MulliganAl

Well, I was working on my new, to me, bike this weekend and started to do some investigating and realized the the previous owner mounted Schwalbe 700C 40 tires on a set of Mavic Open Sport 700 wheels where the recommended tire size is 19-32mm, is this safe?

I guess I'll be needing a new set of 32mm tires, or a set of new wheels that will accept these Schwalbe tires, any thoughts?

If I go the new wheel route I'd like a set that will accept a range of larger tires, say 32-42mm, does anyone have any thoughts on a good set of wheels in this range that will retain the classic look of the bike?

Even though it's recommended that the tires be between 19-32mm, do you think I could get away with at least going up to 35mm on these wheels? There seems be a nice selection of tires in the 35 range. I was considering the Panaracer Pasela gun wall tires which some have mentioned around here.

I know it's a lot of questions but I appreciate everyone's help.

degan

I've run 2" tires on a 26" MTB wheelset designed for 1.5" tires, though the pressure was much lower. Are the tires brand-spanking-new or did the previous owner ride on the 40s? I guess its a mental thing. If you can ride it without worrying it will probably be okay but if its constantly in the back of your mind, I'd change tires. +1 for the paselas.

fender1

I run Compass 700x38 Barlow Pass tires, on Open Pro rims on my Rivendell. No problems. I have had the wheel set for almost 5 years and have never run anything less than a 35mm tire. Again, no problems.

MulliganAl

Thanks degan, the bike itself is said to have only 150 miles on it so I'd suspect the tires have that or less and they look pretty brand-spanking new. I like the schwalbe 40s so I was hoping to be able to keep them without having to buy new wheels.

Did you find the Panaracer Paselas tires to be pretty durable and comfortable?

Thanks for that fender1, that puts my mind at ease also. How do you like the Compass 700x38 Barlow Pass tires? I like the look of their gum wall tires.

fender1

I LOVE the Compass tires. I bought the EL versions and they are awesome. I am 6'1", 185lbs and run them 55psi in the rear and 50 psi in the front. Super smooth, fast rolling and only 1 flat in lots of lots of miles. They are spendy for sure but I feel they are worth the extra cost.

icepick_trotsky 

Paselas are great tires for the price.

3alarmer 

...if the tyres are mounted, clear all your frame members, and seem to be rolling well, you ought to be OK. 8mm in width beyond some theoretical max is not a big deal.

tarwheel 

Mavic is very conservative when rating their rims for tire sizes. I think they recommend 28s are the largest for Open Pro rims, but I have run 32-35s with no problems for many years.

MulliganAl

You guys have put my mind, and my wallet, at ease. Thanks so much.

On the second question, if I were to purchase a new wheelset for wider tires say 35-42+ which set of good quality wheels would you guys suggest for basic commuting if someone is right at 200 lbs?

fender1

I would probably recommend what you have currently. If they are Riv's standard build wheels, (36 Hole rims w/ Shimano mountain bike hubs of some sort), they should be just fine for general riding/commuting and light off road. Are you looking for something specifically, like for an on off road tour etc.?

arex

+1

tarwheel 

I've got several sets of Velocity Dyad rims laced to Shimano hubs (Ultegra, LX) and they have been bulletproof. Dyads are relatively light for such a strong rim, and are often used for touring as well as tandems. My touring wheels have 36 spokes but commuter has 32 on front wheel.

jr59

they will be fine

MulliganAl

I'm not sure they're Riv's standard build, I think the original owner was starting his own build using parts he had around or had purchased then gave up after a while. These are 32 hole Peter White Mavic Open Sport rims with Shimano XTR hubs. I like the wheels fine but was just wanting to make sure I could continue to run these 40s without problem and the guys here have given me confidence that I should be in good shape. I only questioned it because the original owner mentioned that the tires may be a bit too large, but they seem to ride fine.

All you guys have been great and I really appreciate the feedback.

Tim_Iowa

I have run very wide tires on very narrow rims with no problems whatsoever, and I'm #225
(60 mm Super Motos on 19 mm rims)
I think the rim width recommendations are for optimal handling, not necessarily a safety recommendation.

Likewise, I generally run wider tires below the recommended pressure. For example, I have some 38 mm tires that say 55-85 psi, yet they ride great at 45 psi.

