How wide a tire can it fit?

[weisan]

"How wide a tire can it fit?"

This question seems like "to be or not to be" equivalent in the bike world.

Whenever someone posted a bike for sale on our classifieds, that qualifying question will often come up. If it doesn't meet the necessary criteria, you can almost sense that little bit of disappointment across the room even though it's a great bike.

For reason beyond me, personally I simply hardly ever had to deal with that question. Most, if not all, my bikes can fit "fatter" tires if I so choose. Even with the latest addition, a Giant road bike that I literally picked up from the trash, it will fit a 32 both in the back and the front. In this case, because I only have one spare Compass stampede pass 32, I chose to place it in the rear and left the Clement 28 in the front. And that's about as wide or fat a tire I want to see on my regular road bikes. I understand some pals like it wider or fatter but for me, this is a road bike, not a gravel bike and if it's the latter I would prefer a minimum of 35mm and up.

I guess I am just lucky in that I haven't really had to deal with that problem. Right tool for the right job. Is there such a thing as picking the right size tire for your bike?

[eddief]

for my coupled Curtlo. This bike, since born has been sporting an IRD Mosaic 57 carbon fork with aluminum steerer. That fork has worked fine but I always thought it was really ugly. It will now be for travel only and when at home it gets this one:

http://whiskyparts.co/forks/no7_rd_plus_qr_mid_reach_fork

A fine fork, good looks, and all carbon. Clearance is huge but still need to watch out for getting tires between medium reach brakes. But no issues with tires hitting the fork under the crown.

I'd like to try Conti Grand Prix 4 Seasons 32 mm with no need to consider bigger than that. I live in a giant pothole-pocked county and trying to make things as smooth as possible.

[AngryScientist]

2017....

fat tires, disc brakes, hydro, wireless, blah blah blah blah.....

to me, a road bike needs 25c max.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y66VLX1O5ZE/WSoYNdZKnaI/AAAAAAAACzY/z45KmLE4XHEXK8LGc_EqbQuqV3JTvTtigCLcB/s1100/IMG_0705.JPG

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0KNMppkpod0/WSoYOoj-mXI/AAAAAAAACzk/JPeMfZBJ5NU7RgzWJdd2JWBussaqtuaVgCLcB/s1140/IMG_0709.JPG

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rAE0PkAax7I/WSoYPYxRQmI/AAAAAAAACzs/ggkA5gfi9wUuoQmWmHTzHkkZV8Zyu2nCwCLcB/s1140/IMG_0710.JPG

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xBEA4oERDDo/WSoYPFSGthI/AAAAAAAACzo/1jmCkdaRUfERo6ICjDHGcCNsaYdPuPlyACLcB/s1140/IMG_0711.JPG

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-axRAvd-XB2M/WSoYQVc4BcI/AAAAAAAACz4/MoSD_zQZ7ds4cIVRMreYB_7EJ-WiBzi5wCLcB/s1100/IMG_0718.JPG

[dustyrider]

I believe in the right size bike for the tire.

[ColonelJLloyd]

So much angst against and resistance to 28mm and larger tires on this forum it seems...

[dpk501]

In my youth it was nothing but 19 or 21.
In my early 30's....23.
Late 30's 25-28.
Now I won't go below 28!


PS. I'm talking about tire size, not dating age.

[pavel]

when i first got into serious cycling, my first loves were a gitane TDF, a motobecane super champion, and a mondia. All of them could fit 32s and all were superb bikes. Though I abandonded the masochism of french and swiss bikes, the ability to run large tires and go anywhere stuck with me. Unless your streets are made out of glass or you are on the track, small tires seem silly.

I'm also fairly certain my go fast road bikes (a sub 13lb fuji SL and a ti paramount) can both fit 28s.

[Formulasaab]

I mean, I completely understand the question.

If I only ever ride on pavement, a 25 on a wide rim feels like plenty of volume. I've got a couple bikes set up that way.

However, most of my rides contain varied surface roads and the occasional "trail". More volume with negligible penalty in weight and rolling resistance really improves the comfort level and route possibilities. So I've got a road bike set up with 30's that will be my main "winter" road bike. I also have two cross bikes that, depending on the day, run anything from 32's to 40's.

Feeling like I've nailed the tire choice for a particular ride gets me really chuffed. :-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[oldpotatoe]

2017....

fat tires, disc brakes, hydro, wireless, blah blah blah blah.....

to me, a road bike needs 25c max TUBULAR

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y66VLX1O5ZE/WSoYNdZKnaI/AAAAAAAACzY/z45KmLE4XHEXK8LGc_EqbQuqV3JTvTtigCLcB/s1100/IMG_0705.JPG



FIFY..clinchers are for, ya know, nancys..:);)

[weisan]

fify..clinchers are for, ya know, nancys..:);)

99%

[mcteague]

FIFY..clinchers are for, ya know, nancys..:);)

Wow, that just never gets old does it? :p

Tim

[rwsaunders]

https://i.imgur.com/faHcbm9h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/MBhlpH4h.jpg

If you can fit them, try these fat boys out...26-27mm. I have Roubaix's and Pave's on some other wheels but these tires just float and they handle equally as well. Not the best on the mileage side but neither am I. Pardon the worm parts.

