim flanges.
- rhombocombus 3y ago
  As a recovering bike mechanic of 20 years (my retirement goal is to be able to afford doing that job again, it’s joyful but hard to make a living) the writing has been on the wall for several years about the many benefits of wider tires (and rims too I suppose). From fewer puncture flats, to greater comfort and traction, to actually lower rolling resistance, I dknt see a move back to narrower tires being something that ever happens and I couldn’t be happier about that fact! I’m too slow and old to reap any performance benefits, but my comfort and enjoyment of wider tires makes me ride my bike more. https://www.renehersecycles.com/bq-tire-test-results/ https://www.renehersecycles.com/bq-tire-test-results/
  - tpm 3y ago
    Completely argee - I use 35mm tires on my 'road' (repurposed gravel) bike since ages because I just like it that way and never felt the need to go narrower.
- usrusr 3y ago
  C17 rims are considered very narrow in road cycling these days. It's been a few years since 17mm were new and upcoming. Campagnolo widened their Zonda wheelset to C17 in, easy to remember, 2017 and they were late. The goal of performance oriented riders (for many, fixated might be the more accurate description) these days is to run the widest possible rim that will still hold their tire width of choice reasonably well. This has several reasons. One is that wind tunnel treats have repeatedly shown that there's an aerodynamic sweet spot where the rim is slightly wider than the tire, despite the increase in total frontal area for a given tire width (google "105 rule"), another is that riders want the suspension benefits of lower pressure but as little as possible of the downsides of the extra drag of wider tires, the extra mass of wider tires, increased danger of pinch flats and decreased lateral stability. Wider rims help with all those compromises.

tpm 3y ago

You are right 28mm is currently a common road tire width, but that's the total external tire width. What I mentioned rising from about 17 to (not yet common, but getting there) 25mm is the inner rim with - the narrowest measure between opposing rim flanges.

rhombocombus 3y ago
As a recovering bike mechanic of 20 years (my retirement goal is to be able to afford doing that job again, it’s joyful but hard to make a living) the writing has been on the wall for several years about the many benefits of wider tires (and rims too I suppose). From fewer puncture flats, to greater comfort and traction, to actually lower rolling resistance, I dknt see a move back to narrower tires being something that ever happens and I couldn’t be happier about that fact! I’m too slow and old to reap any performance benefits, but my comfort and enjoyment of wider tires makes me ride my bike more. https://www.renehersecycles.com/bq-tire-test-results/ https://www.renehersecycles.com/bq-tire-test-results/
- tpm 3y ago
  Completely argee - I use 35mm tires on my 'road' (repurposed gravel) bike since ages because I just like it that way and never felt the need to go narrower.
usrusr 3y ago
C17 rims are considered very narrow in road cycling these days. It's been a few years since 17mm were new and upcoming. Campagnolo widened their Zonda wheelset to C17 in, easy to remember, 2017 and they were late. The goal of performance oriented riders (for many, fixated might be the more accurate description) these days is to run the widest possible rim that will still hold their tire width of choice reasonably well. This has several reasons. One is that wind tunnel treats have repeatedly shown that there's an aerodynamic sweet spot where the rim is slightly wider than the tire, despite the increase in total frontal area for a given tire width (google "105 rule"), another is that riders want the suspension benefits of lower pressure but as little as possible of the downsides of the extra drag of wider tires, the extra mass of wider tires, increased danger of pinch flats and decreased lateral stability. Wider rims help with all those compromises.