various bikes and max tire widths
02-19-13, 09:37 PM
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various bikes and max tire widths
Is there any way to know the max tire width on a given bike without measuring the chain stays?
02-20-13, 03:25 AM
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Sometimes (rarely) a manufacturer will post it. Otherwise you'll have to get out the vernier. Since rim width and tire profile affect the maximum size too - its not quite as simple as it could be. In part it also means - whats the max tire size you can use in the rim width you want with a tread pattern and tire you're interested in.
02-20-13, 08:41 AM
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or, you can try asking on bikeforums. Generally there will be someone with the same bike that has experience with big tires. For example, I ride a 1983 Sanwa 700, which can fit 38c max. So there you go, now you know the max tire that can fit on one esoteric ride.
02-20-13, 11:17 AM
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More than the chainstay width, I'd measure clearance under the fork crown, and at the brake bridge on the seatstays. Those tend to be the tighter clearances.
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02-20-13, 12:44 PM
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Individual bikes of the same make and model can also vary -- best to whip out the feeler gauges (or allen wrenches) and see how much clearance you really have to the brake caliper, chainstays, etc on your bike.
02-20-13, 08:03 PM
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It's not my bike I'm concerned with. I can measure it. My problem is in looking at other bikes I would consider buying. I would like to know what tire width they would accept. I don't know how to find that info. Asking on this forum, I suppose, is an option. However, I would like to be able to make some sort of educated guess, to weed out some of the bikes that would not be acceptable. Then I would not mind asking for specific model info.
Maybe this is another way to say, "I'm starting to look at new bikes!!!"
Maybe this is another way to say, "I'm starting to look at new bikes!!!"
02-21-13, 03:54 PM
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02-21-13, 05:35 PM
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You can make some good guesses based on the type of bike and its age. Most road bikes made in the last 10 years or so are limited to 25mm or smaller. Most CX bikes will take 37mm or so, and I'd guess the same for hybrids. New mountain bikes will take some seriously fat tires. Old rigid mountain bikes tend to top out somewhere around 2 inches.
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02-21-13, 06:12 PM
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That may have been the answer I was looking for, as used bikes are not out of the running for consideration. It's still early in the process of shopping, and I'm still trying to learn some things about bikes.
