MileHighMark

Tires are cheaper than a new bike. Grab some 28s and see how they do. Experiment with air pressure and get a feel for how they handle.

There's a good chance, however, that those tires will be the gateway drug to further off-road exploring, gravel grinders, etc.

ColinL

agree. just because this bike and maybe even 28mm tires aren't "ideal", they are fine to get your feet wet.

Campag4life

I guess I believe in horses for courses. Some...perhaps you, will live with 'suck' performance. Life is too short for me to live that way.
I don't want to use water skis on snow. Or a 911 for off roading.
A road bike works best on smoother surfaces. There are a myriad of bikes that work well on gravel. Cyclocross is one. Mtb is another. There are even hybrids of each like the Salsa Fargo that is made for long rides on gravel roads with dirt drop bars. A close to 2 inch wide tire in the 40-50 psi range is perfect for gravel road riding because of increased footprint and increased air volume to absorb the impact of gravel stones. If one does a composite of gravel and smooth road riding, an excellent tire is the WTB Nanoraptor...which was the original 29er aka 700C dirt tire...ideal because it has a center bead that lowers rolling resistance on hard pan or paved road. I have sprinted to almost 30 mph on my 29er on a gravel road with this tire...it is very fast on the dirt as it is on pavement for its volume. Tires sized narrower and with less volume than this will beat you up more the narrower they are. Getting beat up for miles on end isn't exactly my idea of a good bike ride.

So when the OP asked, I responded truthfully. Its a bad idea. You can say it is a good idea but you would be wrong. What he has is only a frame. Either use the frame to build another type of bike or replace it with a frame that will take the rigor of gravel road riding with ample tire clearance. Build or buy the right bike if he wants any comfort while riding down gravel roads. I have done a ton of riding on gravel and ride it almost daily and know by experience.

rumrunn6

a 100+ mile gravel road race?

Campag4life

Its called Leadville. Mostly raced on 2" wide tires.

halfspeed

LOL. No. "Jeep Track" is more than stretching the definition of "gravel road". If that's what you live on, it's no wonder you don't understand what the rest of us are talking about. If not, then your problems with 28mm tires probably have more to do with too much air pressure than with the tires themselves.

For some actual 100 and 100+ mile gravel road races, you can google Trans Iowa, CIRREM, Almanzo and Royal 162. BF member Vireo rode Trans Iowa a couple of years ago (on a cross bike, IIRC) and reported on the event.

In much of the midwest and the west, gravel road riding makes up a big part of roadie off-season training and many cyclists actually do most of their annual miles on gravel roads. That's why you're getting responses from people in Minnesota, Kansas, and Colorado. We actually know what we're talking about and don't just ride gravel to get to the smoother stuff.

The preferred bikes for those conditions are light cross bikes with 32mm tires with a file tread pattern. For snow and ice, the tires often are swapped out for studs. For really muddy spring riding "peanut butter gravel", knobs may replace the file pattern. A few riders always use knobs and a few use flat bars, but they are usually the minority. Road bikes converted to gravel with 28mm tires aren't uncommon. Weight matters. Gravel roads follow the terrain and don't get cut down to more easily manageable grades so a half mile at over 20% is normal.

28s aren't optimal, but if I bought an "optimal" bike for every kind of riding I might do, I'd run out of garage space. I ride gravel on either a steel road bike that can handle 32s with the aforementioned Tektro 539s or a touring bike with cantis and 32s. I could run wider tires on the touring bike, but prefer not to. Also, for snow/ice, I put studs on a fully ridgid MTB with discs. I've ridden gravel with 28s with no adverse effects. It's not quite as comfy as 32s, but plenty doable.

Campag4life

I said a couple of posts up that 32's would be minimum. 32's for the average guy riding on gravel roads are NOT optimal. If you can ride 28's without adverse effects as you state...why don't you? The answer is simple. They suck. 32's are 'marginal' on gravel roads. A lower pressure mtb tire is more much comfortable and unless racing, a much better solution.
Also...it is unclear if a 28c tire will even fit on a Bottecchia team road bike. I will bet a 32c tire clearly won't fit as most road bike frame will not support this width.

The best bike for convertible riding...a one bike fits all is either a Cyclocross bike that will fit minimum 38c tires or a 29er which is my personal favorite. I can put 23c tires on my 29er with flat bar and keep up on fast group rides on pavement. Or I can shod the bike with 2.1" mild knobby tires like a Nanoraptor and shred gravel roads...or ride them leisurely. A Bottecchia is a bad bike choice for riding gravel roads is the point... 28c tires suck for gravel roads and it won't fit anything bigger.

Phantoj

^ I wanted to bump this comment... most vintage frames have better clearance than modern bikes, so maybe you can actually fit 32's...

Campag4life

Possible I suppose but in my experience, vintage frames won't fit 32's...in particular brake caliper clearance.

NYCJohn170

I often take loads of dirt on my CX with the 32s though I prefer either of my MTBs. The CX is good for taking the road to the off road.

Last week I switched out my 32s on my CX to 28 Gatorskins. To get acquainted with them for an upcoming Sprint Tri. The 28s were way faster on pavement.

