Feeling from wheelset testing: 25mm or 28mm, which tire width should you choose?

As the carbon road wheelsets become wider (inner and outer), in order to be more aerodynamic and leverage the low tire pressure advantage of tubeless tires, the tubeless ready tires used by professional rider have begun to shift from 25c (26c) to 28c. let me talk about it based on your own experience.

The airtightness is good without hooks, and no self replenishing liquid is added
Recently, both pairs of test wheelsets have been equipped with 28mm (28c) outer tires. As a tubeless tire enthusiast, Bola uses tubeless tires. our rims with an inner width of 23mm. According to the ETRTO standard, tubelss tires of 28mm and above are required. Although some available 25mm tubelss tires are also listed on website, we still follow the guidance of the ETRTO standard and most tire brands, and 28mm tires are more likely to meet the requirement of a maximum tire pressure of 72.5psi (although manufacturers may use 1.5 times the tire pressure during testing). After getting used to low tire pressure, Bola has already felt that tire pressure above 70psi is too bumpy. 28mm tires can use 60-65psi tire pressure, significantly improving comfort. Unless it is a very flat road, the comfort brought by low tire pressure can be faster and less prone to fatigue.
picture
As long as it works well, don't mind the lightning paired with the hammer brother
After Bola received the other pair inner width 23mm rims, they discarded the original 60g plastic tire pads and wrapped them with tubelss ready tire tape, only gaining a few grams in weight. However, it should be noted that the reason why the tire pad is so heavy is because the protrusion on this tire pad has the function of tire positioning and anti tire detachment. If you do not use the original tire pad, special attention should be paid when choosing a tubeless tire. Bola tried the T2/T5 quasi vtire. Many riders complained that it was difficult to remove this tire after it was installed, because its tire lip and rim lip hook were very tight, including on the other wheel set, so this disadvantage became an advantage. Even if the tire was completely flat, it was difficult to fall off, so Bola was confident to replace the original tire pad with ultra light worldclass tire tape. For cyclist who want to modify wheel set, this experience is for reference only.

The tire not only has strong dry and wet grip and low rolling resistance, but its strongest feature is its ease of installation, which is important for the user experience of tires. Bola can use a regular vertical air pump to complete the first installation and inflation on multiple pairs of wheels, and the air tightness is excellent, allowing for minimal or no use of tire self replenishing fluid. 

Bola tried 26c tire for front wheel 26c and rear wheel 28c,and finally switched to  28c for both front and rear wheels. The measured tire width reached 30mm. From a pneumatic perspective, tire and rim widths close to each other provide better aerodynamic performance. our rim has an outer road rim width of 30mm, so using a 28c tire is more aerodynamic than a 26c tire. Secondly, lower tire pressure can be used without increasing rolling resistance. Bola uses a tire pressure of 60-65psi, but in fact, using 55psi is not a problem and can be adjusted according to road conditions. The use of tubeless tires with lower tire pressure does not increase rolling resistance, as the inner tire will occupy air capacity. Under low tire pressure, the inner and outer tires will shift and friction to generate power consumption. Low tire pressure inner tires are prone to snaking and bursting. For wheels with a width of 23mm, a 28c tire is the more suitable choice.
picture
The tubeless tires can maintain air tightness without self replenishing fluids, the air tightness of the front and rear wheels is not the same, which is easy to understand. The tension of the rear wheel spokes is much higher, resulting in slight differences in the wheel rims. One of them needs to replenish air every day, but ultimately Bola chose to add self replenishing fluid. On the one hand, it can be used without replenishing air for several consecutive days, and on the other hand, it has gained the ability to repair punctures. Due to the excellent airtightness, it is possible to add less self replenishing fluid.