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What's your minimum preferred tire width for gravel riding?

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Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) This has to be the most physically intense sport ever invented. It's high speed bicycle racing on a short off road course or riding the off pavement rides on gravel like : "Unbound Gravel". We also have a dedicated Racing forum for the Cyclocross Hard Core Racers.

What's your minimum preferred tire width for gravel riding?

Old 09-03-20, 06:23 PM
  #26  
Koyote
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
There are 2 versions of the GKss. One is the GKss and the other isnthe GKss Plus+.
Apparently they felt it necessary to both spell out and make the image for the plus part.
The Plus+ has the PT shield casing, but I am considering the regular model without the extra protection. Its a handfulnof grams heavier than the Resolute, but smoother tread like you said.

The Conti Terra Speed would be neat to consider, but its 40mm at widest apparently(not really a deal breaker) and I've read it runs narrow.
Ahh, okay, thanks for the info. With all of the different GK varieties, it gets a bit confusing.
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Old 09-03-20, 09:08 PM
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Originally Posted by l3m4nt
42 mm tubeless, I usually ride some easy MTB-tracks in the neighborhood
What pressures do you typically run on your 42 mms?
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Old 09-03-20, 09:27 PM
  #28  
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Max size is 38, I grew up in the country surrounded by dirt roads and "paved" roads that every couple of years were resurfaced with a mix of gravel and tar and did it with 27x 1 1/8 and later 700x25s and never had problems with riding them. If I need bigger then a 38 I just take the MTB, that's why I have it and it rides smoothly. Cross will handle a 35 while the gravel will take a 38 and either is fine; as to actual minimum, probably still be quite fine with a 28 for most upstate NY seasonal highways and old dirt roads.
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Old 09-04-20, 06:59 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by davei1980
Yeah no no no no - big caveat - not for racing

When you get in to racing things like comfort become less important and things like aero become way more important so yeah, I think we can both say we're both right (?). I think if you're not racing, go huge! The advantages in all day comfort, traction, and fatigue are awesome! Putz around at the party pace all day man! But when you're racing, you have a real decision to make, don't you? Rotational weight, aero, traction, rolling resistance, sponsorship pressure (not trivial, this is a real thing), etc.... I heard the guy who won last year's Dirty Kanza did so on 42mm tires, so I think you know what you're talking about here!

It's true, larger tires do have lower rolling resistance over rough terrain than smaller, narrower ones, but I have also heard that advantage is one you give up with aero drag starting at about 12 MPH or so. I am not a scientist but I believe both these phenomena are true.

I have also learned that a lot of things make sense to competitive riders which make little sense to noncompetitive ones, and vice versa.
Absolutely!! I'll admit that I'm a bit jealous when someone is on the ride with a mtb and they're looking very comfy on those big tires! I'm interested in trying some 650b's with 47mm to see how the extra cushion feels, bet it would be awesome on the rougher stuff.
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Old 09-04-20, 07:30 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Rides4Beer
Absolutely!! I'll admit that I'm a bit jealous when someone is on the ride with a mtb and they're looking very comfy on those big tires! I'm interested in trying some 650b's with 47mm to see how the extra cushion feels, bet it would be awesome on the rougher stuff.
They make a lot of really awesome tires (Ultradymamico, Panaracer, WTB) in that size; I would love to try it too on my road/gravel/cruiser/klunker pictured here. I can just barely squeeze 700x38s on there now (was a 27" bike) but 650b rims with 130mm hubs, rim brake tracks, and tubeless ready design are hard to find in a price commensurate with the $20 frame. So the plan is if a set of 650b rims fall in my lap, great, I'll get some GKs and longer brakes. If not, I'll probably just get a 35mm GK at least for the front.

Last edited by davei1980; 09-04-20 at 07:36 AM.
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Old 09-04-20, 12:31 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Ahh, okay, thanks for the info. With all of the different GK varieties, it gets a bit confusing.
100% agree. It isnt quite as bad as Schwalbe's g-one offerings or Schwalbe's nearly impossible to sort out Marathon offerings. No model tire should have 25 different tires in varying casings, treads, widths, etc which all seem to also overlap.
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Old 09-11-20, 07:35 PM
  #32  
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700c minimum: 47mm. 650b minimum: 50mm. 40s, 42s, and even 45s in a 700c just wasn't cutting it for me. I run Teravail Rutlands in 47mm width and it feels like a good sweet spot for me.

With 650b, I personally like the feel of 50mm tires. I think the OD is closer to a 32mm tire on a 700c, which is what I find more comfortable than just the 650x47mm "road plus standard". And also considering how it drops the bikes BB height I just want to raise it up to reduce pedal strikes when running 650b.