Went onto a gravel road in Central Park NYC. wow What a difference from the 32s and not in a good way. As soon as I hit it, was so messed up I thought I'd flatted. Went home and put the 32s back on.

Campag4life

Thank you. Where have you been? You are the voice of reason. A fairly substantial difference from 28's to 32's on gravel. 28's are pretty awful for riding gravel and mtb tire width is much better. Gravel is among the worst of road conditions for a bicycle as you know. Sounds like you have a mtb background as do I and most of the single track out there traversed on mtb's with ~2 inch tires is much smoother than a dirt road with loose gravel.
Mtb tire width works the best on gravel roads.

ColinL

this isn't about best and it never was. you were arguing some nuance that doesn't exist.

back to the thread title-- are 28mm tires wide enough for gravel?

yes they are. file tread is recommended. end.

Campag4life

Hey Colin, I got an idea. Why don't we morph the thread and ask...what is the worse tire for gravel?
Ans: 23c...a whopping 5mm narrower than a 28c you recommend. That's less than 1/4" narrower...transformative I say..lol.

ColinL

haha, you're still wrong.

the 17mm tires on my dad's 1978ish Batavus surely are the worst.

plantrob

Heh, I just rode the Fools Classic last weekend on my bike equipped with 23mm tires (didn't have any 25s to switch to, or I would have). The worst sections of gravel road were a bit uncomfortable, but overall I did fine (only about 1/4 of the 74 miles was dirt/gravel). But if I had to ride those roads every day, well, I'd probably be looking for something a bit wider

halfspeed

Nobody said they were, but that doesn't mean they can't be quite effective, and many people are quite comfortable with them.

No, the answer is that I prefer 32s.

No, they are excellent.

MTB tires offer a bit more comfort but not, IMO, enough to make up for the added weight and reduced performance from knobs. I only bring out the MTB with studs and discs when gravel is covered with significant snow.

Old frames commonly fit wider tires than modern ones.

The first is your opinion and clearly not a universal law and the second is something you just don't know.

1. Brake calipers aren't part of the frame.
2. Brake calipers that fit wider tires are readily available.
3. Many vintage brake calipers were made to fit tires as wide as 1 1/4" with room to spare.

Guy freaks out after fifteen minutes on gravel and he's suddenly an expert?

Commodus

Campa...your participation here has single-handedly derailled this thread into nonsense.

It's okay for people to have different perspectives than you.

Campag4life

You are right Commodus.
OK...I will relent. My new position is...I want everybody that doesn't know any better to ride 28c tires on gravel roads...lol.
Pump 'em up nice and high boys and have a ball!
Love the 41.
PS: OP...be sure to follow through now based upon all the good advice given and convert your vintage bike to a nice gravel hauler. Gonna be a sweet ride. I look forward to your review!

ColinL

If it makes you any happier, I was on a ride last summer and we ended up on a gravel road. Did 2 miles (exactly, because Kansas rural roads are on 1 mile grids) on 700x23 Vittoria Diamante Pro Light slicks.

Did not flat. Nearly lost a tooth on washboard. Didn't crash. Was a long, long ways from ideal tire for gravel.

Commodus

Heh okay, well, I spend about an hour on gravel on 28s every day.

lol maybe I'll write up a ride-report tonight. I'll call it..."This is my daily commute. Brace yourselves, for what I am about to describe is clearly impossible."

NYCJohn170

What kind of gravel are we talking about here? A nicely groomed bridle path or a rutted washboard with fist sized rocks?
I just borrowed this from the Bikes on Water thread. This is about my limit on my 32s.
I'm sure I could do it on 28s but why?

z90

I just want to point out that 32mm - 28mm = 4mm= about 1/8", which is a pretty small difference. Sure, 32 might be better, but they manage to ride Paris-Roubaix on 28s, I'm guessing the OP could happily tool around some flat Texas gravel roads on them.

halfspeed

I posted a video of what I'm talking about in this thread, so that ought to be pretty clear.

SuperC

Hey, I have a lovely vintage Bottechia (1974 Special) and I put 700c wheels with 28mm tires at first, to ride some gravel. Bike did fine for me, although it will move around on big marbles. Changed to 35mm Contis and it is much better. Figure I can go up to at least 42s if need be. I suggest you check clearances, I have tons of it after moving down from the 27s that came on it. My gravel is western NC mountains, part of 2 different Cross race courses (Wilsons Revenge and Boone Roubaix). The bikes is excellent on the gravel, either slow crawling up the steep parts of 20+ mph downhill or flat all out runs. Oh yeah, regular road calipers on the front and long reach in the back.

therhodeo

If it were me I would want something wider than a 28. I ride gravel on a cross bike with Hutchinson Bulldogs. The gravel I've been on can range from hardpack thats like pavement but dusty to fine sandy loose stuff to looser stuff made up of large gravel. 28s will work on some gravel roads just fine. But for me just in the space of 1 ride I could be on roads where they would and the on others where they wouldnt work. My other concern would be comfort.