Cycle Tire: Can You Put 25mm Tyres On Your Road Bike?
Road bikes’ primary use is racing and fast riding. Riders take care of their bikes so that they can win. Sometimes they have to change or modify any parts or accessories. Tires are at the top of the list of changing road bike accessories. Bikers put on various sizes of tires to get speed. And they should do it after knowing the advantages and disadvantages of the tires. So the very first question that arises in mind is whether can you put 25mm tires on your road bike.
If a cyclist can put it, then what are its specialty, advantages, and disadvantages? Also, compared to other sizes of tires, is it good or bad? So today, I am going to get all of the answers in this article. Keep patient and dive into the whole text.
The Specialty Of 25mm Tires
These ultra-thin tires are able to rotate faster than other tires.
- At the turning point, it gives a smooth turn. And rolling turns depend on the tire’s corner. If the corners of the tire are fewer, it helps to turn smoothly.
- The 25mm tires gain speed easily. Because it doesn’t have extra weight, also, it is almost frictionless.
- Less weight and non-friction ability make it the fastest tire. And, the most speed-gaining ability makes it the best racing tire.
But Can You Put 25mm Tyres On Your Road Bike?
Usually, the answer is yes. You can put 25mm tires on your road bike. From the beginning, almost every road bike has used 23mm tires. But 25mm tires become more popular in the recent arena so far.
Since you are putting 25mm tires, you also should be aware of their characteristics. The tire features must match your road bike frame geometry. Therefore, every cycle must check the ability of their road bike rim first, then put on the new tires.
So, What Should Be The Rim Size For 25mm Tires?
Well, the road bike rim size should be 20mm to 21mm wide from the internal for the 25mm wide tires. Moreover, the diameter of the rim should be below 700mm and more than 690mm. Because, if the tire’s diameter and width size are exactly the same as the rim diameter and width size, it won’t fit the rim. This is why the rim size should be less than the tire size.
Yes, for a racing road bike, this is the best rim size. If you are thinking of making your road bike into a gravel bike, you have to increase the rim and tire size at the mentioned ratio. That means 700x25mm tires are required for a 690x23mm rim size.
Disadvantages Of Putting 25mm Tires
As an ultra-thin tire, it has many disadvantages. Of its thinness, the stability is not so pure. After getting to top speed it gives a shaky vibration to the bike. At this rate, the rider has a risk of falling.
- The 25mm tires are only for riding the paved road and racing track.
- In the dirt and off-road, it is not suitable.
- The durability of 25mm tires is less than other wider tires.
- Almost non-frictional tires surface may cause you slipping experience while you pull the hard brakes.
Are 25mm Tires Faster Or Slower Than 28mm And 32mm Tires?
Road bike specialists researched to know which size of the tire gives the most speed to a road bike. They install 25mm, 28mm, and 32mm tires consecutively. Then ride the bike at 154.5w and 254.5w.
Then the result was like the 25mm tires gained 32 km/h speed on average at 154.5w. The 28mm and 32mm gained 30km/h speed at 154.5w. When they tested the speed at 343.0w, 25mm gained 43 km/h on average. The 28mm and 32mm tires, both of them gained 40km/h speed approximately.
An In-Depth Comparison Chart Among 25mm, 28mm, And 32mm Tyres
Criteria | 25mm | 28mm | 32mm |
Speed (154.5w) | 32km/h AVG | 30km/h AVG | 30km/h AVG |
Speed (343.0w) | 43 km/h AVG | 40 km/h AVG | 40 km/h AVG |
Suitable at | Racing and fast riding | Racing and fast riding | Harsh riding and long journey |
Stability | Nearly unstable at high-speed | Nearly stable | Proper stable |
Route | Paved racing track | Paved road | Off-road, lite dirt road, paved road |
Durability | Less durable | Durable than 25mm | Last than 25mm and 28mm |
Usability | Fit for all regular rim | Fix in all regular rim | Sometimes don’t fix, need to change rim |
Friction | Almost non-friction | Smooth riding | Proper friction |
The Safety You Should Maintain After Putting 25mm Tires On Your Road Bike
If you read all the given information above then you have already realized that putting 25mm tires on your road bike have more disadvantages than advantages. And still, if you want to put 25mm tires, you have to maintain some safety steps to keep you far from danger.
- Wear Safety Gears: Don’t forget to wear a helmet, safety pads, shoes, and glasses. Windbreaker suits are also required as much as you can reduce risks.
- Don’t Forget Your Roots: Road bikes are only for smooth surfaces. Still, some thick tires are able to run off-road. But, 25mm tires are only for riding smooth surfaces. So, don’t run it off-road, it can bring danger.
- Proper Handling: Since you are riding on a thin-tire road bike, stay focused on riding until you become a master at handling bikes at shaky moments. Because thin tire road bikes shake too much at high speed.
- Braking System: 25mm tire’s friction is too low. Thus when a rider pulls the brakes hard suddenly, the bike slides. And it can cause an accident. To avoid that kind of accident, lose the brake pads a little. So that when you are pulling the brakes all of a sudden, they won’t be stuck at the brake disk immediately. This practice will help you to reduce the speed slowly.
- Maintain The Rim Size: If it is possible, then choose the correct rim size for the 25mm tires. Normally the regular rim size which comes with the road bike is not suitable for 25mm tires. So it is normal that you will be facing a problem in adjusting 25mm tires with the rim. Thus some modifications like changing the rim can solve this problem. Also, large rim sizes may cause unexpected flat tires.
Final Verdict
Choosing the perfect tires for road bikes is not difficult. You should follow all the criteria I mentioned above. They are not only going to make the correct decision about 25mm tires but also they will help you to choose the perfect tires for your loving road bike. Safe Cycling, My Friend!