25mm 700c tire clearance - puncture resistant tires

[Nizzle]

There was always an abundance of puncture vine (goatheads) riding around central NM. Even with specialized armadillos I would regularly get flats until I tried the specialized airlock tubes that come with sealant. This was about a decade ago before road tubeless took off, but my tube lifetimes went from weeks to years. It’s the heaviest option you could go for, but consider it a vote for tubeless if you have amenable rims/tires or a workable alternative if not.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by dave thompson

The tire size limitation you have now is the Serotta F1 fork, which *may* take a 25mm tire but it will be a damn tight fit. If you change the fork out to get something bigger under there then the limitation is going to be the front brake caliper.

I’ve have many Serottas with F1 forks, really good fork BTW, but they were designed and made in an era when 23mm tires were considered plump. I tried lots of wheel/tire combinations trying to get bigger tires to fit. Didn’t work.

This was my experience too.

[Ken Robb]

If you can find a used Serotta steel fork or have a new steel fork made for you you will gain clearance and probably avoid having to buy a new headset and stem. Oops! I forgot to make sure the bike w/F1 has a threaded fork or my comments are incorrect.

[Flinch]

Ordered Conti GP 5000, appreciate all the feedback.

Got a 1" Kinesis Carbon 2 fork (steel steerer tube), threaded the steerer tube, and installed in place of the F1. Tried my Gatorskin 28mm in front, and fits peachy. Rides nice, now waiting for the Conti's.