My current tyres are 25mm Goodyear Eagle F1’s. Youtube is full of people claiming road bikes run better with wider tyres, maybe 28-30mm.
However, the main benefit supposedly is that wider tyres are better for bad road conditions - but the roads in Taiwan are excellent. I’ve never had a problem with my 25’s.
Curious to know if people think it’s worth going wider, or staying the same?
Wider, for everywhere. 
Narrow (23), high pressure tires used to be dominant because it was assumed that they’d have less lower rolling resistance. Pros and serious riders are mostly on 28s and 30s now - they’re more comfortable and apparently studies have shown that they actually have less resistance than narrow tires.
Thanks. My bike shop is good, but my Chinese and their English could be better, so there’s room for misunderstanding: they seemed to suggest wider tires would be slow. But I think now they meant tires wider than say 30. I’m just super cautious because good quality tires aren’t cheap and I want to be sure I’m getting something I absolutely won’t regret.
I’m open to tire recommendations too - good ones. The Goodyear were the first really good tires I ever had, but they don’t have them in stock. so considering P-Zero’s, which they do have, and which I gather are highly regarded. Maybe Continental’s, if they have them. For context, the bike is titanium frame with what I guess is probably relaxed geometry and built for endurance, although I take it up Yangmingshan and Maokong a fair bit.
28-30mm I hear is the way to go nowadays, however, I’ve been running 25c for upwards of 10 years now and they’ve never failed me. I don’t disagree with the recent studies, but 25s are just what I’m comfortable with. Additionally, my rims are circa 2019, so they’re a bit more optimized for 25c-ish tires.
Go with what you feel works best and what your wheels and frame are compatible with. Sometimes shops don’t realize that tsa bu duo doesn’t work when you’re slapping on 2025 tires to a much older wheel.
I’d generally go as wide as you can fit in your frame for a road bike. I run 32c conti gp5000 tubed version on my ‘fast’ weekend road bike, which is a steel framed endurance geo bike really. Taiwans roads are generally smoother and better condition than the roads I have to ride in London and Surrey/Kent, so running something a little narrower wouldn’t bother me there.
As for brands everyone has their favourites, but I’ve pretty much migrated all my road bikes to conti. Still have my commuter running panaracer, but they’ll be replaced come winter.
Back from a ride after getting the rear tire replaced and opted for a P-Zero 28mm, mainly because that’s what they had: I think it feels a little more stable/smooth on rougher surfaces, but can’t be 100% certain, if at all, until I get the front tire also replaced when their new stock arrives (they only had the one P-Zero). I took the fact they only had 28s on hand as a sign from the Gods that it was time to go wider.
Running 25’s because thats the largest I can use with my rim brakes.
As a general rule, I’d be less concerned about the width for a touring tire and more about the composition. The different silicone compounds have better wet traction, esp when cornering, and seem to wear longer as well, but there’s a lot of different options.
Well, in that case, that’s because you have no choice. I still have my old rim brake bike, and the largest tire I can fit in that is probably 25s also. It’s also a bike I hardly ever use. But if you do have a choice, wider seems to be better. My 28s have been great so far.
Go down the Jan Heine/bicycle quarterly/Compass Rene Herse tires rabbit hole where 50mm tires are not uncommon.
Personally I enjoy between 38-42 as a sweet spot. 50ish feels weird to me with drop bars.
my two cents from a non pro cycler. I ruined one tire from running them when flat so i put on 38 instead of the original 45 on my hybrid bike to see if narrower tires will run better , less effort , quicker etc. Was proven wrong. The 38s ran slower not faster and had more resistance not less. Also were harsher riding on pavement. So since i had one 45 tire left i put that back on the rear and the ride has improved and the rolling resistance i swear is less. I am thinking to replace the front with a 45 too but i kinda like that the 38 pushes aside up to an inch of sand much better. I ride in Golden Gate park in San Francisco on pavement as well as light trails there, as well as on pavement near ocean beach where a lot of sand can build up before they clear it again. With the 45s i immediately get dismounted when i hit sand but the 38s cut thru it at least to an inch depth. Thats why i kept it on the front. But i think maybe its better to get another 45 tire up front for riding in general outside of hitting sand which only happens on that road beside ocean beach. or maybe just keep the present set up since it works. And bike tires i understand do NOT need to be the same front and rear because of the very different demands on the front vs rear tires.
