canklecat

BTW, since some of us occasionally ask about the largest tire that will fit a factory stock Ironman, here's one more data point/anecdote:

Continental Ultra Sport 2 in 700x25 fit fine on my '89 Ironman Expert, but I wouldn't push it to 700x28 in this tire, and Contis tend to run a bit smaller than spec in some models.

On the back, there's about 1/8" clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the brake arm crossover. That's the tight spot.

On the front there's 1/4" clearance between the top of the tire and bottom of the head tube. Probably enough room for most 700x28 tires. But I wouldn't care to run a wider tire in front than in back.

The 700x25 Ultra Sport 2 appears only very slightly larger than the 700x23 Schwalbe One V-Guards I just replaced. The overall ride is very similar, but the larger Conti's tame the road chatter better on chipseal. They feel slightly squirmy on fast curves, but I don't know whether the tires are broken in yet, or whether it's just pushing the capability of the narrow Araya CTL-370 rims, which originally came with much narrower tires (700x18, I think?).

Loved the Schwalbes and wanted a set in 700x25, but they're too pricey. And the rear tire was nicked and cut pretty badly from glass and broken slate on my rural rides (housing construction, lots of debris falling off trucks, and roadside bars with patrons smashing glass everywhere). I continued riding the rear Schwalbe for a couple of months despite the cuts, but a friend who stopped to chat last week gave my tire the stinkeye and said I should replace it. If it was that obvious, it's overdue. The front tire still had some life left. I got 1,700 miles out of the rear, and could probably ride another 300-500 on the front. Not bad. Tough tires too, for lightweight racing quality -- the thin puncture shield held the cuts together and only the worst of three fairly serious cuts was starting to avulse through the puncture shield.

***

Update 2/26/18: After riding the Conti Ultra Sport 2 in 700x25 for a few weeks -- about 8 rides, just over 300 miles -- I wouldn't want to try 700x28 on the Araya CTL-370 rims. The 700x25 Ultra Sport 2 roll comfortably straight ahead but feel a bit squirmy on fast turns. I can also feel a bit more wind resistance from strong cross winds. It's not a huge factor and probably won't matter if you're not turning at racing speeds. But these CTL-370 rims were originally fitted with 700x18 to 700x20 tires. So 700x23 is probably the sweet spot for overall performance and comfort, including turning.

Otherwise, so far, so good with the Ultra Sport 2. Next time I'd get 700x23.