Want to swap road tyres for something more robust!

[Bobber]

Hello!

I'm hoping to get some advice on tyres and whether or not I can swap/change/find a suitable one for the road bike my step-dad has given me.

I've steadily been getting more involved with cycling, having moved from my mountain bike to the racing bike. I've become a bit of speed freak but I'm missing the fun of off road cycling. I was one step off buying a second hand cyclocross but I thought I'd try and give this bike a bit of a face lift and tyre change (to suit the heavier road surfaces) before committing to the price tag of a new bike!

The bike model is part of the Shimano 600 series (can't tell you how old it is!) with a quick release front wheel. The tyres read as 700 x 23c and on the alloy, 700c 13 x 622.
I've done a bit of research into both these figures and from what I know about bikes I've been looking at the first set of numbers (700 x 23c) for a tyre replacement. BUT, what I need is a heavier set tyre for the road surfaces I'll tackling (a lot of back roads and relatively uneven surfaces).

Should I be looking at replacing the alloy as well as the tyre for the heavier road surfaces or is there some hidden supplier of tyres that offers a better grip??? I don't want to go changing the alloy in risk of it then becoming too large for the frame. Is it maybe a case of being able to keep the alloys but changing the tyre size? I've found brands like Schwalbe but no real luck and I'm just making this more confusing the more I look!!

Any advice and comments are welcome! I really am a novice, so please pardon any of my ignorance.

Thanks to everyone who provides their wisdom.

[foxyrider]

I would suggest that you look at going up to 700x25 which should fit your bike without issue and have a look at something along the lines of Conti 4 seasons tyres or similar. I've just fitted a nicely robust Decathlon Triban Protect tyre in that size which was all of £13 and is quite happy on most surfaces without loosing too much performance if any.

Provided that the rims are in good order there is no real reason to change the wheels.

Just to put your mind at rest, there are plenty of people like me who ride 23/25c tyres on our road bikes on the less than perfect roads and even stray onto bridleways, bikepaths and other unmade surfaces without having issues. Just remember its not a mtb, you need different techniques and skills to do it well. Of course, if you have access to enough trails, a gravel or CX bike will be potentially more robust with lower gearing, wider tyres etc

The main thing is to enjoy riding

[Brucey]

if there is enough clearance in the frame then you could go to a slightly wider tyre yet, e.g. a 28mm one. The narrow rim will have the effect of making wider tyres less wide when fitted, so for example a 35mm tyre will probably end up nearer to 32mm on a 13C rim. If the frame clearance doesn't limit the tyre size, the narrow rim will, in that if the tyre is wide enough you will get to the point that you won't like running low pressures because the tyre will start to 'flop' from side to side on the rim.

I'd probably fit 28mm tyres if I could. Note that if the tyres have more tread on them, this can make them take up more space than you might expect, i.e. appear slightly wider than they should be.

cheers

[The utility cyclist]

As above, 700x28s are your best bet
I use these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-of-Gian ... SwxlBePXhE both on my commuter and my audax cum tourer/winter racer.
You could probably ask the sender to reduce the postage as being folders it'll only be £3 to post 2nd but still £20 for a barely used pair of quality tyres is worth it IMO.

[Bobber]

Ah!
Thank you so much for all your advice, appreciate this immensely.

I'm scouting out these options right now but whether or not I get tyres delivered in the next 3 weeks will be a miracle!

Thanks again!!!!!

[Jamesh]

I can recommend wiggle own brand tyres.

Not had a puncture in 4000 miles of riding.

They do a commuter tyre in 28mm which looks a bit heavier than the race tyres I have used.

Cheers James

[Vorpal]

They're quite a bit more expensive, but I love Continental GP 4 Seasons. I commute on them, and only puncture when they are very worn.

They also have very good traction for a road tyre, and get ridden regularly on unpaved surfaces and gravel paths.

[The utility cyclist]

They're quite a bit more expensive, but I love Continental GP 4 Seasons. I commute on them, and only puncture when they are very worn.

They also have very good traction for a road tyre, and get ridden regularly on unpaved surfaces and gravel paths.

