gugie 

I'm beginning to think that our bike choices start, or should start with the tire we want to run. The tire determines if we're riding only well paved roads, city traffic, gravel roads, dirt trails, even snow and sandy beaches. For those of us in wetter climes, the ability to run them with properly fitted fenders is a top consideration. Brake choices get narrowed. Drivetrains seem to be relatively fungible, bars and saddles are personal choices.

The tire, however, seems to be a reasonable place to start. If I were to state that someone's personal favorite tires was Vittoria Corsa CX III Tubulars, you can picture the bike. Say Schwalbe Big Ben somewhere between 48 and 55mm, and that's a whole 'nuter creature. I like my 42mm wide Hetres like no one's business, and I'll take mine with proper fenders in the PNW, thank you very much. Another might pipe in and say they like the value that Panaracer Paselas give them, and why not? My Bike Friday has to have 20" tires, and there are 2 different standards there, so choices get narrowed down quickly.

Is the tire preference the first thing you think of when purchasing a bike?

nlerner

How wide a tire will fit a frame I'm thinking of purchasing is a key consideration, so, yes, from that point of view (and wider is better, imo).

rhm

Pretty much. If I get a custom frame made (and I'm seriously considering it) it will be because no one makes a road bike that fits Compass Rat Trap Pass tires.

oddjob2

I usually start by looking inside my wallet or paypal account.

79pmooney

Yeah, I start with tire size as a qualifier. Been doing that a long time. The Mooney was built for big 27" tires with fenders. Maine looked like a real possibility work-wise in 1978 and it had to be ride-able year-round. The good bike was built around 28c and fenders, the ti fix gear 25c and fenders. (I can run 28c but not both the 23 tooth cog and fenders. Seat tube clearance.) The Raleigh Competition has clearance for 35c Paselas and 37c Conti ice tires. (The Paselas are quite a bit larger.)

Ben

gugie 

dddd

All this makes me thankful to live in California. But I did once have to pass on buying an Italian bike, where clearance was only provided for 20mm tires, really tight clearances TT style.

And when I look for fender clearance, an English bike, even a inexpensive Viscount with an original steel fork, does rain duty for the half-dozen rides per year requiring fenders. Vintage hybrids and mtb's also make good rain bikes with plenty of clearance for cushy tires and fenders, but I have to admit that I never required or wanted anything more than basic transportation for riding on wet roads.

Dave Cutter

I don't know. I have trouble riding in an upright position.... I am an old man and my bum back (original equipment). The perched position used when riding a road bike seems to be my only pain-free option.... maybe with the exception of a recumbent.

I'd like to play around with a little mountain biking.... but I know it would not end well.

But... in confirmation to your theory... I have thought of expanding my riding to the limestone/gravel bike paths. So I've looked at the fatter tire, cross bikes.

Spaghetti Legs 

All of my bikes but one have 700x23c, so pretty generic. And for all of my prerequisites and preferences for the right bike, equipment, etc, I have never developed a preference for a particular tire.

Darth Lefty 

I have a bike for each tire style I want to run, which I guess is sort of a yes answer to your question.

jefnvk

After not taking it into consideration on my first purchase, and ending up a bike that could only fit skinny sport tires, it has become a prime consideration in subsequent purchases.

USAZorro

That's way too logical. I take a much more emotional approach. Raleigh International has hit the top of my "want list". I'll sort put the tires afterward, but I figure that can at least handle 26mm Grand Bois, if not 28's or 32's in 700c. I could live with any of those.

Barrettscv 

Tire size and maximum tire clearance ranks high on my list of considerations when selecting a bike.

I first ask myself if I want a road bike for good pavement use, or a gravel-road bike or a bike for mixed gravel and pavement use.

If I want a fast and light road bike, I look for a bike that fits a 700x25 tire. If I want a gravel-road bike, I like to be able to fit a 700x38 or larger. If the bike is meant for mixed surfaces, I look for clearance in the 700x30 to 700x35 range.

700x25 maximum



700x28 maximum



700x30 maximum



700x32 maximum



700x35




700x38



29x1.9

OldsCOOL

No, it's usually the first thing I change. I buy the bike because it fits my style of riding.

texaspandj

No It is not. Interesting angle though. My choice in bikes is based on value for my choice in riding style. My Tires are based on that too. However I haven't found a tire yet that fits the bill, still working on it. I'll let the world know when I find them.

non-fixie 

No. First, second and probably third consideration: do I like the bike?

