Tire size for 180 lb rider - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

05-14-2004, 12:06 PM

I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut
feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there
any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another
factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim
for whatever tire I use.

Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question,
I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety.

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Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
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05-14-2004, 12:56 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].net>,
David Kerber <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
>limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut
>feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there
>any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another
>factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim
>for whatever tire I use.
>
>Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question,
>I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety.

I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice,
but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while
riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense
for some conditions.

When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so
you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you
are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life.

05-14-2004, 12:56 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].net>,
David Kerber <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
>limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut
>feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there
>any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another
>factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim
>for whatever tire I use.
>
>Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question,
>I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety.

I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice,
but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while
riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense
for some conditions.

When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so
you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you
are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life.

05-14-2004, 12:56 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].net>,
David Kerber <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
>limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut
>feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there
>any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another
>factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim
>for whatever tire I use.
>
>Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question,
>I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety.

I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice,
but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while
riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense
for some conditions.

When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so
you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you
are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life.

05-14-2004, 12:56 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].net>,
David Kerber <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
>limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut
>feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there
>any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another
>factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim
>for whatever tire I use.
>
>Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question,
>I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety.

I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice,
but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while
riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense
for some conditions.

When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so
you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you
are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life.

05-14-2004, 12:56 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].net>,
David Kerber <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
>limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut
>feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there
>any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another
>factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim
>for whatever tire I use.
>
>Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question,
>I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety.

I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice,
but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while
riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense
for some conditions.

When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so
you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you
are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life.

05-14-2004, 01:06 PM

In article <qv9pc.493$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].verio.net>, cnhyf-
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
> In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].net>,
> David Kerber <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> >I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
> >limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut
> >feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there
> >any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another
> >factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim
> >for whatever tire I use.
> >
> >Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question,
> >I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety.
>
> I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice,
> but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while
> riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense
> for some conditions.
>
> When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so
> you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you
> are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life.

Thanks for the comments. I'm looking at some new wheels and tires for
fast training rides and racing, while keeping a separate set of
"everyday" wheels for club rides, commuting, etc. So tire and rim life
just from normal wear and tear aren't a major issue, but possible
catastrophic failure at speed is. This set would be for *good roads
only*.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

05-14-2004, 01:06 PM

In article <qv9pc.493$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].verio.net>, cnhyf-
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
> In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].net>,
> David Kerber <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> >I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
> >limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut
> >feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there
> >any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another
> >factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim
> >for whatever tire I use.
> >
> >Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question,
> >I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety.
>
> I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice,
> but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while
> riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense
> for some conditions.
>
> When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so
> you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you
> are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life.

Thanks for the comments. I'm looking at some new wheels and tires for
fast training rides and racing, while keeping a separate set of
"everyday" wheels for club rides, commuting, etc. So tire and rim life
just from normal wear and tear aren't a major issue, but possible
catastrophic failure at speed is. This set would be for *good roads
only*.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

05-14-2004, 01:06 PM

In article <qv9pc.493$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].verio.net>, cnhyf-
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
> In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].net>,
> David Kerber <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> >I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
> >limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut
> >feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there
> >any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another
> >factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim
> >for whatever tire I use.
> >
> >Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question,
> >I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety.
>
> I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice,
> but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while
> riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense
> for some conditions.
>
> When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so
> you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you
> are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life.

Thanks for the comments. I'm looking at some new wheels and tires for
fast training rides and racing, while keeping a separate set of
"everyday" wheels for club rides, commuting, etc. So tire and rim life
just from normal wear and tear aren't a major issue, but possible
catastrophic failure at speed is. This set would be for *good roads
only*.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

05-14-2004, 01:06 PM

In article <qv9pc.493$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].verio.net>, cnhyf-
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
> In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].net>,
> David Kerber <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> >I'm 180 lbs (82kg). On good blacktop (tarmac) roads, is there any lower
> >limit on tire size below which I should generally avoid going? My gut
> >feeling is that I probably shouldn't go below about 21mm, but is there
> >any truth to that feeling? Or does it depend on the rim or another
> >factor I'm not considering? I know I need an appropriately sized rim
> >for whatever tire I use.
> >
> >Disregard any ride comfort issues; for the purposes of this question,
> >I'm only concerned with tire and rim safety.
>
> I suggest a 700x23 as the lower limit, and 25 probably a better choice,
> but this does depend both on the amount of care you exercise while
> riding and the conditions where you ride. Larger tires could make sense
> for some conditions.
>
> When it comes to rim safety, more air is pretty much always better so
> you still have to make a personal decision about how much weight you
> are willing to carry in exchange for longer rim life.

Thanks for the comments. I'm looking at some new wheels and tires for
fast training rides and racing, while keeping a separate set of
"everyday" wheels for club rides, commuting, etc. So tire and rim life
just from normal wear and tear aren't a major issue, but possible
catastrophic failure at speed is. This set would be for *good roads
only*.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).