Tyre enquiry

Apologies for being simple but road tyres is not something I've had to use before, well 700's

My dad has 700 x 35's but want's to change them as they are due, can he change them say to a 700 x 28 or 23?

I didn't have a clue so said I would ask here..if possible any benefits/drawbacks?

forgot to add, he's 73 and his bike is a raleigh ..which we cannot seem to make him change

Yep. Going down to a thinner tyre will work. It's going up to a bigger tyre which creates problems, because the tyre is sometimes too big to clear important things like the brakes or the seat tube. Sometimes the rim can also be too narrow to increase the tyre size.

Shouldn't have any problems going down to a smaller tyre, even if the rims are wide, but your dad will notice a harsher ride, which may not be to his liking. Will also need to take more care of cracks in paths and slits in drainage grates, etc. on the road, which can be hazardous to narrow tyres.

Thanks for the reply toff

He's a stubborn old so and so and this is one of those let him try and to show it isn't the best route, still we will humbly oblige, then with his birthday in september will buy him a lightweight model to cater for his old bones

just a follow up if I may

If he drops it to say a 28 will he need a higher pressure new innertube or will the current one with a 70psi restriction do?

apologies for seeing simple but road tyres and ones so thin are new to me

Hmmm. I never bother reading the pressure rating on the inner tube. I just go by the rating on the tyre casing.

I reckon he's not going to want to pump his tyres up to 120 psi. It will just be way too firm for him. 70 psi is at the lower range of the pressures that I run my tyres at, and usually on the road I prefer around 100 to 110, but then again I'm a roadie who's still a long way from 70.

I reckon I'd give the current tubes a go. They should be fine, even if you pump them up a bit more that 70psi. All tyres are built with quite a bit of safety tolerence in them anyway. Having said that, I'd still have a spare, especially if you're going to go up to over 100. That way if one tyre does fail, you can change it, and ride home on lower pressure. I seriously doubt it will blow though.

28 should be OK, 25 actually rolls very nicely and can be very comfortable. You could try using latex inner tubes which pumped to around 5/6 atmospheres (72/87psi in old money) or even a bit more, are very a bit more flexible and give a nice ride. The only downside is they lose pressure faster than butyl so need a pump up every few days. You could always buy him a super track pump as well... I'll get me coat!