Gravel / Off Road Tyres on Hybrid Bike (700x28c) - Recommendations Please?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Corsica_13

Active Member
Hello everyone,

I bought my first Hybrid bike about 1 year ago, after about 10+ years of not having a bike. I've been really enjoying owning and riding mainly on the road, here's the wheel and tyre size it came with:

1630715749261.png


1630715785897.png


After some reading and watching YouTube videos, I'm beginning to understand the different wheel and tyre sizes however I still do have some things I'm not totally clear on.

I'm aiming to not only ride on road but also ride down some old railway paths (gravel and quite bumpy), some canal paths (gravel and mud) and perhaps some off-road paths along picturesque countryside, so I want to change these road tyres to something similar:

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-cyclo-x-king-racesport-folding-cx-tyre

From what I've read, with my current wheel size, I can go up to 700x35mm wide (I'm currently on 28mm wide) - is this correct?

Does anyone have any knowledge of these specific tyres or do they recommend anything else?

Can I reuse the inner tubes from my original tyres, or will I need to get new inner tubes as well to accommodate the new tyre and thickness?

It's worth nothing I also sometimes take my 2 year old daughter on a child seat on the rear and with these road tyres it's very stiff and quite harsh.

Any help and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
 

PaulSB

Legendary Member
I don't know the tyres you've linked to. I ride Schwalbe G-One Allround 35mm on my gravel bike. I find them very good on both road and gravel.

The lower pressures you can use should make the ride more comfortable for you and your daughter.
 
OP
OP
Corsica_13

Corsica_13

Active Member
I don't know the tyres you've linked to. I ride Schwalbe G-One Allround 35mm on my gravel bike. I find them very good on both road and gravel.

The lower pressures you can use should make the ride more comfortable for you and your daughter.

Do you have the 35mm tyres on the same size wheel then and any recommendations for inner tubes, did you upgrade your tubes to suit those tyres?

Any further info would be helpful. :okay:
 

sasquath

Well-Known Member
Do you have the 35mm tyres on the same size wheel then and any recommendations for inner tubes, did you upgrade your tubes to suit those tyres?

Any further info would be helpful. :okay:
Wheel will most likely take 29er MTB tyres, bigger problem is frame clearance an tube valve size.
Biggest tubes I've seen with presta were 32-38c so good up to 40-45c.
I've used 28c inner tubes with 38c tyres, it's a stretch but in a pinch will work. Only problem is stretched tube won't last, mine split in half after 2 years.
 
Tyre size is like the pirate code, more in the way of a guideline. Some 35mm may fit your frame clearance, others may not.
Be aware that mud buildup and stones caught in the knobbles can increase wheel diameter so off roaders usually like a gap between tyre and frame. Mudguards also reduce available clearance.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Do you have the 35mm tyres on the same size wheel then and any recommendations for inner tubes, did you upgrade your tubes to suit those tyres?

Any further info would be helpful. :okay:
Take the tube out and see what size range is stamped on it if anything (you could look at the bike spec online but typically they don’t bother specifying as it’s a cheap consumable).
More an upsize not upgrade needed potentially.

I’m not sure a Whyte R7 frame will take a 35mm (which in reality could be bigger inflated) tyre, again you could look at the manufacturer spec
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
Forget wheel size for a minute, the most important consideration is will the tyre fit inside the frame, you need to carefully check clearance between, the rear triangle where the tyre is, disc brakes? if so this helps with clearance, rim brakes check between the caliper, same at the fork, then the problem you have is some tyres inflate a bit wider than the specified size, if clearances are tight mud, stones etc can clog between frame and tyre, it really is a minefield.
The tyres you've linked to are down as UCI legal, which means they should inflate to no bigger than 33 mm as that's the maximum permitted width for use in a cyclocross race.
Wheel will most likely take 29er MTB tyres, bigger problem is frame clearance an tube valve size.
Biggest tubes I've seen with presta were 32-38c so good up to 40-45c.
I've used 28c inner tubes with 38c tyres, it's a stretch but in a pinch will work. Only problem is stretched tube won't last, mine split in half after 2 years.
you won't get 29er MTB tyres in even the most accommodating Gravel frame, they usually take 650B wheels, so those are a non starter.
 
Last edited:

Kajjal

Guru
Location
Wheely World
If going off road worth getting tyres which have built in puncture protection and not to run them too soft as impacts can go straight through to the rims. Apart from that I found on my first diverge the 33mm tyres were far better than the 25mm on my road bike for the cushioning effect. Then my current Diverge has 38mm tyres which grip better off road than 33mm and again cushion impacts better.
 