4Seasons are awful IME (and a fair few others), more so for the cost, draggy/poor RR, poor grip in the wet and I've found them to be far worse than the aforementioned Giant branded PSL2s in all aspects incl puncture resistance. The PSL2s have loads more meat in the part of the tyre that counts, I would never recommend 4S, the 4KIIs, now whilst less puncture resistant the pay-off of a much better tyre in terms of traction and performance for barely any cost differential would push me to towards those in a 28.

Personally I don't see buying bike retailers own tyres being good unless you simply want to get lots of miles out them and even that could be hit/miss and I've had a decent amount of miles out of performance tyres even with my not insignificant 15 and a bit stone.
VfM. You might get lucky but they're cheap for a reason, however when you can buy great tyres for not much anyway by trawling around for cast-offs that have many users and/or good reviews then is it worth saving a few quid over getting something very much likely to be significantly better all round?

[dim]

Panaracer Gravel King in either 25mm wide (or 28mm wide if you have clearance)

amazing tyres for road or gravel and reasonably priced

[Vorpal]

They're quite a bit more expensive, but I love Continental GP 4 Seasons. I commute on them, and only puncture when they are very worn.

They also have very good traction for a road tyre, and get ridden regularly on unpaved surfaces and gravel paths.

4Seasons are awful IME (and a fair few others), more so for the cost, draggy/poor RR, poor grip in the wet and I've found them to be far worse than the aforementioned Giant branded PSL2s in all aspects incl puncture resistance. The PSL2s have loads more meat in the part of the tyre that counts, I would never recommend 4S, the 4KIIs, now whilst less puncture resistant the pay-off of a much better tyre in terms of traction and performance for barely any cost differential would push me to towards those in a 28.

My experience is exactly the opposite. They are better than most tyres in the wet, and especially messy conditions of spring & autumn. The rolling resistance may not be quite as good as an out & out race tyre, but it is better than anything with a similar or better level or puncture resistance than I've tried.

While I have to admit that I have not tried the Giant branded tyres, recommended above, I have tried other tyres on my road bike a number of times, and not been as satisfied as with the Contis.

[hamster]

Michelin Pro4 Endurance v2 seem to do everything the GP4Seasons do, and always a little better: lower rolling resistance (see Bicyclerollingresistance.com), tougher sidewalls and better resistance to cuts.
I've run some 28C for 3 years, cuts are minimal. Generally the GP4Seasons last about 5000 miles before sidewall damage or a big cut kills them.
I cannot complain about grip with GP4Seasons.

[pete75]

I've a relatively narrow rimmed limited clearance bike I needed robust tyres on to use on all sorts of surfaces. Fitted 700 x 25 Schwalbe Marathons. No complaints about that choice.

[sixtoes]

IMO GP4 Seasons are pretty good at resisting punctures but not quite as good as I had hoped. They do have decent wet grip though, and I thought their feel was pretty good.

What I would watch with them is your tyre clearance as they are really wide. On my wheels The 28mm GP4S tyres measured more like 32mm.

[The utility cyclist]

IMO GP4 Seasons are pretty good at resisting punctures but not quite as good as I had hoped. They do have decent wet grip though, and I thought their feel was pretty good.

What I would watch with them is your tyre clearance as they are really wide. On my wheels The 28mm GP4S tyres measured more like 32mm.

the 28s I fitted to ksyrium SSCs measured 26.5mm, pitiful compared to the Giant tyres which measured an actual 28 on same rim!

[sixtoes]

IMO GP4 Seasons are pretty good at resisting punctures but not quite as good as I had hoped. They do have decent wet grip though, and I thought their feel was pretty good.

What I would watch with them is your tyre clearance as they are really wide. On my wheels The 28mm GP4S tyres measured more like 32mm.

the 28s I fitted to ksyrium SSCs measured 26.5mm, pitiful compared to the Giant tyres which measured an actual 28 on same rim!

Interesting that yours came up narrow, I thought they have a bit of a reputation for being wider than spec. For example at bicyclerollingresistance.com he measured the GP4S 25mm at 27mm. I guess it varies with the wheels.

I should probably add that I think they are overpriced for what they are so I don't use them anymore. On my commute bike I now have Schwalbe CX Comp which obviously don't have the same road grip but are cheap, tough and versatile.

I recently switched my road bike from GP4S to Vittoria Rubino Pro Control G+ Isotech. It's too early to give proper feedback but so far I like them.