# 6'4", 250 lb, need road bike tire recommendation (700x28?)



## OldM2 (Dec 23, 2007)

Fail and failer: 
I bought a used 63cm Trek and put a new 600x25 tire on the rear, two new tubes, wrapped the bars, cleaned and adjusted the drivetrain and brakes. All good so far.

The little hand pump that has gotten my mountain bike tires to 35 psi for the last 15 years won't stay on the stem well enough to get more than 80 psi in the tires of the road bike. So I got a Lezyne floor pump headed this way and in the morning, I throw the bike in the back of the Subie and drive to the LBS to get tires set to 100 psi. All good. 

Work on the YZ (motorcycle rebuild) all afternoon, sweating in the garage, and when it's cooled off, throw on riding gear and try out the bicycle. Come back, raise the seat a bit, add water bottles, lock the house. I'm thinking this is awesome! It's so light, and fast, this is going to be fun! I rode a mountain bike everywhere in college and started back up riding dirt a few years ago, but the last time I was on a road bike was more than 20 years ago. 

Less than a mile from the house, the rear is flat. Pinched. Walk home. Pull off still dry riding gear and pull back on sweat-soaked street clothes. (How backward is that?) As I'm walking up to the bike, the front tire blows out the sidewall with the bike leaning statically against the garage. Just to make sure I don't try something crazy like putting it back together and going for a ride again tonight, I guess.

Pretty unexpected. For years, friends have freaked out about how flat my rear tire looks on my MTB, but I have never pinch flatted off road. Ever. In my life. 

So I'm buying at least one tire, and some tubes. Rims are 622x14. Thinking I'll put the new 700x25 I just bought on the front and something beefier with more load carrying ability on the rear. 

Anyone have recommendations for a bad-azz 700x28 that will withstand street riding at Clyde weight? Thinking maybe Gatorskins, since the reviews all seem to indicate they are fairly bulletproof, but not sure how typical experience translates to Clyde experience. 

Anyone have recommendations for ultra-heavy-duty tubes for x28 tires? 

At this point, I really don't care about weight. I need it to live.


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## crossracer (Jun 27, 2004)

Actually 700-25 should be fine for your weight. Check a few things first. 

Rim strips. These can be worn out and cause many flats. 

Front tire failure was caused probally by you not installing tube correctly. 

Rear tire pump up to about 110 psi. Heck some days I go 120 psi . 

Installing tubes in road bikes can be a pain if you havnt done them before. But a little practice will get you there. 

Bill


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## OldM2 (Dec 23, 2007)

Rim strips were brand new, put them on as part of my cleanup. I think the front tire was just old. It was on the bike when I got it. The threads wrapping around the bead wire let go. It seemed surprisingly easy to get the beads over the rims with that tire. Whatever, I'm over it. 

I always push the tire away from the rim all the way around on both sides, verifying the tube is not pinched. 

I've looked online and decided my morning will involve driving to Performance to get their thick tubes, then to REI for a x28 Gatorskin. Get it all put together there, air both to the max on the sidewall and see how it goes.


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## donalson (Apr 13, 2004)

at min you are looking for a 28c... idealy a 32c if you can fit it (depending on how old the bike is it might fit it... my '92 trek 400 fit a 32c without to much issue, just had to deflate the tire a bit to get it between the pads... based on a few studies you'll end up with less rolling resistance running a 28 or 32 and end up with a more comfortable ride over riding the narrower supposedly faster tires

from there you need to know how much pressure you should have in the tire... this will give you a good baseline
Bicycle tire pressure calculator

obviously you also need a decent pump


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## SkiNBike (May 12, 2009)

I am 6' even, and 324lbs. I ride 700x25 Continental Gatorskins with a folding bead on my cross bike. I put my pressure to 110psi (10psi less than max rating), I have not had any issue. If I'm riding gravel, I use 700x32 Michelin Jets and adjust pressure depending on the particular route. 

As stated before, check the rim strips and the bead on the rims for any dents or flat spots. 

Good luck.


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## OldM2 (Dec 23, 2007)

Have a Lezyne Steel Floor Drive pump headed this way, but want to ride this weekend. "40 seconds? But I'm hungry now!"

All the tire vs rim width charts I find have 13 rims maxing on 25 tires and 15 rims maxing on 32 tires, so I'm left to assume that a 14 rim maxes on a 28 tire. I'm a geek about that relationship on cars, where too wide a tire for the wheel or too narrow a wheel for the tire really does suck. 

Anybody out there happily using 32 tires on 14 rims?


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## OldM2 (Dec 23, 2007)

All the comments about rim strips got me to check them. I know they were installed reasonably well, but it turns out the rear strip was moved well to one side - I assume it was during tire installation. (Tire bead was reeaaallly tight.) Left some big gaps over the spoke clearance drilling. Matched up to the location of the hole in the tube (I'd figured it was just a hair twisted, but it looks like it wasn't). Guess that's probably the answer. Thanks for all the help! 

Won't change what I do in the morning, except that I'll be more careful about checking the strips after tire installation.


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## donalson (Apr 13, 2004)

good point on the narrow rim... also there is a bit of a diameter discrepancy going 32 rear and 25 front... 28 is almost sure to fit so I'd go that way

as for your rim strip... what sort are they? all the good ones I've used are sticky on the backside so they don't move... might be worth spending the change for a good rim strip, keep it on hand till you pull the tire off next time


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## TooTallUK (Jul 5, 2005)

You need a pump to take with you on your rides as well - unless you are taking that track pump with you!
Go 28 for the tyre. That little extra comfort is well worth it.


