Sincitycycler

Can you use a 35c? Does frame size matter?

HandsomeRyan

I'm doubtful that they will fit but a $2 caliper would allow you to measure your frame to know for sure.

HandsomeRyan

Oh, and this is from the Kilo TT superthread-

Sincitycycler

How wide are 700x35c tires?
Is there a std width?
It would be helpful before ordering and finding out that they don't fit! Thx

HandsomeRyan

I think you mean 700c x 35mm tires.

The '700c' refers to the circumference of the rim; 700c = 1,954 millimeter circumference.

The 35 (mm) is the tire size. A 35mm tire should be [roughly] 35 millimeters wide. Some manufacturers over or under estimate the size of their tires slightly but if the seat stays are only 32mm wide then you know that no 35mm tire is likely to fit.

Scrodzilla

I just dusted off my calipers and measured my 53cm Kilo (right above the tire like in the pic above) and got 36.2mm with my axle at about 1/4 of the way back in my dropouts. For some reason, my Kilo has huge clearance.

erichsia

something to keep in mind though is that some tires are not their actual advertised size. Seems that many tires can run a few cm's thinner. bring a caliper and measure the tire too before purchase.

Scrodzilla

Doesn't the "c" stand for circumference when indicating tire width? My Rubinos and my Panaracer Paselas say 700x25c on the sidewalls.

augustao

Not at all. It's just a french nomenclature for the 622mm diameter rim.

hairnet

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

Scrodzilla

Well alright! I wasn't trying to be "all-knowing" or snarky. The c isn't something I've ever given much thought to and just always assumed...

HandsomeRyan

I'm not convinced the person measuring the green Kilo pictured above had the calipers all the way open. If you look closely at the right side caliper you can see light shining through from behind as if it isn't really touching the drive side seat stay.

Scrodzilla

Oh yeah...didn't notice that! It still looks like there would be about 34mm clearance there at most.

HandsomeRyan

I agree.

Brian

I think it's less an issue of estimating, and more about design and construction. If they are measuring the width of the tread area from the point where it meets the sidewall, that can vary a few mm.

Here's my suggestion for the bicycle tire industry:

A tire's width should be stated as a measurement of the widest points of a tire when mounted on a standardized rim (say, 20mm) at a certain PSI, or max PSI. There should be a secondary measurement as well - I would like them to include the actual contact patch, as measured with a standardized rider weight (maybe 150lbs). While the contact patch may change for lighter or heavier riders, this would at least make it easier to compare different tires from different manufacturers.

TejanoTrackie 

I think it's also an issue of consistency of a given product over sizes. For example, I have two Continental Grand Prix 4000, mounted on identical rims and inflated to identical pressures. One is 700 x 23 (23-622) and the other is 700 x 25 (25-622). When I measure the overall width on the 23 tire, it is nearly 24mm wide, whereas the 25 tire measures well under 25mm. In fact, there is less than a 1mm difference between them, and visually it is near impossible to tell them apart. I bought the 700 x 25 tire because I wanted a significantly wider tire for the rear and am now looking elsewhere. I have to wonder why Conti even bothers to offer these two nearly identical sizes. Maybe, they should just split the difference and offer a single 700 x 24 tire that is truly 24mm wide overall.

DIRT BOY

Huh, you forgot about tires height as well.
Oh, and depending on the rim, it can make the wider or more narrow.

TejanoTrackie 

Just a minor clarification. It relates to the bead seat diameter (BSD), which is less than the overall diameter of the rim. If you divide the circumference of the bead seat by pi (3.14), you get a BSD of 622mm. The tire in question will also be marked 35-622, meaning that is 35mm wide and fits a 700c rim with a 622 BSD.

Brian

I like pie.

mihlbach

Though you may be able to squeeze a 35mm tire in there, with so little clearance, you may end up walking home if your wheel goes out of true for any reason.

HandsomeRyan

I didn't forget; this is not usually an issue. Chances are that any tire the OP tries to use would rub the stays before it would rub the brake bridge. If rubbing the brake bridge [or seat post] is an issue this can usually be solved by adding a link or two to push the rear axle further back within the track ends (assuming there is room left for the axle to slide back). This creates a bit more clearance.

Making sure the tire fits side-to-side is much more important because there is no trick for getting more clearance that way.

As far as rim size- the Kilo uses a standard narrow road rim so rim width isn't an issue unless the OP buys a new wheelset (meant for a 29'er mountain bike).

ianjk

From experience, too-tight of clearance is a PITA... rubbing under heavy pedaling (goodbye paint), a little tweak to the rim will leave you on the side of the road truing instead of riding (or walking if you don't carry a spoke wrench).

Sincitycycler

lol :-) OK I'll stick with my 32's - plenty of clearance maybe because my frame is big