How much tire?

[Thumby]

Hi folks, first time poster here. I do the vast majority of my road rides on 28's. I'm new to all things Serotta, and thinking about one for my next bike. Are they friendly to 28's through the model lines? My current road bikes are a Riv Road and a pair of Ritcheys (OK that sounds like braggin' :banana:) and I'd be curious if anyone had some insights to share as to what I'd notice about the Serottas on my first ride. Cheers!
JP

[echelon_john]

You'll notice the handlebars are way higher than the seat! :banana:

Just kidding. Welcome to the asylum. Serottas have been full custom for a while, so if you're talking used, tire clearance will depend on original specs. If you're going new, it's certainly something they can build in for you.

[dave thompson]

On the Serottas that I've had the fork has been the limiting factor, depending of course which fork is installed. *Most* of the forks will handle *most* 25s easily, the late Serotta and Edge/Enve forks will fit a 28. *Most* Serottas will fit 25s between the chainstays and some will fit a 28, but you won't know until you try. One of the limiting factors regarding fitting a 28 on the rear will be clearance between the tire and brake.

[Thumby]

I do like my bars high, so I've taken note of the long enough head tubes for sure! I'll feel like I'm "settling" though if a maximum 25er is what I end up with. It will be used though, so I can't be too choosy. I'll be on the used market, new is out of my range these days. Thanks for the input, glad to hear more!

[rwsaunders]

25mm Conti 4Seasons on my F1 fork...with minimal room to grow.

[djg]

On the Serottas that I've had the fork has been the limiting factor, depending of course which fork is installed. *Most* of the forks will handle *most* 25s easily, the late Serotta and Edge/Enve forks will fit a 28. *Most* Serottas will fit 25s between the chainstays and some will fit a 28, but you won't know until you try. One of the limiting factors regarding fitting a 28 on the rear will be clearance between the tire and brake.

What he said. I've had no problems with various 24c tubular tires and 25c clinchers on a stock HSG Ti frame, with Reynolds fork, or an older CSi (initially an F1 fork, later an Ouzo Pro). My (stolen, missed) GP Suisse Ti could take 32 or 34c cross tires, with plenty of clearance, but, you know, that was a cross bike. But also what the earlier post said -- if you are ordering a new custom road bike, or "all-rounder," they can build it for 27s or 28s, but if you are buying used, or off-the-peg, then the frame and fork like what they like, and that may or may not permit anything bigger than a 25 -- best to ask, or measure, or check.

[happycampyer]

dave and the others have it exactly right. If you were having the bike built, it's easier for the clearance to be taken into account. Since the bike is already built, it will depend on the bike as well as on the tire. Out of curiosity, I checked to see if Roll-y Poly's would fit on my bike, and the clearance was pretty tight. The fork and front brake were pretty much at the limit for tolerable clearance (approx. 4mm):

http://threadgill.smugmug.com/photos/i-kLSSqmw/0/S/i-kLSSqmw-S.jpg

My chainstays are a pretty typical length for a Serotta (41.5cm), so there is plenty of clearance at the downtube/front derailleur clamp:

http://threadgill.smugmug.com/photos/i-7cRvnzh/0/S/i-7cRvnzh-S.jpg

However, the clearance at the rear brake is very tight:

http://threadgill.smugmug.com/photos/i-KLcZjGq/0/S/i-KLcZjGq-S.jpg

Note that the Roll-y Poly's fit, but FMB 27's would not—they make full contact in back.

Another option to consider (someday) is that each model can be ordered in a "Pave" version, which is designed for wider tires and mid-reach brakes. Here's a link to Scott H's MeiVici Pave (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=107982).

Oops, I was tying when you and the others replied after dave t.

[Sandy]

I don't understand your comment about the MeiVici Pave.I went to the Serotta website and that was useless. I thought that the MeiVici uses the F3 fork. Wider tires and mid-reach brakes? Certainly not on the F3 fork. The axle-crown length is not sufficient. In fact, I think extremely few road forks will accommodate tires much larger than 28, and many, like the F3 would have great difficulty in using a 28 (perhaps some that are smaller than 28 in actuality). Do they use a cross fork? If so, would that not eliminate mid-reach brakes? What fork do they use on the MeiVici Pave? A road fork?


I just looked at the Meivic you mentioned. Appears to be a road fork with tires and fenders, and dual pivot caliper brakes.


Confused Sandy

[happycampyer]

I don't understand your comment about the MeiVici Pave.I went to the Serotta website and that was useless. I thought that the MeiVici uses the F3 fork. Wider tires and mid-reach brakes? Certainly not on the F3 fork. The axle-crown length is not sufficient. In fact, I think extremely few road forks will accommodate tires much larger than 28, and many, like the F3 would have great difficulty in using a 28 (perhaps some that are smaller than 28 in actuality). Do they use a cross fork? If so, would that not eliminate mid-reach brakes? What fork do they use on the MeiVici Pave? A road fork?


I just looked at the Meivic you mentioned. Appears to be a road fork with tires and fenders, and dual pivot caliper brakes.


Confused SandySandy,

It's easy to be confused—when the website was redesigned, a lot of details seem to have been dropped (Pavé option, forks, paint program, etc.). Here is the old press release about the Pavé:

http://staging.serotta.4.cascadewebdev.com/news-events/65/details/

As I understand it, the fork is actually a modified version of the S3/F3—it has extended dropouts with fender mounts.

I meant to note above that another factor is brake selection—Campagnolo brakes sit lower than Shimano brakes (not familiar with SRAM). I have a "commuter" with Campagnolo flatbar shifters and Ultegra brakes, which have better clearance for wider tires (as well as having a release at the caliper).

[William]

All I can say is that both my Serotta's could handle 28's no problem, but then again there were larger than your average bike.





William

[Earl Gray]

... Are they friendly to 28's through the model lines? .....

No they are not. Ask/measure before you buy.

[dave thompson]

Sandy, as happycampyer said, Serotta can make their S3/F3 forks into a 'touring' type fork which will accommodate fenders, larger tires and longer reach brakes. I have the S3 touring fork on my Milholland with fenders and a 28MM tire. A fine fork.

[echelon_john]

Serotta can do lots of stuff. They just don't like to talk about it.:bike: