RH Clark

Picked up an older frame Trek 400 steel frame road bike for $20 at a thrift store a couple months back. It had 700c x25mm tires that had bad dry rot. I did ride the bike and it is fairly cool with an elliptical 3 ring front, and 9 speeds rear. It's a Deore rear shifter, friction front, with indexed controls on the down tube. I ride quite a lot of dirt and would like tires more suitable for improved forest roads if possible. I ride those roads now on my Surly LHT but would prefer to spare it the sand if I get this 400 to work in the gravel.

Now here's the story of what I did already in an effort to get something accomplished in this pandemic. I live a couple hours drive one way from a bike shop and getting anything done right now is really hard with the virus going on. I went to my local Walmart and bought some 700-c Hybrid tires to try. I will be taking them back because they are too big but I needed some info on size. What I bought were Bell 700X32-45C Reflective Hybrid Bike Tire. I did fit the front and attacked it to the bike and it came close to fitting. I could pull it out of the bottom of the fork drop out and get it to spin freely and the brake to work. It was that close. I even rode it around the driveway like that but didn't like the idea of less than full contact with the locking nut in the drop out and abandoned the whole idea. I thought I might grind the bottom of the fork a little to get it to work but contact with the brake body turned out to be the limiting factor when fully seated into the drop outs. That huge tire would nearly work. It would turn all the way in the drop out but rub hard against the brake body.

I went through all that explanation on those too large tires to perhaps give ya'll a better idea but I could post some pictures if needed. I also hoped someone would be familiar enough with a Trek 400 Chrome Molly frame ,True temper brand ,made in USA Trek to have a good idea of tire size that might fit and do better on gravel.