GravelMN

I'm looking at tires for short excursions (1-3 days) of credit card touring around the state. I'll be riding a refurbished 1990s Trek 720 using only a rear rack and small panniers. I estimate about 25lbs of gear. I'm considering using Bontrager AW3 folding tires 700 x 28mm on Mavic A719 rims (622 x 19) and was wondering if the mid-size tire on a wide rim would be adequate for the light load. I would like to stay with a light tire as I use the same bike for unloaded day tours and some casual group rides or charity events as well. My other thought was Continental's UltraSport II which now comes in both 700 x 28mm and 35mm folders. What do you think? Any other suggestions?

Tourist in MSN

When I think of 28mm tires, I think of fast and light. But when I think of A719, I do not think light. But, since the A719 rims can take 28mm tires, if that is what you want to use then use them.

My A719 rims are over 10 years old. Do yours have a pressure rating like this?

10 Wheels

I used 28's for Long Tours....Go for it.

McBTC

Gatorskin 25s is all you need -- lightly loaded you could do 700 miles on a pair of those...

bradtx

Absolutely.

Brad

MassiveD

They are adequate, not sure current testing indicates there is any advantage to running narrow tires. I have been on pee gravel trails where even 35mm sank in a little much, but the main point would be whether you actually gain anything from 28s. But if you have them I would run them.

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2013/...limeters-make/

acantor

I have done plenty of light touring on 28 mm tires, and except for the occasional flat, they were fine. Ditto for 23 mm and 25 mm tires.

If you want to avoid flats, fatter tires seem to help. I don't think I ever had a flat when I used 32 mm. I am back to 28 mm these days, and no problems after a year.

MassiveD

I like low rolling resistance tires, so I always tour on slicks. And I normally run reasonably high pressures. maybe 80. I have toured on "racing" clinchers, but I am led to believe they are not more effective on lowering rolling resistance. So I don't see any reason to it. Is anyone familiar with current thinking, that would be great. You can run Paris Roubaix on 30s and make the podium, and those guys run at weights like the average NA girl. I am not sure what it is people are up to when they run 23s.

Rowan

28s are fine. We rode 3500km each on our Thorn Club Tours with A719 rims and 28C Schwalbe Duranos (slick tyres) when we went around the world in 2012-13. The only flats were my own fault for running my rear tyre too flat. We coped with compacted gravel trails OK, too, both on that trip, and after we returned.

Rowan

And we run the same wheel/tyre (A719/Durana 28s) combination on our tandem, a Santana Arriva, which was delivered with them fitted as standard. Again, no issues except when I didn't pay attention to inadequate inflation on the front, once. And we have ridden that bike over compacted and loose gravel roads and trails.

staehpj1

I think 28 mm will be fine. I went coast to coast on the ST with 23 mm gatorskins and halfway when the 23s were wearing out went to 25 mm gatorskins. The buzz on the 23s was a little annoying on the Texas chipseal, but otherwise they were OK. The buzz was better with the 25s. Some 28s would be cushy in comparison.

By the way, it is your choice, but 25 pounds sounds like an awful lot of stuff for a credit card tour. I can't even imagine what you would carry on a 3 day credit card tour that would weigh that much. I carried a good bit less (14 pounds of gear) for a coast to coast, fully self supported camping and cooking tour on the ST and I was carrying a few pounds of luxury items. So you can probably cut the weight substantially if you want to and I think it would make the riding much more pleasant.

shelbyfv

My favorite 28 tire is now the Panaracer Gravelking. Despite the name, it is smooth and rides really comfortably. It also comes in 32mm, which has some tread.

mstateglfr 

Ive read a handful of times that you go pretty ultra-light for long tours. How much more $ did that equipment cost compared to what someone could buy for a 2 day camping trip ride of 100mi round trip? I see the costs of ultra-light sleep systems, panniers, clothing, etc and just figure it would run hundreds if not into the thousand more than similar equipment someone would use for a couple of short camping trips each year.

I really have no idea if my assumption is accurate or way off base since ive never spreadsheet priced what everything would cost to go ultra-light vs what I have(which isn't heavy but also not ultra-light).

djb

Ive ridden short and long tours on 28 slicks, with as little as 20lbs and as much as 40 or so.
I do ride regularly on 28s on one bike and 1.5s 38mm on another, so both work well and the obvious advantage to wider is that with lower pressures there is more cush--but it really depends on the roads. On reasonable surfaces the 28s are faster a bit and on very rough stuff you can lower the pressures a bit that will help a noticeable amount.

guess it depends on your bike, my 28 bike fits me very well so the overall comfort factor is good. I would only put wider on if it would help comfort wise (hands or whatever) and if I knew the road conditions were going to be very rough a lot. As mentioned, lighter tires will make the bike feel a bit livlier, but thats up to you to decide.

ultimately, you would have to try both

staehpj1

I think I spend a good bit less than most folks and could really go light even on a very tight budget. A few of my UL items are really cheap (pop can stove, etc.). The biggest part of of my weight savings is from leaving things home. Also when I go really light I can get by without panniers or maybe even without racks so there is a savings there.

I do splurge on a few items but could still go very light with cheaper items. I have a very nice sleeping bag (Mountain Hardwear Phantom 45 $250), a very nice sleeping pad (NeoAir xLite $120), and an expensive pillow (Exped $40). Other that that I ride an inexpensive bike, use cheap panniers if I use panniers at all, and am generally a cheapskate for the most part.

Just as an exercise I looked at what I really needed and looked at how inexpensive I could go. I decided I could go ultralight on a $300 gear budget. Add another $300 for a used bike, and take clothing you already own and you could start from nothing and tour very light for $600 bike and all. I don't do that because I can afford to splurge on a few items, but I don't think my total gear cost for what I carried on the ST, clothing and all was much over $1000.

I learned from backpacking that most of the weight can be saved without spending a bundle and that it is the final few ounces that cost a fortune, so I cut cut cut until I am at the point where going lighter would require a bunch of $$$ cuben fiber and what not and I stop there calling it good enough.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Ultralight

fietsbob

Bring a 3rd folding tire, Justin Case.

bmike

Was a fan of the Conti 4 Season GPs (fits like a 26 on a Mavic Open Pro).
I now like the Clement Strada in 28.

I have some Clement MSO in 32 mounted now and like them so much I'm not sure when I'll take them off.

I have a 20 pound typical light touring load. Thats camping, cooking, and water purification... with camera and some electronics along.
For credit card I could pare that down.

mstateglfr 

Very cool, I read that cross country journal a handful of months ago. Not sure how I happened upon it, but it immediately grabbed my attention because of the timing- getting to do that when your daughter hasn't yet started life on her own.
I remember you guys all rocked the same bike- a BD Windsor model, I think.


You certainly have dropped the packed weight since that ride!

...and I agree- its those last few ounces that really cost $$$. I could see that just from when I have looked around at options compared to what I use now.

MZilliox

i agree with this, i love the gravel king so far.

staehpj1

Yep. That is me. The changes in packed weight have been incremental over a bunch of tours. I don't think any individual steps along the way were too drastic and I never regretted going progressively lighter, but yeah it has been a pretty drastic change overall but spread out over 7-8 years. I'd have said you were crazy if in 2007 you would have said I'd ever travel as light as I currently do, but it feels pretty normal now.