wunderkind

My commute consists of paved roads and some stamped gravel paths (via parklands). I picked up a cheap little racer bike but the tires are 28c slicks. What would your recommend to install given my type of road surface that I will encounter? Is 28c too thin?

MNBikeguy

Not sure what you mean by "stamped gravel." Is that like compressed crushed chip limestone?
If you're not on loose large-stone gravel, I see nothing wrong with the tires you are using.

tjspiel

Yeah, I agree.

I got my first mountain bike about 15 years ago. Before that I used my road bike with 28 mm tires for pretty much everything but I wasn't doing much offroad stuff.

Dirt or gravel was fine as long as it was packed (not loose). I used to ride this trail with my then girl friend and would do fine until we got to a section of sand. Sometimes I could get through it and other times I'd have to walk the bike. That's when I decided to get a mountain bike.

Since you already have the tires I'd just try them to see how they work. If they don't, then get something wider if the ride is too rough and knobbier if the traction isn't good.

wunderkind

well parts of the gravel area is rather loose. Currently even with my mtb's slick Kenda kwest, I can get a bit "off" on the descent part of the path. These 28c ones on the bike I just got looked even slicker than the Kwest!
Also won't I have to worry about the 700c rims getting out of true?

tjspiel

Some MTBs use 700c rims and the same rims that came on my newer road bike are also used on a few cyclocross bikes. In other words, the fact that the rims are 700c doesn't say anything about durability one way or the other. If the wheels are well built and have rims that are wide enough for the appropriate tires, it shouldn't be a problem.

If the gravel's deep and loose enough that the front tire might dig in and get turned on you, then that's something I'd worry about on descents.

lshaped

i run 32's on my fx- good for gravel rail trail and pavement

HardyWeinberg

This was just pointed out on the touring forum, just one more possible set of rules of thumb:

https://www.rivbike.com/assets/full/0...ick_a_tire.pdf

kylecrispin

That is a very interesting little table. I put ultra gatorskins on my bike before I realized hauling groceries etc was so easy w/ a nice set of panniers. I weigh 190 and regularly put 15-30 LBS of stuff on the back of the bike. According to that table I am well outside of the optimal range for that width of tire. I wanted to cushion out the ride with a new set of tires but it seems wasteful to replace almost new tires w/ brand new tires. hmmmm

mercator

I ride over gravel daily on my 700c23 ultra-gatorskins with no problems. In my view the main issues with tire width in this case are:
- does the gravel hit the rim? you need a wider tire
- do you get pinch flats? either a wider tire or more psi needed

Obviously, the other factor is speed, but you can control that can't you?

Edit - and that rivendell table is bs - they recommend I ride nothing less than 28mm

wunderkind

^ well I guess there's only one way to find out... thanks all.

wolfchild

I am running 32mm and it's plenty good for gravel / dirt trails, and uneven pavement.

Greg_R

Are you in a hurry? Get something in the 30s and enjoy a more comfortable ride. Your top speed will be fine, only acceleration / hill climbing will suffer (due to weight).

wunderkind

I'm always in a hurry when I commute. I don't even cool down before I arrive at the office. It's max attack baby!


Disclaimer: Eventhough I look like I'm in a hurry, I still get dropped by roadies from time to time. LOL!