[DougInRaleigh]

It seems like the more expensive bikes have the 700x23 tire. What is the difference? Is it a narrower, smaller (faster) tire?

Would it make sense if you are buying new tires to upgrade to the 700x23?

The 700x25 tires on my Trek are getting pretty bare, would I gain some speed by going with the 23?

 

[JayTee]

No you won't gain speed and no 700X23s aren't really an upgrade (or downgrade) from 700X25s. There's a miniscule weight difference and otherwise it is generally a function of preference. I switched to 25s years ago and never looked back.

 

[Cory]

It's imperceptible. I run 32s & go no slower

Most bikes are spec'ed for guys who want to look like racers, which means the gears are too high and the tires too skinny for most of the riding most of us do. No harm in it, but it keeps a lot of people from being comfortable and enjoying the bike the way they could if it were suited to their purposes. I doubt you'd feel any difference at all between 23s and 25s--I haven't bought anything smaller than 32mm in years, and I don't go any slower on those than I did on 23s.
The difference, broadly, is in the width (there's another factor in there, too, but I forget what it is. As the terms are generally used, it's width). A 23mm tire is LABELED 23, though most are narrower. A 25 is labeled 25, though few hit it exactly. The 35s I have on my Atlantis actually measure 30.5mm. It isn't a very exact science.

 

[Pablo]

Michelin 23s are a touch wide. But no, the difference between 25s ans 23s is very small. 23s may be a touch (impercievably) faster. 25s may be a touch smoother (although the psi would make a more significant difference).

 

[brianmcg]

I have been running some 700x35 on my Long Haul Trucker and for kicks I did a little experiment.

I wondered what the LHT would feel like with some 28s on it. So one afternoon I swapped out the 35s for the 28s. And low and behold the bike felt like crap. Really.

There were two reasons for this:

1) I could feel every single bump in the road, and I was now having to swerve all over the road to avoid small road cracks and debris.

2) The tires felt a lot slower. Not when accelerating but once I was up to speed, if I coasted for one second I would slow way down. The extra inertia at speed makes having the wider tires nice. They just maintain their speed a lot better.

So after about a week on the 28s I switched them back to the 35s. Now I am considering going up to 38s or even 40s.

 

[DougInRaleigh]

Thanks for all of the responses.

Seems like there are slight differences in the tire specs. between the two tire sizes, but as always it seems to be an issue of what works best for you and your bike setup.

 

[Kestreljr]

No you won't gain speed and no 700X23s aren't really an upgrade (or downgrade) from 700X25s. There's a miniscule weight difference and otherwise it is generally a function of preference. I switched to 25s years ago and never looked back.

I have never ridden 25's- mostly 23's but I have ridden 20's in the past and noticed a huge difference in how the bike handles... cornering, responsiveness, as well as a harder ride quality.

Is the difference b/w 23's and 25's less noticable then between 20's and 23's?

 

[JayTee]

IMO, yes. The difference is more subtle. And of course, all companies measure a little differently, so the true difference between a 23 and a 25 may be almost imperceptible. Add to that the difference in casing, or rubber, or whatever, and honestly it is probably hard to make any broad-based assumptions.

A few years back I actually put a fairly cheap (Conti Ultra 2000) tire in a 700 X 25 size on my bike for Pedal the Peaks, since I knew that with the very long days I mostly wanted flat resistance (within reason) over all else. Although I haven't stayed with the Ultra 2000 (I like Michelin Carbons) I've been very pleased with the combination of flat resistance and ride quality that I get these days.

 

[Barabaika]

A bigger tire allows to use the lower air pressure, thus making a more comfortable ride because it absorbs bumps better.

Sometimes people here tell how a frame A from some super material is much more comfortable than a cheaper frame B. Well, bigger tires make a better effect.