Having said that, I already have at least one bike for each conceivable occasion, so I can afford that luxury.

FYI: the bikes I ride all have tires between 20 and 28 mm wide. I've not yet felt the need for anything wider.

davester

The first thing I consider is always "do the aesthetics of this bike speak to me" (and that wallet thing of course). Everything else is secondary.

bmthom.gis

Hmm, my first consideration is if I have to or end up wanting to sell it, will I be able to price it to at least get my money back, if not a little more. I have a few keepers, but seem to come across more that I like for a time and then I am ready to find them a new home. I can probably go as high as 38s (if not even higher) on my commuter, my carbon bike is currently maxed out with 28s, my cross bike has knobby 32s, and my raleigh has 25s, and I'm fairly certain I could make fenders work on it as well. My Miyata topped out with 25s, and while I really like it, I can probably see that one hitting the chopping block by the end of summer. Gotta be able to fund the next one! It also keeps the Better Half happy if she sees I am selling bikes and not just filling the garage with them. The Miyata, all in was $100. I can more than recoup that.

There are a number of bikes I see on CL that I would love to have, but not at prices that I know I can make a few dollars off once they have been gone through and overhauled and any problems they have are addressed.

RobbieTunes

I think it's a "foot bone connected to the leg bone" kind of thing.
You may like the overall bike, but if the clearance isn't enough, it can be a deal breaker.

It's not my first "do I or don't I" but it can carry the day if other features don't override it.

For example: Wraith Fabrications, the Hustle (road) and Paycheck (gravel/cross).

Basically the same frame on each one, but the Hustle is set up for roads/crits, and only recessed mount calipers. The clearance is 25's at best. It's an amazing bike to ride, and building is more or less your options, limited by, yes, the clearance. The Paycheck is set up for discs, and the clearance can accommodate 700x40's. It's an amazing bike to ride in road trim, and just as amazing in gravel/cross trim. If you can only have one, logic dictates you get the Paycheck, and run it the way you want. Still, the Hustle sells well, for those who just don't consider anything besides pavement. The market is moving towards more all-around performers, perhaps as Pavement Pounders look for a little respite from traffic, etc.

If the future is road disc, then clearance for non-road tires will be part of that design.

I guess that's a long way of saying, it's not my first consideration, but down the road (or path), it could be a veto.

nlerner

My '71 Int'l handles 30mm tires and fenders with ease.

Tim_Iowa

Yes, I agree that the type of riding the bike can do is a primary consideration, and the tire clearance is one of the biggest factors in what type of riding a bike can handle.

I have 5 bikes that all can fit different tires. They all overlap in the "mid-range" of tire sizes, because a lot of my riding is on gravel.

Rivendell Roadeo: 700 x 32 (max 700 x 36)
Rivendell Road Standard: 650 x 38, plus fenders (max 700 x 28, so converted to 650b)
Foundry Auger: 700 x 38, plus fenders (max 700 x 40)
Schwinn KOM: 26 x 2.1, plus fenders (max 26 x 2.35 in front)
Specialized Fatboy: 26 x 4.6 (max 26 x 4.8)

The Roadeo replaces a Giordana XL-Eco as the most road-oriented bike in my stable. The Giordana had could fit a 700 x 26 tire; at my weight (220#) and on the rough roads I ride, those skinny tires just weren't comfortable. I built the Roadeo with the components from the Giordana, but since it clears a larger, more comfortable tire I will ride it more often.

USAZorro

Ever ride the cobbles of any of the Spring Classics?

non-fixie 

Not every single one of them, but I'll be at the Retroronde van Vlaanderen for the third time this year. The first couple of times were on 28mm folding Paselas. A bit bumpy, I'll admit to that.

Lascauxcaveman 

I've never once considered tire size on bike purchase before. But I probably will from here on in.

Thanks, @gugie, you've probably saved me from pulling the trigger on a couple future bike purchases!

(My brain keeps thinking "Sell. Sell." but my heart is always "Buy! Buy!")

cbutler

When it comes to road bikes, frame fit is the first thing for me. 57cm and below, I'm too squashed, above 59cm and I fear a very painful impact with the top tube. A frame that fits is everything to me.

I far prefer tubulars over clinchers. I always expect to find clinchers on road bikes, and generally sell the wheels after I've bought the bike.

I look at bikes smaller and larger than 58-59cm as parts bikes and then do the arithmetic.