Fast but Fat tires

[stephenmarklay]

Yes I know these are somewhat inversely proportional but what are your favorites?

I am not sure how much more I can do than a 28 but the 28's I have fit my RB-1 fine.

[thirdgenbird]

My clement strada lgg 28s feel great for a tire of its size and price. As a bonus, they come in tan.

[tele]

I have been surprised at how well Ruffy Tuffys roll. I always think I am soooo slow on them but my ride times with them are not that much slower than my rides with Veloflex tubs.

[lil_champ]

I like my 28 Gatorskins. I put them on for a gravel ride, but decided to stick with them for good. They're not too heavy, durable so far, and they look great with my bare carbon frame.

[one60]

Both the ultremo & newer ONE clinchers measure a true 28 on standard rims, roll plenty fast & have a great ride quality. The ultremo may have a slight edge on ride quality but the ONE's seem to wear a bit slower & resist cuts better.

Both handle gravel, chip seal or city roads with aplomb!

[dave thompson]

I use 28mm Schwalbe Ultremo ZX on my Milholland fast tourer. They roll nice, fast and seem to last.

[Lovetoclimb]

I was using the Grand Bois Cerf Green Label (29mm) with great results in and around Asheville. Forest roads, good pavement, bad pavement, they were like riding on that big dog dragon from Neverending Story! Then I went to the SW with them and got more flats riding there than the last 10 years combined. Now I am on Rivendell Ruffy Tuffys and so far they are great. Noticably less plush than the GRand Bois Cerfs, but hopefully the puncture protection is the reason for this. I will take it if so. Those are also in a 28mm.

[BSBD]

Hutchinson Sector 28s measure 28mm on Pacenti SL23 hoops.

And for clarity, not sure if it matters, this is tubeless.

[Marburg]

I'm also running Ruffy-Tuffy/Rolly-Pollys quite happily. Ruffy-Tuffy does ride a bit ... harder.

I'm keen to try Jack Browns and the similar Compass tires at some point.

[gavingould]

Vittoria Pavé 27s have been good for the last ~800mi of roads/dirt/gravel.

they're a pretty polarizing choice. either you love them or hate them; some get a lot of flats, some don't.

[stephenmarklay]

Thanks everyone for the input. I am leaning toward some Schwalbe One for the bit of extra protection or the Ruffy tuffy for the same reason. I think either is better than I have been using.

[wallymann]

Thanks everyone for the input. I am leaning toward some Schwalbe One for the bit of extra protection or the Ruffy tuffy for the same reason. I think either is better than I have been using.

bought some schwalbe ultremo-ZXs in 28 last fall. great ride and feel but one of them developed a bulge with nowhere near 250 miles on it. WTH?! pissed me off to no end...

just fitted up some Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech 28s and they're pretty dang nice for the reasonable price.

[Lewis Moon]

Actually the 25c Michi Pro4 SDC runs pretty fat and comfy. I actually race these.

...and where did you get the idea that fat = slow?

[stephenmarklay]

Actually the 25c Michi Pro4 SDC runs pretty fat and comfy. I actually race these.

...and where did you get the idea that fat = slow?

I actually said somewhat proportional. Why don't you race a 42?

[juanj]

I'm on my second set of Schwalbe ultremo-ZXs in 28. They are super smooth and I have not lost any speed compared to the Continental 4000s in 25 I was riding before.

[Lewis Moon]

I actually said somewhat proportional. Why don't you race a 42?

Because I can't fit anything larger than ~27 (Pro4 SDC) on my Felt F2. Basically, the biggest tire you can fit in your frame is the best one. The days of 19c tires pumped up to 150psi are way over...at least on real roads.
What I'm saying (duh) is that it's not really the size of the tire (within reason and 42s are not within reason) it's how the tire is designed.
What you get from a bigger tire is a weight penalty. Lots of data out there showing that aerodynamics and rolling resistance of fatter tires is better.

[JasonF]

Schwalbe One's are a decent choice for a no-tread tire and feel much "stickier" than any tire I've ever used.

If you need a bit of tread, I can fit 28mm Vittoria Rubino Pros mounted to Hed C2's in my road frame using standard reach Campy calipers. They're not as fast feeling as the Schwalbe One, but a good tire nonetheless.

[pakora]

I was using the Grand Bois Cerf Green Label (29mm) with great results in and around Asheville. Forest roads, good pavement, bad pavement, they were like riding on that big dog dragon from Neverending Story! Then I went to the SW with them and got more flats riding there than the last 10 years combined. Now I am on Rivendell Ruffy Tuffys and so far they are great. Noticably less plush than the GRand Bois Cerfs, but hopefully the puncture protection is the reason for this. I will take it if so. Those are also in a 28mm.

I'll jump on the "Yes that fat!" bandwagon for the Cypres. Training on my "rando" bike with these and jumping back to my old road bike with PR4 25s for races was like sleeping in a bed at the Four Seasons and then the next night on concrete. I haven't had issues with flats, but I've had a few - 2 or 3 in a thousand miles (one descending on a rutted dirt road full of grape-sized rocks).

not a slow tire, and at < 300g for a tire that measures 32 on a 23mm rim, not exactly porky either.

[BSBD]

Schwalbe One's are a decent choice for a no-tread tire and feel much "stickier" than any tire I've ever used.

If you need a bit of tread, I can fit 28mm Vittoria Rubino Pros mounted to Hed C2's in my road frame using standard reach Campy calipers. They're not as fast feeling as the Schwalbe One, but a good tire nonetheless.

I've been looking at the One in 28 for a set of tubulars, haven't found much on them with them still being a pretty new tire.

[JasonF]

I've been looking at the One in 28 for a set of tubulars, haven't found much on them with them still being a pretty new tire.

I go back and forth between the One's in 25mm (which is a true 25, maybe even a 26 mounted to Neutrons) and Veloflex Corsa which @ 25mm is probably closer to 23 or 24 on Neutrons.

Using latex tubes for both, I would say the Corsa's are a little more responsive and perform well whether inflated to 90 psi or 110 (I weigh 150lbs). The Ones, on the other hand, need to be inflated to at least 100psi or they'll feel sluggish and tend to feel like they're rolling on the bead of the rim.

[BSBD]

I go back and forth between the One's in 25mm (which is a true 25, maybe even a 26 mounted to Neutrons) and Veloflex Corsa which @ 25mm is probably closer to 23 or 24 on Neutrons.

Using latex tubes for both, I would say the Corsa's are a little more responsive and perform well whether inflated to 90 psi or 110 (I weigh 150lbs). The Ones, on the other hand, need to be inflated to at least 100psi or they'll feel sluggish and tend to feel like they're rolling on the bead of the rim.

Thanks for the input. I'm looking at larger than 25mm tubulars that's why I was interested in them.