Wide tyres or VERY Wide tyres for India ??

[island girl]

I have 700x38c Specialised Infinity tyres on my hybrid bike. I have done 5000 road miles with no punctures, including LEJOG, so needless to say i am delighted with them. I am going to India on a 400 mile trip so plan to renew tyres. I have been before so know the roads can be very rough in places. I plan to replace with same tyre but 700x 32c to give a bit extra speed. The bike will be unloaded this time. Will this be ok? Will it make any difference?

[meic]

My guess (as a fan of thinner tyres) is that your 32mm tyres would only give you more speed on a certain quality of road surface. I cant remember what India's roads were like but we have some stretches here in Wales that neutralise the benefits of narrow tyres.

[sungod]

if you can run 32s at higher pressure it could give a bit more speed, but given the dire road quality i'd stick with the 38s

afaik rolling resistance is more about pressure than width, but fatter tires should be less prone to snakebite punctures

make sure your medical insurance covers you for cycling there! i've been going there for around 15 years but with the lethal driving standards i've never felt like taking to the roads on a bike

[willem jongman]

My advise would be to go for wider rather than narrower (i.e. e.g. Schwalbe Marathon 368 42 mm, if they fit). They will be more comfortable, give better grip on rough roads, and will be faster. Narrow tyres are only faster if you pump them bone jarringly hard, and even then they are not faster if the road is rough.
Willem

[island girl]

Thanks everyone. Will probably stick with the 38mm. The roads are realy bad in places - craters not potholes. The last day of the ride we cycle 4500ft so I was looking for a tyre to help with the hills. Probably naive to think a narrower tyre would help - just rely on muscle power and stamina.

[willem jongman]

Shed some luggage weight if you want to climb more easily.
Willem

[EdinburghFixed]

I agree with Willem, on rough roads you will gain nothing by going narrower than usual (and could lose out big time if you bash a rim). And even if the roads were smooth, the performance difference over 5mm of narrower tyre is going to be trivial on a long climb compared with just packing lighter (or losing a bit of weight yourself, ahem)

[meic]

"I have been before so know the roads can be very rough in places."

You probably have a better idea than we do in that case..

It was a long time ago for me but I think with their types of vehicles, traffic speeds and wealth that the roads are going to be not the smoothest in the world.
In which case you would probably be better off listening to the very wide camp.

Although in my experience I havent seen any thing that I could tackle with my 1.75" (47mm) that I could not tackle with my 1.5" (35/37mm). So that is as fat as I would go.

[willem jongman]

If the climb is really what bothers you (and I can well imagine), you may want to go for a lighter rather than a narrower tyre. The tyres that come to mind are the Schwalbe Supreme in 42 mm and their new Dureme if you need more tread. I could not find a weight for the Specialized, but it is probably rather heavier.
W

[meic]

I have been assuming you will mostly be on tarmac but if you are mostly on gravel roads you will want to have sidewalls which are more gash resistant. That unfortunately means heavier.

It is pretty difficult to answer this question as we dont know what the roads in India are like in general, let alone the ones you will be cycling on.

[island girl]

My bike will be unloaded as a suport team carry all gear. As for myself I am skinny so no weight lose there. I cycled this route Kolkatta to Kalimpong, in the Himalaya, two years ago and the roads are very changeable tarmac, gravel, stoney, broken tarmac - you name it, it is there. Once you get used to the insane India traffic it is wonderful - winding, weaving avoiding and being avoided. Last time I had a mtb with very wide tyres but this time a hybrid bike with specialised infinity tyres 700x38 that have done 5000 miles in a year and a half with no p********. I feel they are due a change and just wondered whether to stick with what I have or go for a change. Maybe a case of ' better the devil you know...................'