andrewmtb9

Bit new to the forums, wondering if anyone can help me turn my old Peugeot Versaille Into a gravel bike! Tires are rotting on the sidewalls so it needs new tires anyway. Wondering if anyone has any ideas on how I can go about a gravel build? Definitely short on clearance so I’m looking at some 25-28cm gravel tires. Anybody dealt with gravel tires on road bikes before?

base2 

My gut feeling is that a 12 speed bike with 27 inch steel rims & a freewheel hub from the 1970's with down tube shifters may not be the best candidate for a gravel build.

Having said that: Panaracer Pasela tires do come in 27 inch varieties & perform very well for most conditions.

What are the conditions where you ride? Have you rode your gravel locally? What was it like? The answer to these questions will help in getting you pointed in the right direction.

HTupolev

I have no idea what the OP's bike is like, or whether it's suitable for the OP's gravel, but what makes you think that it has 27" steel rims and a 1970s freewheel hub?

andrewmtb9

Pretty spot on! It is 700c actually. As of recently I’ve been taking our specialized diverge demo bike to gravel rides. I’m obviously not expecting this road bike to feel like a diverge. The gravel roads are pretty standard, nothing demanding but loose and steep. I’m cool with the down tube shifters, definitely not ideal but it’s doable. If you know any cheap options around them let me know. The other issue I may run into is the lowest gear on front and rear is not ideal for climbing. Not too sure the teeth count but it’s not fun. Maybe the best way around that is a crankset with a smaller inner chainring?

jlockwood98

I assume with an older, traditional road wheel you will be using tubes. Panaracer makes a file-tread version of the GravelKing in 28 and 26mm. I have used the 26mm version on my road bike as a winter tire, but I have also tested them out on some of the local gravel roads. They work well on smoother, maintained roads. You can take them on rougher roads, but you need to be mindful of your speed and try to avoid bashing into rocks. You don't have a lot of tire volume so it's easy to pinch flat. And with any tire in this narrow width, you will need to be careful in sandy and loose conditions.

My 26mm tires measured a little narrower on my wheels (15mm inner width). If you can fit 28's, I would suggest that size.

shelbyfv

Maybe a 650B conversion. Even 28mm isn't going to be very useful on anything described as gravel.

BobbyG

Found this:
https://www.bikeman.com/bikeman-blog...sion-guidlines