[biker72]

wow, that just never gets old does it? :p

tim

+1
Apparently 99% of our customers are Nancy's....:p

[AngryScientist]

So much angst against and resistance to 28mm and larger tires on this forum it seems...

really? (i read your before edit post too...)

it appears to me that most folks on this forum have embraced the wide tire phenomenon, dont you agree? i think weisans original post was that one of the most asked questions in the classifieds is "how big of a tire can it fit?", indicating that many people are interested and like running bigger and bigger tires. not sure why you would think there is any angst or resistance on that front, especially here?

for me personally, i've got a whole bunch of bikes, capable of running various tire sizes and widths. i just dont like running fat tires on the road. i've recently given the compass 32c tires a run on my zanc, and absolutely do perfer a 25c tire for 90% of my riding.

now, if i'm going to be on dirt, gravel and generally off pavement, that's a different story, and i'm on board with wider rubber.

angst though, i dont see it. i think we just like to talk about this stuff a lot because it's a bike forum, after all, but i definitely dont get mad at anyone for their tire selection:)

:beer::beer:

[Lewis Moon]

...and you weigh...?

2017....

fat tires, disc brakes, hydro, wireless, blah blah blah blah.....

to me, a road bike needs 25c max.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y66VLX1O5ZE/WSoYNdZKnaI/AAAAAAAACzY/z45KmLE4XHEXK8LGc_EqbQuqV3JTvTtigCLcB/s1100/IMG_0705.JPG

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0KNMppkpod0/WSoYOoj-mXI/AAAAAAAACzk/JPeMfZBJ5NU7RgzWJdd2JWBussaqtuaVgCLcB/s1140/IMG_0709.JPG

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rAE0PkAax7I/WSoYPYxRQmI/AAAAAAAACzs/ggkA5gfi9wUuoQmWmHTzHkkZV8Zyu2nCwCLcB/s1140/IMG_0710.JPG

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xBEA4oERDDo/WSoYPFSGthI/AAAAAAAACzo/1jmCkdaRUfERo6ICjDHGcCNsaYdPuPlyACLcB/s1140/IMG_0711.JPG

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-axRAvd-XB2M/WSoYQVc4BcI/AAAAAAAACz4/MoSD_zQZ7ds4cIVRMreYB_7EJ-WiBzi5wCLcB/s1100/IMG_0718.JPG

[exapkib]

28s fit just fine.

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697947137&stc=1&d=1507218719

[ColonelJLloyd]

really? (i read your before edit post too...)

angst though, i dont see it. i think we just like to talk about this stuff a lot because it's a bike forum, after all, but i definitely dont get mad at anyone for their tire selection:)

:beer::beer:

Yes. I think I see a fair amount of unease with the trend of wider tires on the road, riding mixed surfaces on bikes with road geometry and a dismissal of things with which some posters don't have experience (tubeless clinchers, road discs, etc). I think this forum is a great place, I really do. But poo-pooing things one hasn't actually given a fair shake seems to happen a good bit. Perhaps it's just mostly from a handful of people around these parts and less so than other places. It's just my perception.

[R3awak3n]

Yes. I think I see a fair amount of unease with the trend of wider tires on the road, riding mixed surfaces on bikes with road geometry and a dismissal of things with which some posters don't have experience (tubeless clinchers, road discs, etc). I think this forum is a great place, I really do. But poo-pooing things one hasn't actually given a fair shake seems to happen a good bit. Perhaps it's just mostly from a handful of people around these parts and less so than other places. It's just my perception.

I think its good perception.

Also one thing is saying, discs and wide tires are useless and garbage (and a lot of times said person haven't tried either), other is saying, I just don't need them for my kind of ridding which is fine.

as far as this thread goes, I like big tires, I am a big dude and a 23-25 does not cut it for me. I prefer a 28 and really enjoying the 32s on my hampsten, yes, even on the road. It really is all about preference and in my case body type works better with big tires.

[jtbadge]

as far as this thread goes, I like big tires, I am a big dude and a 23-25 does not cut it for me. I prefer a 28 and really enjoying the 32s on my hampsten, yes, even on the road. It really is all about preference and in my case body type works better with big tires.

I'm also a big dude - 215# or so. My Merckx is on 25c Open Paves, and even on wide rims, they're pretty slim. I don't want to ride anything smaller, even on pavement. I feel faster and more confident with even the extra 2mm of measured width on my Rock Lobster.

Give me the biggest meats the frame can fit.

[Big Dan]

Fat 28's for me.

:eek:

[m_sasso]

Send me your 23's!

[BikeNY]

I think its good perception.

Also one thing is saying, discs and wide tires are useless and garbage (and a lot of times said person haven't tried either), other is saying, I just don't need them for my kind of ridding which is fine.

as far as this thread goes, I like big tires, I am a big dude and a 23-25 does not cut it for me. I prefer a 28 and really enjoying the 32s on my hampsten, yes, even on the road. It really is all about preference and in my case body type works better with big tires.

