My 1998 Trek 5220 has served me well for twenty years. Nevertheless, after experiencing varied road surfaces while touring across the country, I realized that I want a bike with wider tires than 700×28 to help reduce road vibration. If you’ve ever ridden chip seal roads in Texas, you know what I mean. On my second day cycling across Texas chip seal roads, the surface was so rough that my water bottle cage and CO2 cartridge holder broke due to metal fatigue from all the shaking.
In addition, according to tire manufacturer Schwalbe, “wide tires roll better than narrower tires.” So, what’s not to like about wider tires on a road touring bike?
Ken Whittaker