I am thinking about upgrading my tires on my Felt IA 16. I will eventually be upgrading to carbon wheels, but I am still on my stock wheels for now with the stock Felt TTR2 23c tires. I am on the heavy side (but getting lighter), so I have been running the pressure on those tires pretty high. They have a max pressure of 145 PSI, and I think I ran them around 135 (maybe higher, I cannot remember) for the New Orleans HIM.
The Felt tires are hard as a friggin’ rock and miserable on uneven road surfaces. So, I am thinking about moving to the Continental 4000s II tires that I can run a little softer with little to no loss (or maybe even a gain) in overall rolling resistance and aero resistance.
My default would be the 23mm Continental tires, but it seems like a lot of people are moving to the 25mm tires. So, I solicit input regarding best tire choices and trade-offs…
I weigh about 185 lbs. now, but am dropping. I will probably settle in around 175 lbs. (I started north of 200 lbs. in December, when I registered for my first HIM.)
What tire width and pressure would you recommend for a relatively heavy guy like me?
I’m 205lbs and not fat (not skinny though), and I run my Flos with the GP 4ks at 110 psi. 135psi seems awfully high. But that is just this novice’s opinion (from what I’ve read). I’ll be following this thread as I always have question like these, especially the 25mm trend in tire choice.
I am thinking about upgrading my tires on my Felt IA 16. I will eventually be upgrading to carbon wheels, but I am still on my stock wheels for now with the stock Felt TTR2 23c tires. I am on the heavy side (but getting lighter), so I have been running the pressure on those tires pretty high. They have a max pressure of 145 PSI, and I think I ran them around 135 (maybe higher, I cannot remember) for the New Orleans HIM.
The Felt tires are hard as a friggin’ rock and miserable on uneven road surfaces. So, I am thinking about moving to the Continental 4000s II tires that I can run a little softer with little to no loss (or maybe even a gain) in overall rolling resistance and aero resistance.
My default would be the 23mm Continental tires, but it seems like a lot of people are moving to the 25mm tires. So, I solicit input regarding best tire choices and trade-offs…
I weigh about 185 lbs. now, but am dropping. I will probably settle in around 175 lbs. (I started north of 200 lbs. in December, when I registered for my first HIM.)
What tire width and pressure would you recommend for a relatively heavy guy like me?
Any tire at 135 psi will feel like a rock! Changing tires and inflating to this psi is crazy!
Just because a sidewall indicates a max pressure, you don’t need to go there. I inflate to around 100 psi at 170 lbs and the tires are still quite hard.
I assume you meant it has the stock TTR4 wheels. I’m not familiar with TTR2’s if thats what you really have. 135 psi sounds high. I think the stock felt tires probably are not as hard as you describe at more normal air pressures. At least the ones on my IA10 were not that bad.
The TT4’s are supposed to be 22mm wide so you should be able to run slightly lower pressure than narrower wheels. When I was around 185 I always rode 25mm GP4K’s at around 85-90 psi on 23mm wide rims. At 175 now I run closer to 80psi on 23mm wide rims. I probably could run even lower and not pinch flat.
I would go with the 25’s. You get lower rolling resistance, and the wider tire allows you to run lower pressure which will make for a more comfortable ride. You take a small aero and weight penalty over the 23’s but I would gladly trade that for the added comfort.
Any tire at 135 psi will feel like a rock! Changing tires and inflating to this psi is crazy!
Just because a sidewall indicates a max pressure, you don’t need to go there. I inflate to around 100 psi at 170 lbs and the tires are still quite hard.
This comes from my experience road racing a few decades ago. Back then, the objective was narrowest possible tire at the highest possible pressure to get best performance. However, back then, the highest pressure tire I ever saw was 120 PSI. I typically raced at 115 PSI. I am reticent to run my current tires at their max 145 PSI, but absent other data, I do not know if rolling resistance degrades if I run the tires substantially lower than their max, or if my tires at ~110 PSI are similar to any other tire at that pressure. That is part of my motivation for change-- it seems like there is more data and experience with leading tires like the Continental. So, I am trying to figure out the best match for me and my equipment.
