Originally Posted by
GeoKrpan
Now that I have it built and have ridden it a few months I think full size 29er tires would be overkill. 1.8 Kenda Kharma knobbies that I have will probably fit but I think they would be overkill too. My "adventure" rides have both pavement and dirt and knobbies are just too slow. I run Pasela 700x28 for road only and have 700x40 and 700x47 Michelin Citys.
+1 on not needing 29er tires.
Sizing up from 700x40 to a 700x45 will not offer an overall improvement, IMO. I’ll offer my experience concerning tire size & type. I’ve been using three radically different tires on gravel with a little single-track mixed in;
Schwalbe Smart Sam 700x47
Schwalbe Marathon Cross 700x38
Vittoria Randonneur Hyper 700x32
The Vittoria Randonneur Hyper is a smooth slick that I only use when conditions are bone dry and I’ll be on pavement as much as on gravel. It’s very fast and smooth on all surfaces. It corners very well on pavement and I can ignore most bad or damaged pavement. It is worthless on damp or wet gravel and on any loose or soft single-track.
The Schwalbe Marathon Cross is a superb all-around tire. Wet or dry, on pavement or gravel, it does very well. It’s heavier than the Vittoria and feels slower, but not by much. It rolls almost as well as a slick. The Schwalbe Marathon Cross is an ideal tire for wet-but-firm gravel. It does well enough on single-track but deeper mud and other loose and soft surfaces are not the best conditions for this tire. I’m also careful on fast corners while on pavement, the small blocks on the shoulder lack cornering grip on dry pavement compared to a slick tire like the Vittoria. I just need to remind myself not to lean over too far on faster corners.
The Schwalbe Smart Sam can also be used as an all-around tire. It’s slower and heavier on pavement than most touring tires, but it is faster and smoother than some overbuilt commuter tires I have used. I’m not reluctant to ride 10 miles on pavement to the gravel trail or single track. I would also use this tire on a tour, if the route was mostly dirt and gravel with some connecting stretches of pavement. The tire does very well on gravel, as anyone would expect. It also does very well on wet and loose surfaces. Moderate mud is also not much of a problem for the Schwalbe Smart Sam. However the added weight and slower rolling speed are a small but constant factor. The tire is always slower than the Marathon Cross. I just don't use a cross-bike on gnarly conditions enough to need this tire very often.
I find myself using the 700x38 Schwalbe Marathon Cross far more than the 700x47 Schwalbe Smart Sam. I'm starting to think that a tire larger than 700x40 is not really needed on mostly-firm surfaces.