Tyres for Zipp 404? 23/25c?

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PLuKE
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Location: Suffolk, UK

by PLuKE

I have bought some 2016 Zipp 404's and I am looking at new tyres to mount to them.

I have been running Schwable One 23c, but seeing as these are wider than my previous wheels would a 25c work? In rolling resistance and aero?

The Zipps come in at 26.5mm at the brake track (widest part)
And inner bead 16.25mm

by Weenie


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mimason
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by mimason

You should be riding 25s. Among the fastest tires you should consider in no order are: Conti 4ks, Michelin Power comps, Vitoria G+ range and Specialized turbos.....may have missed Schwalbe in there too but this is a start.

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ryanw
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by ryanw

mimason wrote:You should be riding 25s. Among the fastest tires you should consider in no order are: Conti 4ks, Michelin Power comps, Vitoria G+ range and Specialized turbos.....may have missed Schwalbe in there too but this is a start.



Wrong. The GP4K should be a 23c on these wheels. Same profile as the 25c Zipp Tangente which these wheels were developed with.

Specified widths opposed to actual are very different between manufactures...

I'm running Schwalbe Ones (23c) on mine and they're fantastic.
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mimason
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by mimason

Ride what you want bro but 25s will ride better and 'should' be faster. In my experience I had Michelin 23s on 24,3 wide and 17c rims and the width was less than flush with the rim. This is great if you want aero but I didn't want to risk grounding the carbon out on the pavement if I flatted.

Also, not all tires are the same width as Contis and I still stand by my comment that 25s would be a better option.

Marin
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by Marin

23s for aero, wide tires for pure road application are overrated IMO. Good/supple tires - even narrow ones - and thin or latex inner tubes will help much more.

For mixed surface/gravel riding, go wider.

ChanheeLee
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by ChanheeLee

I recommend 25c

According to several test, 25c Aero effects are more spectacular.

PLuKE
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Location: Suffolk, UK

by PLuKE

Thanks guys.

I had a look on Zipp's website, and they state the fastest option on Firecrest/wide rims is 23c front and 25c rear, so thats what I have gone with.

Most 23c from what I have seen come in at 25c when mounted. The Zipp's I have are max width of 26.5.

So I went with a 23c front, as per Zipp, I have 23c Schwable One now and they sit flush, so hopefully the Michelin Power Comp do the same, and the 25c rear will help with RR as thats where most of the weight is carried, and less of an aero hit seeing as the air has been moved by the seat post first, and if a flat happened then it would have 2mm of extra rubber to maybe help the rim from getting mashed.

Thats my theory anyway, and Zipp seem to conclude?

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fa63
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by fa63

I think 23 mm front / 25 mm is a good idea. More aero up front where it matters the most, and comfortable in the back.

joepac
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by joepac

fa63 wrote:I think 23 mm front / 25 mm is a good idea. More aero up front where it matters the most, and comfortable in the back.

This is how I roll and I don't even have Zipps

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by DuncanS

+1

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mpulsiv
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by mpulsiv

Don't make your decision based on personal opinions of others riders with no data to back up the statements http://flocycling.blogspot.com/2016/04/ ... study.html



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sawyer
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by sawyer

Marin wrote:23s for aero, wide tires for pure road application are overrated IMO. Good/supple tires - even narrow ones - and thin or latex inner tubes will help much more.

For mixed surface/gravel riding, go wider.


Agreed. Wide tyres has all the usual faddyness about it. It's more comfortable for sure, and that is a big enough benefit for lots of people riding on less than perfect roads.

I've tried narrow and wide rims with 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25s of different flavours (ok, not 21s on wide rims)... tbh I "feel" fastest on narrow rims with 21s ... It's the front that matters here of course.

What is obvious is that tyre/rim profile is important, but if that is optimised then it's not clear to me that the additional heft (up to 100g of rotating weight) and less nimble feeling that wider tyres give you is worth it ... if you are riding generally on ok roads
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PLuKE
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Location: Suffolk, UK

by PLuKE

Update:

I have fitted a 23c front and 25c rear, which are Michelin Pro Comp mounted on 2016 404's

They feel very supple and smooth, with lack of road buzz which is great, I ran them at 110psi front and 115psi rear with Vittoria latex tubes.

Thanks
Luke

srshaw
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Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2015 6:06 pm

by srshaw

Actually I never thought of using different sized tyres front and back but it must make sense. Every motorbike I have ever owned (and those I haven't) use a larger rear tyre. I'll certainly give that a try in the future.

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Grill
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by Grill

ChanheeLee wrote:I recommend 25c

According to several test, 25c Aero effects are more spectacular.


Let's see those tests... :roll:

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