MVclyde

I hate to post another "what size tire?" thread, but here goes. I'm building up a Surly Cross Check as a commuter that I'll mostly be using on paved MUP and roads (commuting and some long rides). I also plan to ride on gravel roads/trails from time to time. I'm coming from a roadie background so I'm used to 700x23mm. I have 25's on my commuter now. I was planning to go with 700x28mm on the X-Check, but now I'm wondering if I should go for 32's after reading some of the threads here. Watcha think?

RT

I have 32's on my Fuji Cross and love the extra size. I ride mostly on road, but about 25% trail. I too was waffling on this size range, and am glad I went 32. If I want to ride a skinny tire, I'll ride the road bike

martianone

Have 32 mm tires on my CrossCheck and ride on a lot of unpaved surfaces - glad for the extra width.
However I've found a lot of variation in the actual width of 32 mm tires, ranging from 28 mm to 32 mm.

cooleric1234

I have 32 mm tires on my commuter bike and ride solely on roads. I would say it's too wide, except maybe in the crappy winter conditions when I occasionally ride. As someone with a road bike background I will go with 28's next time I have to upgrade.

megalowmatt

I recently had an issue with some 32mm Panaracer Paselas I had been riding for around 6 months. Panaracer offered to send me replacement tires but all they had was RiBMo's. At any rate, they were supposed to send 32mm but sent 28's instead. I figured I would not rock the boat by sending them back and just went ahead and installed them.

To cut to the chase I find I like the 28's better. They seem faster, definitely more nimble, and I have not noticed any sacrifice in comfort. All my commuting is on roads in fair weather.

hope this helps.

rumrunn6

I use 28s on my commuter. I like the 28s for commuting. If I wanted to go trail riding I would just use a different bike.

coldfeet

There are some arguments for going wider. I went to 40mm. I like them, but the hassles of fitting fenders is making me consider dropping to 32.

slcbob

At the end of the day, I don't think it matters a heckuva lot.

But my two cents for x32. Look hard at the Schwalbe Marathons touted in so many threads here.

Plenty of fender room on that Cross-Check.

furballi

32 provides a softer ride, plus longer mileage. Handling is also better on bumpy roads. I run 32 front, 28 rear. The road bike will not clear 32 at the rear. Tire is Michelin City with reflective sidewalls.

achoo

How big and loose is the gravel you'd ride on?

And how do you plan on loading the bike? If you're going to be putting big panniers on it, you might want to go 28 front and 32 rear.

MVclyde

Thanks for all the good advice. Still a toss up. I can't wait to try a larger tire. Jumping to 25 (from 23) on my Schwinn was a noticeable difference so 28 or 32 on the X-Check should be really comfortable.

I'm not totally sure about the gravel because I avoid it with my current set up. I think probably a mix between hard pack dirt, and small/loose gravel. But most of my rides will be paved (commutes, errands, etc.).

I normally have one pannier with my gear for work (change of clothes, laptop, etc.). I plan to also use this bike for day rides so I'll pack some light gear, but not much. I don't plan to do any touring.

wolfchild

One thing to remember is that some tires don't run true to their listed size. For example ,Continentals are always smaller then listed, while Kendas run true to their size. Panaracers are usually just a little bit smaller then listed. My 700x26mm Kenda Kontenders are the same size as my 700x28mm conti touring plus.Then my 700x32 conti touring are much smaller then , my 700x32 panaracer Pasela TG's.

dcrowell

I went with 700x40 on my LHT. I have plenty of fender clearance with 29er fenders. I assume the Cross Check has enough room to do the same.

Why?
- Gravel. I don't commute on gravel, but I do ride on gravel on many of my recreation rides.
- Bridge Expansion Joints. My commute takes me on a bridge with nasty expansion joints that can swallow a narrow tire. Other cyclist go the edge of the lane where there is a metal plate covering the joint. I would rather stay in the middle of the lane to avoid cars passing me unsafely.

Overall, get what tire you need and want. The rolling resistance argument isn't really valid, but larger tires are heavier and take a little more work to get up to speed.

I have a 33-mile round-trip commute and I'm content with my tires (until winter and the studded tires go on).

Commodus

I like my 28s, but am going to try 32s when I have to replace my tires. There are some places on my commute with very poor pavement and some railroad tracks, and it can be really jarring.

So, I guess my suggestion is: tires wear out. Pick one, try 'em, if you don't like 'em just ride more to wear 'em out faster!

Arcanum

I have 32s (Conti Contacts) and they actually feel a little too narrow for rough terrain (gravel, even stone dust in some cases). They're manageable, don't get me wrong, they just feel lacking in terms of stability and cushion on rough surfaces, and tend to sink into stone dust and soft surfaces more than I'd like.

You may want to try going as high as 35 or 37 if you ride on gravel and such with any regularity.

wunderkind

No diff. Just get whichever suit your needs and fits the bike frame. I'd opt for 28 max if it is on road riding. Not into chubby balloons.

late

Just went from (approx)30c Paselas to 32c Vittoria Hypers. Nice tire.

And next year I will be riding 42c tires.

dcrowell

I love my chubby balloons!

// what?

LeeG

28rear 32 front

modernjess

Like you are planning, my daily ride is a purpose build Cross Check, with one pannier for work commuting. in my 5th year and I've always had 25's on it. (Except for studded 35's in the winter) It was a single speed for the first few years so I like the road bike feel and speed of the 25's. They aren't cushy, but I don't mind. I'm running a nexus 8 speed now and the next set of tires might be 28's just for a tad more plushness.

I'm in the city so it's all pavement but admittedly because of the 25's I do avoid the crushed limestone trails or gravel roads. They are mostly in the outlying suburban areas, and if I'm riding out there I'm on my road bike on the paved roads. So I think if I wanted to ride the gravel paths with any sort of regularity and I had gears on the CC I think I'd go with the 32's.

imi

28 front, 32 rear... as I usually have a fair amount stuff on the rear rack, and have a long gravelly mup on my commute. For paved road I'd go for 28s

DataJunkie

+1

CliftonGK1

Depending on the tire, it can be a huge difference. I switched from 28mm Gatorskins to 32mm Pasela TGs, and now I can take on some gravel roads I never would have considered on the Gatorskins.
The 28mm Gatorskin was a rough ride at 112psi if I ventured onto chip-seal or anything rumbly. If I aired it down, the sidewalls felt sloppy in the turns and the tire was sluggish.
With the 32mm Pasela TG I can keep them at 100psi for road and gravel, and they have enough cushion to handle the roughest roads; or the 14 miles of gravel service road I climbed yesterday on the Cascade Mountain Loop Highway.

gerv 

If I find a good deal on the tires I want in 32mm, I go with 32. Same with 28mm. I have 32mm Schwalbe Marathon Pluses on my Bianchi Volpe. They are OK for me. Not the fastest bike in the world. But that's not solely the fault of the tires.

Perhaps the engine needs an upgrade.

Standalone 

I ride 2.1". I just put 23's on my road bike and will commute some on it this month, 32 miles r/t.

I try to focus on enjoying the advantages of each-- enjoying the soft confident ride on the town and countrys and the fast tight feel of the schwalbe blizzards.

I could fret about going slow on the former and worry about hazards on the latter, but why?