Well said, but how do you know you don't need them if you've never tried them? Not you specifically, just in general.

I myself am a big fan of both wide tires and disc brakes. Maybe it's my MTB background, but both just make sense to me for a general purpose road bike.

[weisan]

This thread is not complete without mentioning....

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=199426

[mhespenheide]

In my youth it was nothing but 19 or 21.
In my early 30's....23.
Late 30's 25-28.
Now I won't go below 28!

Yeah, but there's also the issue of deteriorating infrastructure. And more cars on the road, making it more dangerous, which pushes us deeper on to the backroads -- even if they're gravel or dirt.

When I grew up in NY state, riding in Dutchess County in the 1980's, the secondary roads were (for the most part) in good shape. I rode and raced on Michelin SuperCompe HD tires, 700x23, and thought they were great. Now, living in rural CA and a state with two or three decades of budget problems, I want 28's on wide rims.

Of course, I've also gone from 6'2" and 145# to 6'4" and 185#, so that may be part of the problem as well. :rolleyes:

[pdmtong]

Yeah, but there's also the issue of deteriorating infrastructure. And more cars on the road, making it more dangerous, which pushes us deeper on to the backroads -- even if they're gravel or dirt.

When I grew up in NY state, riding in Dutchess County in the 1980's, the secondary roads were (for the most part) in good shape. I rode and raced on Michelin SuperCompe HD tires, 700x23, and thought they were great. Now, living in rural CA and a state with two or three decades of budget problems, I want 28's on wide rims.

Of course, I've also gone from 6'2" and 145# to 6'4" and 185#, so that may be part of the problem as well. :rolleyes:

This sums it up for me. beat roads = more volume

Here, good roads and conti 4k2s 100psi on now older rims is plenty comfortable for me. Both when I was 185 and now 167.

[choke]

I pretty much won't buy a bike any more if it doesn't take 32s. I have a few bikes which won't and I'm torn as to what to do with them....I like them, but I want wider tires on them. Some will probably head to the classifieds when I can finally make myself part with them.

As for the tangent of discs and tubeless, I have no interest in either. I have used discs on a MTB and while I did think that they were better than cantis I didn't feel that it was the huge difference like most people seem to feel.

[AngryScientist]

just to prove that Nick doesnt hate fatties, i did a ride tonight on some 38's. all pavement. it did not suck.

https://instagram.fewr1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/t51.2885-15/e35/22158596_1737396139896155_4072561983763775488_n.jp g

[tiretrax]

just to prove that Nick doesnt hate fatties
... he rode with me. LOL. I'm back to 220#. Getting out this weekend for first time in a year. I will need every bit of volume my tire can provide!

[Duende]

just to prove that Nick doesnt hate fatties, i did a ride tonight on some 38's. all pavement. it did not suck.

https://instagram.fewr1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/t51.2885-15/e35/22158596_1737396139896155_4072561983763775488_n.jp g

How you liking those tires? I'm loving mine! Really nice at low pressures on gravel. Slipped a little going steep uphill in the dirt.. just had to adjust my weight a bit and I was fine.

Super nice on the road though..

[Frankwurst]

My tires are like my body. When I was younger it was all about skinny and hard. Now that I have gotten older it's all about fat and soft.:beer:

[AngryScientist]

Yes, I like them a lot. The smooth center strip keeps them rolling well on the road. I haven't tackled any real tough gravel with them yet, but that should change this weekend

[donevwil]

In honor of you lovers of 25s I'll take out my Merckx this weekend with old 25 Contis. I'll love it for about 10 miles, inevitably fail to miss one of the millions of pot holes, hopefully not flat or damage the rim, immediately head home because I'd forgotten the beating I take with 25s at 100psi on our crappy roads and hang the bike up for another few years.

[Seramount]

I could give a rodent's derriere about wide tires.

only ride on asphalt and max my fork will accommodate is 23 mm, might put a 25 on the rear, but tend to buy tires in pairs, so maybe not...

I actually like a 23 at 100 psi...feels nice to me.

[rustychisel]

So much angst against and resistance to 28mm and larger tires on this forum it seems...


Perhaps the nuanced response might be

So much angst against and resistance to marketing trends and 'what you all need to do' dogma on this forum it seems...

[donevwil]

Perhaps the nuanced response might be

So much angst against and resistance to marketing trends and 'what you all need to do' dogma on this forum it seems...

Or better yet, so many opinions on tire size shared in a vacuum by people who weigh a hundred nothing.

[OtayBW]

I could give a rodent's derriere about wide tires.

only ride on asphalt and max my fork will accommodate is 23 mm, might put a 25 on the rear, but tend to buy tires in pairs, so maybe not...

I actually like a 23 at 100 psi...feels nice to me.
I'm with you 100% (except for that 100 psi part...ahem). 23's and clinchers on pavement, baby! I might like to build a gravel bike at some point in the future and go wider, but for what I enjoy doing most of all of the time, I am good to go. But I don't have any unease about what anyone else does...except when they go nutzoid with the matchy-matchy stuff.