Undersized gravel tires

[Likes2ridefar]

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[Upcountry]

One tenth of an inch doesn't seem that far off to me... and you mentioned just mounting them... Pump them up to 35psi and let them sit for 48 hours... I bet they're spot on by then.

[Likes2ridefar]

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[EB]

ETRTO width on those tires is 53mm, or 2.087”. 2.087 - 1.99 is 0.097”, or 2.46 mm. I strongly suspect you will see them expand by at least 2 mm over time, which is pretty bang on spec.

[Likes2ridefar]

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[DeBike]

If I was expecting all tires I buy to be exactly the stated measurement, when mounted, I think I would be doing a lot of searching. You are talking about 3mm, rounded up, on a 2.1 inch tire. Send or take them back to the distributor and tell them you want tires that will be exactly that width when mounted on your wheels, at your psi, please let us know the results.

[Likes2ridefar]

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[GOTHBROOKS]

fear of pedal strikes is why i stick with 700c/29” wheelsizes.

[Likes2ridefar]

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[mstateglfr]

A 2" tire is too narrow for you to ride gravel?

[Likes2ridefar]

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[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

Yes. I ride in very technical terrain at high speeds where it’s more common to see full suspension mountain bikes.

I can fit both 700x50 and 650x2.25 on my bike, and enjoy the same kind of riding. The 2.25s are noticeably more plush on chattery rock garden bits, but Strava says I'm actually faster on the 700s. I also notice a few less pedal strikes but more toe overlap on slow techy moves.

Tire height matters a lot here, and I don't think I would go with less rubber/air between ground and rim than I needed to. I think these tires could absolutely grow 3-4mm over the first month or so, but life is short, so ride some tires you love, not ones that make you worry about rim strike.

[mhespenheide]

I hear that you're talking about a half-inch difference, and I agree that that's significant.

For smaller differences, I have some sympathy for manufacturers who are required to label their tire as having some inflated width with a large variance in the internal width of the rim. Seriously, I could see "gravel" tires being used for anything from a relatively classic 18mm internal width rim to a new-school 35mm internal width rim. That's not a trivial difference.

[spoonrobot]

Those tires should be way bigger on i28 rims.

Yeah, they absolutely screw you on the height. I had some WTB tires that were 37mm wide and barely 30mm tall - pinch flats galore until I realized the problem. Height is more important that width but it's hardly referenced because it's harder to measure consistently and doesn't play in the market for whatever reason.

I check BRR, but he only tests 700c so it's only partially relevant. Most of the panaracer, wtb, and specialized tires I've used in 650b track pretty close to his 700c height measurements. Something to consider.

[Likes2ridefar]

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