Funny my experience with sandy roads is sort of opposite. I think it’s better to ride on top of the sand (fat tire, low pressure) vs cutting through it, but probably works if it’s just a thin layer of sand like on the Great Highway in SF (sometimes it’s thick, not sure what it’s like now as a park) and you can push it away and contact pavement.
There’s a few sandy spots in Taiwan that I like to ride over. the fun part is right after a rain when the sand is more solid and you can follow the vehicle tracks on the beach because it’s so compacted.
exactly we talking an inch of sand with pavement underneath on the great highway. FAt tires can actually ride ON the sand. FAT tire bikes are the rage now but only on electric. They be too much of a hassle to pedal without electrical assist.
about closing the great highway to car traffic completely its been a hot topic here in the sunset district of sF where i live. most everyone living at the sunset district strongly opposed closing the road permanently to cars. We liked it was closed on weekends though. We were fearful closing that road will lead to much increased traffic on the side streets. This was my thought too as i had often also driven on the great highway on my way to and from work. But honestly its been a few months now and i have not seen a huge increase in side street traffic probably because there are quite a few side streets in the sunset. 19th avenue is already impossible so nobody is adding to the traffic there. Sunset Blvd traffic seems to have increased slightly but the side streets have basically taken up the brunt of the traffic i think.
Anyhow long story short, i am now favoring the closing of the great highway to cars because it is quite a unique thing to have a road beside the beach closed to traffic and it has brought a lot of people out even during the week to run and bike and walk on the road. I think its actually ADDED to the charm of SF not subtracted as feared.
So i was against, then neutral, but now PRO the road being closed to cars.
Fair point, but I still haven’t taken quite that deep a dive into tire construction. That tires can be wider and might have better rolling resistance (I think) is about the totality of my knowledge. Although I’ll probably learn more as time goes on.
I did see some people complaining here and there (Youtube, Reddit) about Continental tires, although I lack the knowledge to know if there reasons are valid - they might not be. But I did consider Continental 5000s for the simple reason I’d heard they were good.
I got a 28mm P-Zero Road tire on the rear (because I’d heard they were good, and saw positive reviews of them on Youtube). The shop told me I’d be better with the same width front and back, and the current front tire (Goodyear F1 Eagle, which came with the bike) is getting worn out, so I have a second 28mm P-Zero on order for the front.
Anecdotally, I think so far the bike feels a bit faster and more stable. I don’t always trust my impressions, because so many things can influence how you think, such as being told something is better can make you think it’s better, whether or not it’s objectively any different. But, for all that, my subjective feeling is it’s a little faster and more stable, especially downhill.
I think tires is likely one of the most easily felt things you can change on a bike so…the Conti’s are popular so there’s likely more negative stuff out there on them, but I’ve had good luck with them.
One looking for more measured and repeatable testing can find it here:
As with most things, personal preference and perceptions probably play a large part.
Among the high performance tyres the differences are marginal really. Continental are easy to find here in the UK and I really like their contact urban tyre for touring and commuting type stuff, as they are nearly as puncture resistant at marathon plus but half the weight and roll much faster.
A minor plus is that their tyres are made here in Europe and I try to buy stuff as local as is reasonable when I can.
I use Maxxis in Taiwan. It’s also a sentimental link to when I used Maxxis for XC.
I’m going to remember that, because I mean to visit back to the UK for the first time in a long time probably early-ish next year, and I’ve been wondering if I should attempt to take my bike with me and do a little bike touring. That led me to thoughts of getting a separate set of tires for the British roads. I had Marathon Plus on my old bike there, but they were a bit heavy.
I am also going to remember this, because I did not know Maxxis were a Taiwan company.