Narrower tires? What will fit?
 

I have an '03 Trek 520 with the stock rims (Bontrager Fairlane) and Tires (Bontrager Select 700X35c). I was thinking of putting thinner tires on when these wear out and would like to know what the narrowest tire is which will fit on the rims. Not that I'm looking to put 20's on it, but I don't want to buy something that won't work. The stock tires seem pretty nice, but this is the first road bike I have owned in over ten years so I'm not really making a fair comparison.

Hemlock

Hemlock, you should be able to down-size as far as you would like, being the wheels are 700's. But also consider that this is a touring bike, designed for comfort and wider tires. Having said that, I have an '04 520 with the Bontrager Select wheels, and I love it. When these tires wear out, I may go with a set of Continental Top Touring tires. I hear they are the best, and come in 32cm width. Narrower tires will make your cuts smoother and faster.

Cheers

I was told the Continental Top Touring tires are excellent. They also come in a 28 if you want to go small.

Hey Urbanmonk! Good golly but those are some wide tires -- I think you meant 32mm -- 32 cm is about 13 inches, sized for a different bike!

:)

Myr

I believe this rim is 22mm outside width. I recommend a 28mm tire although you could probably go as small as 25mm.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page linked below and you'll see a chart Sheldon Brown uses as a guide for what tires will fit on what sized rim widths.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

I put 28s on my hybrid that had stock 38s and had no problems at all.

28s are a good size. They're very stable and still easy to handle on gravel, but roll nice and fast. I prefer them on my commuter (Surly Cross-Check) to the 32s I had on for a bit. FWIW, I'm using a 700x28 Specialized Armadillo - about 500 miles so far with no flats (touch wood ;)).

Thanks for all the info. The closest I come to off-road is a few patches where blown sand accumulates about an inch deep. . . So I thought why not go with something a little narrower and faster when the next set it due. I may pick some up sooner if I catch the right sale.

Hi,
my fave is the 700x27 Rivendell Ruffy Tuffy. They are very spendy.
The IRC Tandem is a 700x28, pretty durable, and very reasonably priced.

Hey, just two weeks ago I got some new tires for my '02 520. I got about 4000 miles out of the stock tires! I ended up going with Armadillos, 25c. They went on, but were VERY TIGHT. I am not sure if I would get the 25s again, maybe 28s instead. As long as the Armadillos live up to their touted flat protection though, I think the 25s will work just fine. So far so good after two weeks. They do seem to lose air though, but that just may be because I am not used to 125 psi! I have to air them up atleast every other day. My older 35s at 90 psi would only have to be aired up once a week or so...