solman

Hello All,
I wanted to replace the tires on my 1999 Bianchi Alfana. I am Currently running 700x22 tires and tubes( @ 95-100psi) which was the stock size. I bought the bike new back in 1999 and rode it for thousands of miles years ago, but I am now 62 years old and find the ride a bit harsh after not riding for the last many years.
I am looking for a better ride without inviting problems. I have measured the rim width at 13mm. Will the wider tire mount up ok and be reliable? I don't think I will have a problem fitting on the bike I have clearance on the bike and should be able to clear the rim brakes as well.
My tubes state 18-23mm on the box I guess I need to change them as well. I noticed that all the larger tubes 28-32 seem to have longer Presta valves, mine are 32 and threaded and work fine. The bigger tubes seem to run a smooth valve with no threads as well not sure why no threads on the valve stem

I have been riding for many years but am a novice when it comes to swapping out parts and sizing.
Thanks

Phil_gretz

Looks like a fun bike. Why not use 25s and call it good? Your current tubes should be fine. Smooth stem versus threaded stem makes little difference. Although threaded allows you to use the locknut as a brace when filling a new/flat tire. I've had both...

shelbyfv

If a 28 will clear your frame and brakes you will be fine. You can use your same tubes.

cyclist2000

see how much clearance there is from the 23mm to the brake bridge, I have seen this be a problem on a bike when a friend's bike when he went to 25mm. you may also have a problem with brake clearance when removing and replacing the front wheel when fully inflated.

Mulberry20

You absolutely cannot put 28's on that rim and besides there is no way your front fork fit that tire. 25's should fit the rim but don't be surprised if your fork clearance is tight. Most 25's will mount larger.

solman

OK thanks to All,
I think I will go with 25's as has been suggested and call it good. I had remeasured and believe the 25 will not be a problem at all.
I will post results when the parts arrive and the swap is complete.

Mulberry20

I highly recommend the Panaracers EVO 4. I am running the Race A. There is a more durable version called the D but the A is extremely robust. They mounted at a true 25. I have seen other 25's mount as large as 27.

The D comes in a tan side wall that would be bonkers on that bike, especially if yours is Celeste.

squirtdad

my tire suggestion is Continental gp5000k for tires not cheap but really good ride and so far (700 miles) not flat problems

Kapusta

If 28s will clear your frame and fork, I’d go for it.

28mm is fine on a rim with 13mm ID. I’m running 35s on 14.5mm rims.

Wanderer

My Crosstrail came stock with 45MM titres, and 18mm rims. 2.5 times the width.... You should be fine with that 28 if it will fit the frame.

Doug64

The specs shows 700x25c tires as original equipment for the Bianchi Alfana. If that is the case a 28 mm tire would only be a 3 mm incrase in tires size. Twenty-eight mm tires should not be an issue.

https://www.bikepedia.com/Quickbike/...spx?item=83976

Mulberry20

The prior two posts are proof positive you should take internet advice with a grain of salt.

There is no way in hell you can or should run 28 tires on wheels of that era and width.

They will not seat properly even if they can be mounted at all.

The fact it is a 3 mm difference is totally irrelevant. A 28 mm tire will likely size 29 or 30 nowadays.

I am a mechanical engineer I should know.

ThermionicScott 

Bull****. Road rims 13mm wide between the bead hooks used to be very common and people ran 28+mm tires on them all the time without issue. It can be done, I've done it.


"Those who say it can't be done should stay out of the way of the people who are doing it."

HTupolev

Even the old ETRTO recommendations are only one size away from allowing it, and they're extremely conservative.

They should seat just fine, actually. The concern with running wide clinchers on narrow rims isn't that the bead won't seat, it's that the narrow "neck" of the tire as it leaves the rim doesn't provide stiff bracing against side shear forces from the contact patch. So the tire may feel squirmier, and it may take less side force in a corner (for a given bicycle load and inflation firmness) to cause the sidewalls to "buckle"/"collapse," which would cause a sudden change in handling.

But a 28mm on 13mm-internal really isn't getting all that deep into "crazy" territory. Tons of people have done it extensively without incident. I've ridden such a setup for a couple thousand miles so far, the beads seat evenly around the rim no problem and it mostly feels alright.

