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23 or 25mm tyres on Kysrium elite S?

by allanj
Wed, Jul 08, 2015 17:48
4

25mm tyres are a good thing, everyone knows that, right (!)?

Here's my issue- I've just gone from wide-ish Zipp 30 to pretty narrow Kysrium elite S rims. I changed over my lovely Schwalbe one 25mms to the new rims. Is it my imagination (and do I read to many magazine/internet articles), or do the tyres not sit as well on the narrower rims? In big out of the saddles efforts is there a "squelching" as the tyres move round and deform?

The rear tyre is looking a bit worn, so will need replaced soon. Would a 23mm tyre sit on the narrow rims better and avoid the issue during big efforts? The roads where I am are pretty bad hence going with 25s in the first place (that and being a slave to fashion), so don't want to trade off comfort in a big way. I'm heavy- 83kgs so need to run at pretty high pressures.

Thoughts of the assembled?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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4 comments

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DanTe | 8 years ago
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You're about the same weight as me, so one thing to bear in mind as I also have the elites is that the narrow rim will give you a bulbous tyre profile. That takes a bit of getting used to if you sit a bit heavier on the bike. They can often feel a bit squidgy. I found that often, the more you inflated them the worse it was.
I tried 28's on them briefly one winter but it was too much and made me feel uncomfortable cornering hard.
Having said all that I've always run 25's on all my wheels..

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allanj | 8 years ago
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I've remembered that I have a set of 23mm Vittoria Rubino pros in the garage since posting this. Time for some experimenting.

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Batchy | 8 years ago
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No problem with 23mm Lithion 2s on mine.

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Derny | 8 years ago
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Yes I think you will find that the tire is stiffer on a wider rim, but you can also experiment with other tires (heavier casing, stiffer tread) or higher pressure to achieve the same level of stiffness. You can also try using the narrower tire only on the front if you want to retain the milder ride of the wider tire in back.

Also, I have not personally compared those two wheelsets, but I would expect that the Zipp rim is considerably stiffer than the Ksyrium elite, which could also explain the different feel. The spoke count, lacing, type of spoke, and tension can also affect the wheel stiffness. Lots of variables!

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