ls1togo

I have a 2007 LeMond Buenos Aires and I use Michelin Krylion carbon 700x23's on it...recently I attempted to mount Michelin Pro Race 2 700x25's and the rear tire was too large..lodging tight against the rear brake bridge...it appears that I have ample width but less than about 4 mm's from the top of my 700x23's.....

any suggestions?...I'm trying to improve my ride some.....I've been told that Michelin's run large...if so?...then any recommendation's?...

700x25's in Continental GP 400s...Vittoria Rubino Pro's????

Thanks

10 Wheels

When you apply the brakes the bridge will raise up.
Try to adjust your brake cable.
You may be stuck to just using the 25 on the front.

HillRider

Your bike was designed to be a performance ride, not a touring or comfort bike so the clearances are marginal for anything larger than 700x23, as you have discovered. Also, some bike tire makers take a bit of liberty with their marked sizes so, as you hope, not all 700x25 are the same true size. However, they seem to be better at "truth in advertising" then in the past so I don't expect any other brand 700x25 to be significantly smaller than the Michelin you are struggling with.

I have 700x23 Rubino Pros on a couple of bikes and they are pretty close to their marked size so I expect the 25 version would be both accurately sized and noticeably larger. I also happen to have a 700x23 Michelin Pro Race 2 on one bike and it is only slightly larger than it's marked size being 23.5 mm wide installed on a Mavic CXP33 rim so it's isn't greatly oversized.

Conclusion: you are probably stuck using 700x23 tires.

joejack951

If you wind up running a tire marked as a larger size but really is smaller than advertised, you aren't going to see any benefit as you are not gaining any volume. Continentals run very small in my limited experience with them. My 700x28c GP 4 seasons are very close in diameter to the 700x23c tires that I have on another bike.

To get a smoother ride, you need more tire volume and less air pressure. You can try lowering your current pressure (what are you running now anyway?) but be aware that too low can cause pinch flats.

well biked

The brake bridge is part of the frame. The rear brake is mounted to it.

ls1togo

it's interesting but there is never a discussion about the overall diameter, probably because there doesn't seem to be any wheel standard and apparently the cross section measurement of the tire also bears some relation to the overall dimension ( not the same as in larger vehicles)

....my problem was not the width, although my Michelin Carbon Krylion 700x23's mic'ed at 24mm!....but the same tire at the same air pressure (100psi) on the same wheel (Mavic Cosmos) was 4mm shorter than the ProRace2's (25mm) in the same circumstances....I'm not blaming Michelin for anything, I actually have had great luck with my Krylions and I'm a little prejudiced as I worked for them for many years..

I appreciate everyone's feedback...it does appear that tires are much like other components (ie: saddles) on a road bike..finding through experimentation, what fits and is comfortable seems relative to each bike and each rider...I guess that's part of the fun of the sport...

But not wanting to spend money foolishly (have sell my ProRace's on EBay now).. it does look like I have to stay with 23's....

noglider 

I have no use for a bike like that. I think it's a crime that so many bikes with these limitations are marketed to so many people who don't need the very highest performance.

operator

Clearly wrong. The brake bridge moves up and down as you brake, just like 10 wheels said. They didn't make him a mod for nothing!

HillRider

Then buy something suitable. The crime is the number of buyers who won't tell their dealer what they want the bike for or fancy themselves as potential racers and ask for a "racing bike". It's like computers, bicycles do what you ask them to, not what you want them to.

davidad

It really doesn't contribute much to performance. It's really just a marketing fad. You will need a better thought out bike. Specialized racing bikes have clearance for 28's.

well biked

Not all of'em. Some won't even take a 25.

well biked

+1. I'm sure we could all line our bikes up and have folks say "I have no use for a bike like that." Fine. It's not your bike. Me, I've got different bikes for the different types of riding I do. They each do their job well.

noglider 

Sure, but ls1togo (the OP) wants a fatter tire on his existing bike. This could end up being disappointing for him. So I would warn people who are considering bikes like these that they're great for a purpose but not general-purpose. I know that, and you know that, but not everyone does. THAT is a shame.

operator

So ignorance is a shame? That's news around here?

noglider 

No, it's not news, but it bears repeating. Also, if I were still selling bikes, I think I would warn all potential customers of tight-clearance bikes of their limitations. So I put some of the burden on the salesfolk.

operator

You'd have a laundry list of things to tell the customer on every bike purchase then, not limited to just the tire size clearance. It's irrelevant anyways, you sell the customer the bike that is suited for their purpose.

noglider 

Hey, can't a guy kvetch?!

HillRider

Of course you can, it's written into the forum contract as one of the privileges on membership.

Jed19

I have exactly the same bike and use a Mavic Open Pro wheelset with 700x25 Conti 4000 on it without problems. I am thinking the issue is with the stock rims that came with the bike.

joejack951

Conti's run small. As I wrote above, my GP 4 Season 700x28s are almost as small as the Vredestein 700x23s I have on another bike. They are definitely smaller than the 700x25 Armadillos I've used in the past. I could not fit a tube marked for 700x28-32 tires inside of them.

If he has less than 4mm of clearance with 700x23's (which implies more than 3mm) an appropriately scaled version of his current tire should fit just fine, though with minimal clearance. However, going to a tire that's only marked as a larger size but really is the same or smaller (like I imagine a Conti would be) will give zero benefit to the ride quality.

ls1togo

As joejack951 writes, I am relegated to using the same size tire (700x23) due to the frame limitations...the options are simply to use different tires attempting to find any that ride better than my Michelin Carbon Krylion's which really aren't that bad except on some of our rougher chip seal roads. Otherwise, I don't mind the 700x23 size. My wheelset is currently Mavic Cosmos which are similiar to Open Pros and will soon be replaced by Open Pro's or CXP 33's.....relative to the debate about bike purchasing, I love my BA and bought it for many other reasons...As I looking at a new Madone this past week (which shares a similiar geometry) in a local LBS, I pointed out to the sales guy that the new Madone shared the dilemma...Think he would share that bit of maybe less than a positive sales point with the next prospective buyer?

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoy riding my BA and would make the purchase again......

DOS

Wow, I thought most road frames would take 700x25 tires easily. I have three bikes -- a Cannondale CAAD7, a Jamis Quest, and an old Schwinn Paramount -- and have run 25s on all of them without issue. I am interested to learn that some bikes have such low tolerance for tire size.

davidad

Sorry about that. I have two riding buddies who have Roubaixes and he has a 28 on the back.