One more important thing with minimum tire width is minimum rim width. In a perfect world I would run no smaller than 23mm inner width with 700c wheels, and 25mm with 650b wheels.
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Old 09-11-20, 08:23 PM
  #33  
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42 is about the smallest I'll use. Size matters but the tire itself and it's characteristics matter to. Gravel riding is about 1/2 my total miles and on country farm roads that the same road surface varies widely from one day to the next. The other 1/2 is chip seal.

Last edited by u235; 09-11-20 at 08:27 PM.
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Old 09-11-20, 08:55 PM
  #34  
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35mm is as skinny as I'd ever choose to go, but 32s will do the job if you're paying attention. Right now, I'm running Gravel King SK 43s and I would marry them if it was legal.
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Old 09-12-20, 04:03 AM
  #35  
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i only rock '23's and occasionally ride dirt/gravel area up to five miles in length. sometimes my line is better than other times. occasionally hafta hoof it for < 50 yards.
not setting any land speed records but, every so often, you feel like taking a shortcut. not taking the sweet tires out for these excursions but sometimes, you don't wanna turn around
and wanna push thru. if it's too soupy, it's a dismount.
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Old 09-12-20, 09:22 AM
  #36  
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40mm on a 700c is my minimum for dry conditions. I’m m 6’4” 270#.

I’m actually running a WTB 42 Resolute up front and a 44 Byway in back currently for my gravel rides. Run them about 35-40psi and keep trying to go a little lower. I’ve got a separate light road wheel set with 40mm Schwalbe G-ones when I’ll be on Mostly tarmac rides.

I found my setup is great for nominal dry conditions but won’t cut it for anything less with rains, mud, Sand or chunky gravel. I have a fat bike mostly for winter snow but it’s a dog for long rides, even my separate 2.2” wheel set. Looking for N+1 bike that finds the sweet spot for me that will fit 2.2-3” tires. Looking at a rigid 29+ bike like a Surly Krampus or Jones bike.
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Old 09-12-20, 09:26 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by davei1980
Yeah no no no no - big caveat - not for racing

When you get in to racing things like comfort become less important and things like aero become way more important so yeah, I think we can both say we're both right (?). I think if you're not racing, go huge! The advantages in all day comfort, traction, and fatigue are awesome! Putz around at the party pace all day man! But when you're racing, you have a real decision to make, don't you? Rotational weight, aero, traction, rolling resistance, sponsorship pressure (not trivial, this is a real thing), etc.... I heard the guy who won last year's Dirty Kanza did so on 42mm tires, so I think you know what you're talking about here!

It's true, larger tires do have lower rolling resistance over rough terrain than smaller, narrower ones, but I have also heard that advantage is one you give up with aero drag starting at about 12 MPH or so. I am not a scientist but I believe both these phenomena are true.

I have also learned that a lot of things make sense to competitive riders which make little sense to noncompetitive ones, and vice versa.
YES to all this. This is a gravel recreational forum.

i generally don’t go over 12mph on gravel unless I’m going downhill. So aero isn’t much of a concern.

As I get older comfort = enjoying my ride for longer miles. Speed is for those young kids!
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Old 09-12-20, 02:57 PM
  #38  
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Hi all, jumping in here, but how to do you determine -- based on specs -- what the max width of tire your bike can fit? I'm looking at a Devinci Hatchet 105 Aluminum (carbon forks) that comes with Maxxi-Refuse 700x32 tires; not sure how to tell what max width I can go.

Thanks
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Old 09-12-20, 03:14 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by gravyface
Hi all, jumping in here, but how to do you determine -- based on specs -- what the max width of tire your bike can fit? I'm looking at a Devinci Hatchet 105 Aluminum (carbon forks) that comes with Maxxi-Refuse 700x32 tires; not sure how to tell what max width I can go.

Thanks

Manufacturers rarely list such, they like it to be a mystery. I suppose the tire and pressure chosen can vary widely from nominal dimensions. Gotta ask they’re customer service or talk to someone with experience of that frame.
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Old 09-12-20, 05:29 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Toadmeister
Manufacturers rarely list such, they like it to be a mystery. I suppose the tire and pressure chosen can vary widely from nominal dimensions. Gotta ask they’re customer service or talk to someone with experience of that frame.
Ah ok. They list 40c as the widest tire in the specs. I'm guessing you guys take the bike in for a test fitment before you commit to new tires/wheels?
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Old 09-13-20, 06:02 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by gravyface
Ah ok. They list 40c as the widest tire in the specs. I'm guessing you guys take the bike in for a test fitment before you commit to new tires/wheels?
I've buy frames with stated clearance and use tires that are narrower than the stated clearance. That way, they will easily fit without any handwriting.