Don't get worried about the rim width. When you wear out the brake surface on your Open Pros (10,000 miles or so), consider replacing them with a 23 mm wide rim, which are easy to find. Velocity rims have lots of nice options.

For tires:
Lightweight "supple" tires have fantastic ride qualities and handling, but can be flat-prone: Compass tires (made by Panaracer), some performance tires from other manufacturers
The Panaracer Pasela is a great all-around tire for road and light off-road. They come with a puncture belt and are cheapish. They ride more stiffly than a "supple" tire, but last longer too.
The Soma tires are also made by Panaracer. The New Xpress is lighter/more supple than a Pasela, but still durable. The C-line has no puncture belt and therefore is even lighter.
The Schwalbe Marathon line of tires are made to be durable to extremely durable, but they have a poor, stiff ride. There are many Marathon variants. Some folks love them, but I prefer a lively ride. I'm not afraid of fixing flats.

Your Sam Hillborne should clear 38-42 mm tires, and I think that size provides a great ride for us larger folks.

fender1

That is a nice set of wheels you got there! I have PW built dyno front wheel that is 2 years old and has not needed a bit of attention. Many trouble free miles.

MulliganAl

Thanks again Tim, this is good info for my next tire purchase. I don't mind having to fix a flat here a there either so a more comfortable ride would be my choice also.

JohnDThompson 

I wouldn't anticipate any problems, unless you try running them at super-high pressure. But there's absolutely no reason to run a tire that wide at pressure over 80psi.

SJX426 

[IMG]P1000217 on Flickr[/IMG]

Over 1500 commute miles without a flat or problem. I don't know what the rim width is but he tire is 2.3" or 58mm. From this picture, it looks to be about 1/3 the tire width!

Bikegeek1968

Bontrager first came to many people's attention back in the late 80's when the cut up 36 hole MA40's and rolled them down to create 32 hole mountain bike wheels out of them. We would routinely run 2.75" and 3.25" tires at 40 psi and never had problems. As others have said, Mavic has a way of posting very conservative specs.

blakcloud

A wider rim is preferable but not needed for most people. I had a rim in a similar size with 40's but was never comfortable with that so I bought a pair of wheels with Salsa Delgado rims, 22.5 mm wide. The tires fit better, had a much better profile which in turn made the bike handle better. The other upside is the bike looked more proportional with the wider rims and tires. You could always have your wheels rebuilt with Dyads but keep your hubs.

USAZorro

Sun CR-18s are quite rugged, but I doubt you need to go that route.

nlerner

I'd also suggest measuring those Schwalbe "40mm" tires you have now. What's listed on the side of the tire and what they actually measure out to, given the rim they're on, will quite often vary (and is usually narrower than listed).

MulliganAl

nlerner, you are so right, I forgot that they measured about 37 or 38mm.

verktyg 

I've been running these Specialized Nimbus 700 x 41c tires on Super Champion Mod 58 rims for years.



I built this frame and bike in 1992 for off road trekking and gravel grinding. The frame is lugged heavy gage Reynolds 531 and the wheels have 36 hole Phil hubs with heavy gage stainless spokes.

I've had knobbies as big as 700 x 47c on those rims that I used for some serious off road riding back them.

I used the Super Champ 58's because I felt that they were stronger than most of the other clincher rims on the market back then. Haven't ridden the bike much for a number of years but those 20+ years old Specialized Nimbus tires are still holding up and I've never had to true the rims!

Off road I ran the tires at about 45 psi and ~60 psi on road. The Super Champ rims have small lips inside to hold the bead so I never worried about blowing a tire off!



Not sure which Schwalbe tires you're running but the Marathon Plus are like tank treads! They have a layer of high density foam under the treads plus a belt???. I put them on a couple of friend's bikes - they'd been running the knobbies their bikes came with. Wanted something bullet proof for them.



If you don't need "that level of protection" I'd recommend Panaracer Pasela Tourguard tires. They're a nice compromise in performance vs. durability that wont break the bank.

Panaracer: Professional Bicycle Tires| Urban


Lots of comments about wearing out rim sidewalls... Riding in wet weather, grit gets embedded in the brake pads. As soon as I feel/hear grinding I clean out any grit in the pads.


verktyg

Chas.