[01GTB]

I had been looking and looking to buy a new bike for the past three months. My last bike was an early-80's BMX, so I was really lost as to what I wanted. I kept looking at Cannondale F600's and Bad Boys and looked at some hybrids. I think I wasted $100 in gas going to bike shops since we really don't have any locally. I had looked at the Jamis Coda online and heard good things about it and last Saturday I went into a shop down in Orlando and they had one. I say "had" because I took it home ;) I am not sure if it is what I will be riding a year from now, but I wanted something before I lost interest.

I would like to know though, how big of a tire can I get on there. It had Hutchinson Flash 700x28c on Alex ACE18 rims. I'd like to put more of a hybrid tire on there, maybe a 35 or 38c with a little tread on it. Is that do-able? I know some people are probably reading this thinking I am insane, and maybe I am :D

Also one more question. Nashbar has this wheelset for $70 (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=131&subcategory=1197&brand=&sku=14604&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=) Would this work for me as a second set of wheels? The hubs on my Coda are Shimano 2200.

[The BikeForums Team]

This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.

Ready to buy? Check out these two online bike stores:
- http://www.nashbar.com (you can find the latest bike nashbar coupons in this thread)
- http://www.performancebike.com (you can find the latest performance bike coupons in this thread)

Cya on the forums,
- The BikeForums Team
- http://www.bikeforums.net

[MichaelW]

You probably are insane. For riding on the road, a 28mm tyre is just about ideal. Fatter tyres may be needed for riding tracks and trails, but the 28 is a nice balance between efficiency and toughness.
Some 28mm may be a bit on the narrow side, more akin to a 25mm. My new Scwalbe Marathon 28mm are sized quite generously , ride well and are more than capable of handling rough trails.

[01GTB]

I do want something that will be decent on gravel or packed trails. I am heading up to Virginia next weekend and the thought of taking in a bit of the C&O Towpath has crossed my mind.

[01GTB]

I went ahead and put some Specialized Infinity 35C tires on. They weigh a little more, but rolling resistance doesn't seem much worse. I also ditched the Selle Royal Freccia and got a Specialized Milano. Geeeeeezzzz, what an improvement!

[Velo Dog]

If you're an average sized rider, 28s are probably plenty. I weigh 240, and I do most of my riding on 32s or 35s (which don't really measure that big--Panaracer Pasela 35s are about 30mm wide).
How about fit, though? The rims will work with just about anything you can squeeze on, but if you have sidepull brakes (I don't know what's on that bike), you'll probably have clearance problems. If it has cantis, you're probably OK.