Hello,
I will be doing a veterans charity ride from Pittsburgh to dc via the alleghnay gap and c&o canal.
I have a 2016 giant escape 3 with 700cx25 tires. Looking over the trail, I'm going to need bigger tires. some areas are rails to trails and some look like compacted dirt.
I contacted local bike shop and they said the only way to tell is to try different tires. they also want to charge me $50.
I was hoping this question came up before and I just couldn't find the answer.
any information would be appreciated
thank you

The only way to know is to test-fit the tires, as they do not run true to size. You can estimate by checking the clearance with your current tires, but check everywhere; on two of my bikes the tight spot is the rear derailleur mechanism. But it is still try-and-see.

Your Giant Escape 3 came with 32mm tires, and V-brakes. (Road bikes with caliper brakes are often limited to about 28mm tires, since there's not enough clearance under the brakes or at the frame.)

You might be able to fit 35mm tires. The wider tires would be nice on the canal trail, which riders say isn't as good a surface as the compacted crushed stone on the GAP trail.

I'd look for lighter weight tires with minimal or no tread. They'll be a little more efficient on the trail. Knobby tires would be more useful for rough gravel roads, but these trails don't have a surface like that. You don't need the "puncture proof" commuter tires, either -- those are heavier and stiff, to avoid cuts from road debris.

your bike came stock with 32mm tires... i'd think 35mm would fit too...

thank y'all

so dumb question

would that be 700 x 35?

Yes.

You might consider continued reading and learning about tires before making a purchase. Tire weight and construction can change the ride qualities a LOT, varying between uncomfortable and energy draining to fast and comfy. Prices vary a LOT as well, so it's a good plan to know how to shop for what will be best for you. Especially considering that you are preparing for a long ride.

thanks

now that I know what to look for I'll research .

If you are asking what are the widest tires you can put on your bike:

Then measure the clearance between the tire and everywhere that you see that the tire may rub the frame or component. Measure both sidewall clearance and tread clearance. Use metric measure or convert to mm.

Take the smallest clearance measure you found and if it was between the sidewalls and something double it. If it was between the tread and whatever then use this for your further calculations.

Subtract about 5mm to give you some clearance from the frame. You might want more clearance.

Add that to your current tire width of 25mm

The only other number you need to know is the BSD which is always 622mm for a 700C tire. 29" tires for 29'rs are 622mm BSD also. That might add to your choices when shopping.

Now have somewhere to guess about how big a tire your bike might be able to handle. As long as we are talking about a tire with smooth tread this will be reasonable. For knobby's it will be much less accurate.

If you are asking how wide a tire you need for the surface you are going to ride..... well you need to give more data on how many miles of it. But 30mm to 38mm probably good depending on what your bike will handle.

Is this a multi-day fully sagged ride? Can you take extra wheels/tires to leave in sag vehicle and swap out to the appropriate wheel tire combo for the particular ride that day?

The local bike store might have a bike with 32mm or 35mm tires on it. They could put those wheels on your bike while in the store to verify the clearance, or just use a shop micrometer to measure the available space on your bike. If they had 32s to try, you could then see if there was room for 35s, which need only a couple of mm more on each side and on the top.

Some retailers use 700 x 32c to designate the size. 32mm and 32c are the same size.
~~~~

Riders on the GAP and the C&O canal trail have reported that 28mm worked for them. But I like wider tires, so I don't need to watch the trail surface very carefully. There's occasional soft spots with looser material on unpaved trails, and wider tires are more stable at those areas. I think the wider tires sit on top of the surface better, so they have somewhat better rolling resistance, too.

Don't forget to lower the air pressure with the wider tires. For a bike + rider around 200 pounds and 35mm tires, I'd try 45 to 50 psi front, and about 60 psi rear.

~~~~~~~

Have a good time on your ride. The GAP trail is on my to-do list for next year.

I did that trip earlier this year the other way. Conditions are more dynamic on parts of the canal end based on the weather the previous few days. I used some file treaded tires (Continental SpeedRide). They are perfect for that terrain and rolled great. I'll use them next time too. They are 700x42C (42-622) that measure in at an actual 39mm so they may not fit your bike but a quick google search references people running at least 40mm tires on a Escape 3 but I'd verify that. Anything like rm -rf suggested would work great. I saw people with 28 slicks and various bullet proof touring tires. Nothing wrong with that and they were happy but both way too hard and small for me, you could see their trail impression on some of the wet parts of the GAP and I'm sure I was much more comfortable.

I ran Schwalbe Marathon 700x42 on my 2015 Escape 3. It was a tight fit but no rubbing.

Well bike shops need to make money - maybe if you tell them you'll pay them $50 if they deduct it from the cost of the tires you'd buy.

Check your rim width too, to make sure they'll handle wider tires.

I'd be surprised if you would be happy with anything larger than 37mm though. I vote for 35mm. And if your budget can support it, I vote for Challenge gravel tires. Sounds like a fun ride.

Gravel Grinder PRO

fatter tires fit in 'cross/hybrid' bikes than road bikes..

duh...........

If that bike comes stock with 32s and jimmy65 was able to fit 42s, you should almost certainly be fine with 700x35, 700x38, 700x40.

I'm jealous of the ride. GAP C&O seems like a fun one.

thank y'all for your help

authrowawaynic

think there are still spots open

thank y'all

What?....................... are you being like my Mom trying to teach me manners and waiting for a

You are welcome

haha
na, the second thank y'all was error

as for teaching y'all manners, well growing up in NC I learned you Mississippi folks are lost cause

one issue you may have if you get the absolute largest tire that will fit into the frame.... the tires may rub the brake arms before the pads contact the rim! seen it before....

32 or 35mm will be fine.

So I'm a dumbass

I think it's a contend 2016 not escape.

Haha. I was driving a Ford Explorer. Oh wait, it was a Mustang.

Grab a ruler/caliper. With your current wheels, measure their actual width. Then measure how much clearance you have between tire and 1. Brake bridge, 2. Chain stays (down near the bottom bracket), and 3. Seat tube. 4. Although the front is usually fine, probably safest to measure there too just to be safe. You should be able to figure from there how much bigger you can go.

But honestly, you might be able to fit 28s on a Contend. I would be surprised if you could go bigger.

Yeah, that's not going to take a 42mm. Hopefully, you can fit a 28