I have a Trek 1.2 that I plan to use for light touring. It rides pretty well laden down on the 23mm tires it came with, I understand that the wheels will not stand up to much damage but I intend to tour with as little as possible. What I'm wondering is if the wheels will take a 35mm tyre for instance and if anyone can recommend a good hardy tyre that will take some abuse but have reasonably low rolling resistance.
How wide can I go?
- Thread starter NeoCaesar
- Start date
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lpretro1
Guest
Should imagine that the widest tyre you'll get on there will be a 28mm not a 35mm - which is very comfortable for touring - there just won't be the clearance on the frame/forks. You may even be pushing it at 28mm. 25mm are still ok for touring and give better rollng than a 28mm just not as comfy perhaps. I use Continental Contacts 700 x 28 for touring and these just go on for ever and are good on puncture resist too. 35mm tyres start to get a bit heavy and not really needed for light touring where you will not be carrying camping gear etc. Ask your LBS shop to have a look and tell you what tyres will fit.
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
Panaracer Pasela tyres ar fast rolling puncture resistant tyres. They have served me well for the past six or seven years. I'd check with your local bike shop regarding 35mm wide tyres. Your rims might not be suitable.
Cheers guys. There's loads of clearance in the front forks/rear stays. If clearance is the main issue then I think I'll go for 28-32s as I will be fairly laden down. Ultimately I want a cx or tourer that can tackle off-road a lot better -I always end up on the crappest single lanes which is dire on 23 slicks. :-)
It mostly depends on the clearance under the brakes. With 49 mm drop brakes (the common road bike size) you are lucky with 28 mm tyres, but often 25 mm is the maximum. With 57 mm brakes 32 mm tyres are often possible, sometimes even with mudguards. Go for the widest tyre you can fit, and on a bike like this don't take more than the minimum of luggage. My favourite in fast touring tyres is the Panaracer Pasela. On a bike like this I might even go for the non Tourguard version (no puncture protection) because it is faster and more comfortable. As a comprimsie you could fit a Pasela TG at the rear (where it is most needed given the greater weight) and a non TG at the front for more comfort for your hands. Pasela's are tue to size, unlike many other tyres that are narrower in reality than their spec. So measure your current tyre to know its real size.
Willem
Willem