With a frame that states 40 is the most, I would get a new frame, use 38s if i didn't want to push the envelope, or use a 40mm tire that is reported to inflate true to size.
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Old 09-14-20, 07:58 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by cubewheels
I'm wondering if 32mm would be suitable enough for me and I weigh 124 lbs and planning to use 700c wheels. According to the tire pressure tables, I can run the tires at 50 / 40 psi (rear and front)

My road conditions are mixed gravel with plenty of potholes in the asphalt roads - in the side lanes and I won't be able to dodge all of them in traffic.

I'm looking for a gravel bike locally but are way too expensive for me. However, I found road bikes I can afford with decent groupsets, gravel-friendly compliant frame, and fits 32mm tires.
It always depends on terrain and type of gravel.
I ride 32mm GP5000's on smooth and flat gravel/dirt and crushed limestone trails and they work great on those types of conditions. On flat rural gravel roads, the GP5000's are a little dicey unless it's really packed down, but 33mm CX tires work great for me in those conditions. I'm around 165lbs.

I've never run anything larger than 35mm on a gravel bike, but can definitely imagine situations where 40-45mm would be beneficial. I'm super jealous of those that get to ride in these types of conditions. Anything more gnarly than that, and I'd probably just be on an XC MTB.
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Old 09-14-20, 04:09 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by msu2001la
but can definitely imagine situations where 40-45mm would be beneficial. I'm super jealous of those that get to ride in these types of conditions. Anything more gnarly than that, and I'd probably just be on an XC MTB.
Sums up my situation. I max out on 45 (Riddlers for me). Some of my routes are a coin flip or weather for deciding between that and my XC
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Old 09-16-20, 09:53 AM
  #44  
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Wide Tires

Originally Posted by davei1980
3" - Don't listen to folks who say wider is slower on gravel, all those vibrations transferring to your body from narrow tires will wear you out way more quickly than the power it takes to kick over a wider tire.

Wide tire, < 10psi, you'll thank me later!
If that isn't the truth, lol. When local maintenance crew has been over my gravel roads, or there's been a ton of AG equipment running on them, I frequently have to go with the fat bike running the super lite Jumbo Jims. Very cushy, and rolls over everything, lol.
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Old 09-24-20, 02:25 PM
  #45  
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40mm on drop bar bike, but if its rough I love my fat bike hard tail running 29+ 3.0 tires.
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Old 09-25-20, 08:30 PM
  #46  
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I'm a little surprised how high the 'minimum' numbers in this thread are. I like wider tires too, but I'd say my minimum is 27mm since I've ridden lots of gravel roads in Colorado and now in California with trusty Parigi-Roubaix tires and always been happy with them. Maybe that's in part because I got used to riding a CX bike with 28mm tires on singletrack? Last week I was out exploring the area around my new home and found a farm road that suddenly turned into loose chunky golf ball gravel with washboard for a couple miles - I was on my go-fast road bike with 23mm tires and plowed through without incident even though it wasn't much fun, so maybe 23mm is my real minimum?
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Old 09-27-20, 08:55 AM
  #47  
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Generally my min width is 32mm, and max width is 32...as printed on the sidewall. Some tires inflate bigger, some smaller. Run them tubeless, and run inflation pressure for conditions. 5 bar for hard pack, pavement. 4 bar for cobbles, pave, gravel roads. 3 bar for rough surfaces or loose, and wet. I've been down to 2.5, but worry about burping in that range. This is to say nothing about tread type...slick, files, small blocks, big blocks. Certainly wider would be cushier, but I like the feel and responsiveness of a CX tire, especially when speeding around the forests here. It works for me.
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Old 09-27-20, 09:16 AM
  #48  
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Minimum about 28mm. I've done lots miles on 23's though.
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Old 10-10-20, 01:31 PM
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I used to use 700x37c for many years. Moved down to 33c and then even 28c. Now back at 35c but cannot imagine going any bigger again.
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Old 10-10-20, 02:05 PM
  #50  
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Totally sold on my 650B x 47s. Wouldn't mind trying 50s at some point. But I ride more rocky fireroads and singletrack than actual "gravel" which we don't really have here, so that's a factor. I have another bike with 700c x 40s and I do enjoy what seems like a "faster" feel with those on smooth hardpack, and certainly on the road, but in anything rough it's a sketchier ride for sure.

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