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I've just bought Orbea Onix TDI Road Bike that has 700x23c tires. They are very tough on the roads that I have around - I go to mountain highways and there's a lot of pavement cracks that feel too bad for me with the tires that I currently have. Plus, my bike is 8yrs old (in perfect condition though, barely used) and the tires are 7-8 years old, too. I'm looking to put: - for rear tire, Vittoria Randonneur II City Tire - BLACK, 700 x 25 - for the front tire, Continental Ride Tour City/Trekking Bicycle Tire, 700x28 The reason I have to go with smaller on a rear is because 28mm won't fit there. I'd love to go 28mm on both. My question, is this configuration will be ok for my road conditions. P.S. I've been cycling for about 2 years and had a hybrid Trek bike, that I use now only for flat roads along the beach

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  • You can fit whatever tyres you want to. The restrictions are covered in bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/11139 or rim widths in bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/15634
    – Criggie
    Aug 13, 2018 at 9:28
  • The only concern I'd have would be control and grip on high-speed descents, since you mentioned "mountain highways". A 28 front tire designed for trekking might not offer you the control or grip that you get from a 23. Finding out your front tire squishes and slides isn't something you want to learn in a corner during a 50 mph/80 kph descent. Aug 13, 2018 at 12:08
  • Mixing up the tires like that makes me feel uncomfortable. I'd at least go with the same tire in different sizes. With a 25 on the rear I'm not sure what real advantage a 28 on the front is going to have. Aug 13, 2018 at 16:02
  • I just really like the Continental tire look. I wish they did this model in 25 size, but 28 is the minimum. FYI, 50mph sounds too crazy for me LOL, I could make 36mph yesterday on my existing 23c with a hill down and a wind blowing to my back :)
    – Anton B
    Aug 13, 2018 at 18:29
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    Touring tires tend to have very stiff casings (built for reliability and puncture rather than ride quality) which will not bend as easily around road imperfections as a more supple tire (e.g., Conti GP4000s). I would suggest a good quality road tire in the larger sizes.
    – Rider_X
    Aug 22, 2018 at 17:05

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I used a 28mm front and 25mm rear for years on a road bike where the seat stays were too tight for a 28mm on the rear. I felt that it was the wrong way around (the "fat" tyre should be at the back) but it worked fine. I never had any issues with control or skidding or the bike feeling unstable.

In my case I used Continental GP4000s in summer and Continental Gatorskin in (Australian) winter, but I used the same model tyre on the front and back - just different sizes.

You'll be fine.

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