Sittingduck

Legendary Member
Location
Somewhere flat
Needs better pictures including the chain stays and bb interface from the rear, also one of the forks will help.
 
OP
OP
Corsica_13

Corsica_13

Active Member
Good evening,

Thank you all for your prompt and helpful responses, that's very much appreciated.

So I double checked the clearances as I hadn't really considered the thickness and build up of potential mud, gravel etc. and to be honest, I seem to have some decent amount of room to play with:

FRONT:

1630784509177.png


1630784538271.png


1630785058292.png


REAR:


1630784590273.png


1630784625438.png


1630785088421.png


Judging by the clearance measured, it does appear I could accommodate these tyres I linked above and still have some room for a bit of build up. Mudguards are also something I have been considering but wanted to get the tyres first and go from there.

With the above in mind, do you guys have any recommendations or are these tyres I've researched any good? Also inner tubes, some of you have mentioned puncture protection and being able to run smaller tubes etc. what do we all think, upgrade the tubes better suited to the wider tyres or I should be fine with the current ones that came with these road tyres?

Cheers everyone :biggrin:
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
Terreno Dry | Gravel and CX | Vittoria
I've got these on my gravel bike, they are grippy and fast rolling, and despite the Dry name, they're a pretty good all rounder, but, for this type of use it's always a compromise, they are not a mud tyre by any stretch of the imagination, but suit me as I would ride from home on tarmac, bridleways and canal tow paths, doing this with a knobbly mud tyre would be slower on tarmac/hard packed trails, but will bite into mud better, these are also highly rated, but I've no personal experience of them.
Panaracer GravelKing SK TLC Folding Tyre - Shop from Panaracer UK
As for tubes, if you get a wider type tube, say 700x28-38 they wont be stretched too much, so should be less susceptible to flats.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Corsica_13

Corsica_13

Active Member
Thanks for the recommendation, I hadn't come across those Terreno's, I did see those Panaracer's though and had considered them. If I'm not mistaken, both the Panaracer and Terreno you suggested are more focused on gravel and to not compromise so much on road. Though I will still ride on the road, I will do quite a lot of mixed off-road, gravel and a bit of mud terrains, hence going for the Conti's Cyclo X Kings though I'm still not 100% if it's the best choice, it's a bit of a gamble at this stage!

Appreciate the tube approach, I will look into that also.

The tyre choice is a bit overwhelming though, that's why I'm looking for some recommendations and other's experiences.

Thanks again for your help! :smile:
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
The tyre choice is a bit overwhelming though, that's why I'm looking for some recommendations and other's experiences.
Yes, It's a minefield, what's right for me, may be no good for someone else, the other thing I did was to buy some nice Fulcrum wheels and fit Continental GP5000 road tyres on, and fit the Vittoria tyres on the original wheels, so for a road ride I'd use the Fulcrums, and for on/off road use, the original wheels.
 

sasquath

Well-Known Member
Those are hefty gaps around that tyre.
Hard to se exactly bu assuming 15 mm all rpun gap at front and 20mm at the rear.
I would go up to 700x50c at rear and 700x42c front.

Tubes with puncture protection:
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Slime-Pre-Filled-Self-Healing-Inner-Tube_6418.htm
Halfords sells them too in couple of sizes.
Its perfectly fine to stretch the tube one zie up.
Your current tubes, assuming they are rated 28c will be fine with 32-35c tyres.

35c tyres are probably too narrow for mud, I would personally go 40.

If you go wider than 35 get new tubes.
One of the slimed ones(fixing tube in mud is no fun) or Schvalbe sv17 and Slime.

700x40 tyre
And another one

Have fun on gravel/mud ^_^
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Corsica_13

Corsica_13

Active Member
Those are hefty gaps around that tyre.
Hard to se exactly bu assuming 15 mm all rpun gap at front and 20mm at the rear.
I would go up to 700x50c at rear and 700x42c front.

Tubes with puncture protection:
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Slime-Pre-Filled-Self-Healing-Inner-Tube_6418.htm
Halfords sells them too in couple of sizes.
Its perfectly fine to stretch the tube one zie up.
Your current tubes, assuming they are rated 28c will be fine with 32-35c tyres.

35c tyres are probably too narrow for mud, I would personally go 40.

If you go wider than 35 get new tubes.
One of the slimed ones(fixing tube in mud is no fun) or Schvalbe sv17 and Slime.

700x40 tyre
And another one

Have fun on gravel/mud ^_^

Hi,

Thanks for your detailed reply, that's super helpful.

Do you know if my rim could accommodate such width - 42c or 50c?

Cheers,
 
Top Bottom