I assume you meant it has the stock TTR4 wheels. I’m not familiar with TTR2’s if thats what you really have. 135 psi sounds high. I think the stock felt tires probably are not as hard as you describe at more normal air pressures. At least the ones on my IA10 were not that bad.
The TT4’s are supposed to be 22mm wide so you should be able to run slightly lower pressure than narrower wheels. When I was around 185 I always rode 25mm GP4K’s at around 85-90 psi on 23mm wide rims. At 175 now I run closer to 80psi on 23mm wide rims. I probably could run even lower and not pinch flat.
I would go with the 25’s. You get lower rolling resistance, and the wider tire allows you to run lower pressure which will make for a more comfortable ride. You take a small aero and weight penalty over the 23’s but I would gladly trade that for the added comfort.
Yes, I have the stock TTR4 wheels. But the tires are TTR2. I think they use the same tires on the IA 10.
I am leaning toward 25s as well. But it seems a little radical to be that wide. Also, figuring out a best pressure is part of the change. I did find this Crr analysis that is encouraging me toward the 25mm path. http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/…-gp4000s-ii-23-25-28
The tyre brand is not your problem. The pressure is.
I have an IA14 which came with exactly the same tyres you have, TTR2 23mm.
I also weigh pretty much the same as you, 82kg (181lbs)
I rode mine at about 100-110psi at the rear and 90-100psi at the front for the first couple of months I had it and never had any problem at all. I’ve now fitted deep section wide rimmed race wheels and have changed to 25mm GP4000s with latex tubes. I’m still experimenting but they seem nice at 80-85psi front and 90-95psi rear. I’m certain I could go 10psi lower without any problems but I think it feels nice at this.
Even if you did need 145psi, which you don’t, a change of tyre from Felt TTR2 to Conti GP4000s will not make a big difference. If you are changing tyre in search of comfort, change size so that you can reduce pressure. The entire point of larger tyres is that you can support higher weight with lower pressure without increased risk of pinch punctures. However, you don’t need to do this to get a dramatic comfort improvement. You just need to reduce your tyre pressure considerably. 145psi is utterly unnecessary. I last got a pinch puncture over 4 years ago and that was when I hit the corner of a drain cover that was sticking up. I got a puncture that took 10mins to repair. If I’d had 145psi in the tyres I might have shattered my spine but even if it had saved me the puncture, I wouldn’t trade the comfort of every other ride in the last 4 years for the 10minutes it took to repair a minor puncture.
If you want comfort, reduce pressure.
If you can’t reduce pressure any more with the size tyres you’ve got, get bigger tyres.
If you want better performance, get lighter, more supple tyres, but stick with sane pressures.
I think the Felts are alright, and I’ll be leaving them on the stock wheels for the days I don’t want to take out my race wheels.
Thanks a ton. I will definitely be lowering my pressure to the sub-100 range. My new 25c 4000S II tires will be arriving in the mail today, thanks in part to the feedback here.
The one comment to consider is in FLO’s note at the bottom “Riders over 180 lbs or 81kg are advised to inflate their tires to the maximum pressure recommended by their tire manufacturer without exceeding 150psi.” I will not be honoring that.
Yeah IIRC that’s an old chart for Michelins on narrow rims.
I’m currently at off-season 190lbs and at least 15lbs above ideal race wgt. Past training rides on TTR2 rims with 23c GP4000s were at ~95 lbs before pulling the hose off. Racing rides depended on the course. One local route had all new pavement 3 years ago, I went to 105 and was flying without any discomfort. Another course is a mix of old beat up road and new and went with 95 psi.
Now on training rides out in the FL country on sun beat/ground water washboard roads I dropped down to 90lbs for more comfort. Also should say that I always run latex tubes, helps a lot.
Just remember that if you get a flat do not inflate the tire before putting on the bike as 23C and a 25C will not go past the brake width setting since the TTR rim is so narrow. Those tires will balloon! One thing I liked about getting some FLO’s cheap of eBay, I can inflate the 23c tires beforehand regardless of the brake setting as they are wide rims that pretty much match the tire width.