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## OldM2 (Dec 23, 2007)

The rim strips are the cloth ones REI sells. Adhesive backed. Still got moved to the side.


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## karvanet (Apr 19, 2011)

After going through a number of flats on my commuter bike I switched to Schwalbe Marathon plus tires. They are a bit spendy but flat tires are a thing of the past. I've got about 2000 km on mine and they are in great shape.


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## authalic (Apr 8, 2005)

I'm currently at 260 pounds, and have been riding on 700x25 Gatorskins for 3 months (650 miles). I run them at about 110 psi and haven't had any pinch flats yet. I did get a puncture from a thorn on one ride, but compared to the 23mm racing tires I was riding before, when I would get a pinch or puncture almost every ride, the Gatorskins feel almost flat-proof.

As mentioned above, you'll need a portable high-pressure pump. I have a Specialized Airtool Mini Pump (which works well), two CO2 cartridges, a patch kit, and an extra tube, in the bag under my saddle. I'm feeling much more confident that I won't be walking home with flat tires any time I go out on the road bike.


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## donalson (Apr 13, 2004)

authalic said:


> As mentioned above, you'll need a portable high-pressure pump. I have a Specialized Airtool Mini Pump (which works well), two CO2 cartridges, a patch kit, and an extra tube, in the bag under my saddle. I'm feeling much more confident that I won't be walking home with flat tires any time I go out on the road bike.


sounds like a good kit... you may consider adding a few glueless patches to the kit as well... they weigh virtually nothing but can be a life saver if you run into a real bad patch of flats

for pumping stuff... I like this little guy Nashbar CO2 Mini Pump - Normal Shipping Ground

uses 12g co2 from my paintball days (avl at every walmart i've ever been in and much cheaper than other options) and if I run out of co2 I can pump (no fun but it's an option)... also is for both presta and schrader so if someone in the group has a flat I've got all my bases covered


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## OldM2 (Dec 23, 2007)

Repositioned the rim strip. Did the Forte puncture resistant tubes and a wire-bead 700x28 Gatorskin that was on sale for the rear and put ~24 miles on the bike without any issue with the tires.


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## Alias530 (Apr 1, 2013)

6'6" 245lbs and I run gatorskin 700x25 on my road bike. I noticeably can't go as fast as when I had lighter factory 700x23 tires without puncture resistance but not pinch flatting as often and extra comfort is worth it.


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## bolandjd (Jul 23, 2008)

Here's different perspective that I think makes lots of sense for us super-clydes who put lots of weight on our tires - Learn About Bikes with Rivendell Bicycle Works

Oh, and for a specific recommendation, I'm finding that the Panaracer Pasela (in 28mm or 32mm) has about the best balance in cost, performance, and flat protection out there. Which is to say that there are faster tires out there and tougher tires out there, but anything faster_ and _tougher costs a LOT more.


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## donalson (Apr 13, 2004)

I've been running Panaracer Pasela for the last month (32c) and have been very happy with them granted only put 100 miles on em so far but it's been they roll nicely even on some of the rougher roads I've been riding... at $40 for the set they are a good value.


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## ZmyDust (May 13, 2011)

I'm nearly exactly your weight and was asking your question a month or so ago. In fact I asked the same question over at roadbikereview.comand I ultimately decided to go with the 25c Gatorskin Hardshells. 
Have a couple hundred miles on them so far with no flats or issues. This is after flatting like 5 times on the 25c Kenda K152s that came with the cheapie bike. They're heavier than most roadbike tires but I have confidence in them which is important when you're 10 miles from home.

I don't believe its necessary for you to go over 25c at your weight unless you want to.


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## schnee (Oct 15, 2005)

You could pull off 25c tires at your size, I did, but not much bigger. You're basically pumping up the tires to much higher pressures than other riders to prevent pinch flats, and risking blow-outs. Blow-outs are really really f-ing dangerous, and unless you're literally racing there's little reason to use anything smaller than 28c.

I like Gatorskins because I ride all over, from well-cleaned smooth concrete to hopping curbs on dirt and gravel to crossing over some gnarly traffic-choked streets. You get all sorts of tire-destroying things on rides like that, and the slightly rougher experience of Gators is an awesome trade for getting no flats.

If you go 25c, for, say, a race or a high-performance ride where you need the tires to stick in extremely fast cornering and you don't want to risk a slip (Gators are a bit less grippy than other tires), then Conti GP4000 or All Season are the way to go. I LOVED those. If I can get back down to 240 I'll throw those on for some super fast club rides.


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## formicaman (Dec 2, 2011)

Get a Topeak Mii Morph pump - It has a little hose and a clip to stand on to keep it on the ground, so it's basically a miniature floor pump. SO much better - I seriously can't believe all pumps aren't the same.


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## Lurch98 (Oct 11, 2006)

I'll kind of second Schnee with the recomendation for Conti GP4000s. I've been riding them for many years, and only ever had 1 flat with them. Us big guys need to make sure they're inflated near their max in my experience. Maybe I'm just ok riding really hard tires, but like I said, in 12 or so years or riding on them anywhere from 225-305 lbs, I've only ever had 1 flat. great all around tire for me. I run them at ~118 PSI.


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## Mordy (May 31, 2006)

I ran some Specialized 25 Armordillo sports for a long time. They were very tough and I wore them down pretty far. If anything the rubber on them was too soft!

I have been riding all season on Vittoria Zafiro Pros and I like them a lot better. They roll better and are much lighter but seem plenty strong (and are very affordable) No flats yet!


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