What is the tire width of road bikes? We explain

A road bike by nature wants to be fast, light and sleek. Still, bikers have some choices when it comes to tires. We present the common standards when buying road bike tires.

Want to go as narrow as possible? A road bike tire must have a slim line.

Road bikes are designed for grippy asphalt. Various tire widths are possible.

Race bike: Which tire width is right?

Generally, the width of road bike tires ranges from 23 to 28 mm. 25 mm exist as a middle option.

• The narrower the tire, the less rolling resistance and mass it has. This means maximum performance.
• In turn, narrow tires are harder and cushion shocks practically not at all. Tires with 23 mm width therefore ideally want to be driven only on good ground.
• For this reason, tires with 25 or 28 mm are also very common, as they are somewhat more comfortable and suitable for everyday use. The wider the tire, the less air pressure it requires, which provides more suspension.

In practice, there are logically many other differences. Thus, a very high-quality 25-mm tire may well have less rolling resistance than an underclass 23-erPneu. Material properties and processing quality play a major role here. Basically, however, the above points are correct, which helps in the classification and orientation.