28mm tires often size 29 or 30 nowadays because people are mounting them on super-wide rims. Many new tires that are listed as 28mm will size less than 28mm if they're mounted on 90's-style 13mm-internal rims. For example, the 28-630 Paselas that I have mounted on the Sun M13II rims on my old Miyata inflate to just under 27mm according to my calipers.

Doug64

That sounds alot like one of our government officias that claimed he could read and understand scientific medical papers becuase he had a PhD in social sciences

In my experience Continental's road tires actually size smaller than their stated size. And that comes from riding a lot of Continental tires.

The Mavic Open Pro rims that Bianchi used on some of their bikes in 1999 would take tires sizes from 19-28 mm. I'm not sure why one of their less expensive bikes would have a narrower rim. Mavic CPX 21 rims used on their more expensive bikes also are capable of using 19-28 mm tires.

Scroll to the chart at the bottom of the page, and you might see some data from someone who actually knows about bikes.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

This is a good site if you want the specs on older bikes:
https://www.bikepedia.com/Quickbike/Bikes.aspx

Kapusta

Mechanical engineer? Great! Which bicycle rim or tire manufacturer do you design for?

squirtdad

complete BS, 28mm will fit the rims just fine.
only fitment issues is if brakes and frame will fit 28mm (tight fists have had to let air out to get through the pads, but once there need to ensure clearance)

and tire vary widely in exactly how they measure once inflated...some are under, some are over and a very few are exact

and clearly you don't know

shelbyfv

You'd think so, but.... The reason tires these days measure wider than nominal is because the rim widths have increased. A 28mm tire on his narrow rim will more likely than not measure close to 28mm. It's when you mount them on current 19+mm internal rims that they are wider. Nobody but OP can know if a 28mm tire, one size larger than stock, will work. If it doesn't, it will be because of tight frame and fork dimensions, nothing to do with his rims.

solman

Actually although the specs say the bike came with 25mm tires the bike indeed came with 22's Vittoria's. I bought the bike new and confirmed the size before I ordered replacement 22's.

caloso

Hoo boy. Yes, you can put 28mm tires on that rim. But will 28s fit your frame/fork? Probably not.

Kapusta

Sheldon's note at the bottom about many people exceeding those recommendations is quite the understatement. Before rim widths caught up, mountain bikers were blowing the doors off those recs with no issues. Heck, at one point I was using 2.3s with 17mm (ID) rims. That's like 6 boxes into the red on that chart. Heck, I'm STILL two boxes into the red on my MTB and my old Salsa Casseroll that my wife now rides. Zero issues in 23 years. None. Nada. Zip. Would wider rims be better? Sure, for handling. But there is nothing unsafe about it.

Doug64

What rims are on the bike? If you had the time, it would be interesting to measure the inside width of you rims. How about doing that when you change your tirees, and let us know the size. That could settle some of the questions raised in the discussion. It might be good to do before you order the tires.

I've done a lot of touring on 25 mm tires, and they are not bad. I have also done a lot of touring on 28 mm tires, including a trip across the U.S., but the rim was probably a little wider than your rim.

Doug64

Here are the specs on my daughters touring rim:
"The Mavic XM 117 rim brake rim is wide enough to allow the use of a large volume tire, but reasonably light for epic mountain bike rides. 6160 Alloy, non-eyeleted tube-type rim. Black with machined UB Control braking surface. Valve hole diameter: 8.5 mm, supplied with valve adapter. br>
Weight: 440 grams
Size: 26-inch
Internal/External Dimension:17/22mm
ETRTO recommended tire sizes: 1.1" to 2.3"
Rim Depth: 17mm
Drilling: 32 or 36 hole
Rim Brake"

This is essentially the same setup you were using That is one heck of a range.

biker128pedal

The resulting inflated tire width and height will depend on the rim internal width. More than likely a modern 28mm tire will measure 28 on your narrow rims. I bought new wheels going from 14mm to 19.5mm inside width. Basically increasing the circumference the circle. Now I cannot run 25mm tires. They fit but are too close and rub. My suggestion is first take some Allen wrenches and measure how much clearance you have to the sides and top. If you think a 28mm tires will fit then buy one 28mm of the flavor you want and try it on the front and rear. I so wish I could run 28mm tires. 25mm tires would even help smooth the road. I’m looking at gravel bikes for an all around bike. I could have two sets of wheels with one all road and one dual sport tires.

woodcraft

My guess: 20% chance that 28mm tires will fit in that frame.