Esthetic

Wondering what the largest/widest tire option is that people have experiment with on these bikes with clearance. Mine is the 2017 frame, unsure how different it may be to older ones in the series.

Also what sort of 700c tire options to look at that provide more knob for trails, gravel, etc.

No, no aspirations that will transform this hybrid into an XC/DH bike, just looking to add more stability /versatility off road to THIS bike. I work with my hands , so uber technical MTB riding is out of the question as i look to limit possibility of injury at my age.

I realize it will sacrifice some speed on pavement, but these days having road bikes, the bike is being use more for shorter mileage adventure riding into local parks/reservations than mega miles or commuting.

What i'm thinking is a quick release seat post clamp, some wider knobbier tires and lower pressure will allow more compliance and spirited riding on irregular terrain.

What say you? Stick to 38c? 40c? 42c?....

hokiefyd 

The stock 38mm tires on my 2018 Roam (the Crosscuts) measure about 37.5mm wide, but the 42mm Continental Speed Rides on another hybrid also measure about 38mm. The Roam has quite a bit of clearance between the seat stays and between the chain stays. It looks to me like a true 45mm tire (one that actually measures 45mm) would fit comfortably. Note that knobbier tread patterns generally stick out further to the sides, so you may have to watch your width with those.

Given that tire size labeling isn't as accurate as it should be, it's hard to give a blanket statement on size. Do you have a specific tire model in mind?

wpgRoam

My 2017 Roam 3 came with Kenda Kwest 32c tires which I find to be a nice compromise.
I may look at a wider tire when replacements are in order.

Esthetic

It seems many 40C tires actually measure smaller, so ideally it would be great to go up in size to gain footprint.

I'm quite interested in these:
WTB Riddler TCS 45c Tire: At The Finish -

Or Perhaps something more knobby and economical like a Schwalbe Smart Sam.
Schwalbe Smart Sam Performance Tyre | Chain Reaction Cycles

hokiefyd 

I'm fairly certain that a 45mm Riddler would fit. I couldn't guarantee it, but I'll measure my (2018) frame tonight and let you know. Have you measured your frame...the width between the chain stays near where the current tire is?

The Smart Sam has tread knobs on the shoulders of the tread...you'd have to be a careful with the width on those.

Esthetic

Esthetic

Operation : Lets Find Out- For Science! 🤓

Target tire is a Schwalbe Smart Sam 47-622 aka 700 x 45c...aka 28 x 1.75"

as you can see there is clearance of around 2.5" minimum coast to coast front and rear. The oem 38c tire measures barely 1.5" on the oem wheel. Feeling pretty confident with a 3/4" margin of error from 1.75" in case of protrusion from the edge knobs. So i'm going to order them up and report back.

MK79

You seem to have plenty of room for wider tires. It's good to look on frame behind crank too, it's not that wide space there. But i believe 47-622 should do it.

andrei_r

MK79 just posted in another thread that 47-622 smart sams actually measure closer to 43-44mm on 19mm internal width rims. Something to take into account.

Esthetic

Yeah, 44mm is just shy of the rated 1.75" width of the tire. Im thinking i should have similar clearance results to his .

hokiefyd 

I'm looking forward to seeing how they fit. I'm thinking about a set of the 45mm WTB Riddlers myself.

hokiefyd 

My dad sliced one of his WTB Nano 2.1s on a rock and sewed it back up with a boot for use as a spare. As it's just a spare, I tried mounting it on my Roam just to see how it would fit. These tires are marked 52-622 on the sidewall, and they mounted up to about 49.5mm wide and about 48mm tall on my Giant GX28 rims (19mm internal width). This frame has tons of room, and these tires fit beautifully. At this overall diameter, it's a little difficult to get the skewer up passed the derailer and into the frame dropout, while at the same time trying to manage the brake rotor (because the tire is up against the chain stay bridge). But it works. And it looks great on the bike.

Esthetic, I'm sure the Smart Sams will fit great.


IMG_20180516_115436009 by jnjadcock, on Flickr


IMG_20180516_115451920 by jnjadcock, on Flickr


IMG_20180516_115503869 by jnjadcock, on Flickr

Esthetic

Good to know! My GX28 wheels are 2017 non-tubeless ready and read 622-19 on the sticker. I don't know if that differs from yours? I imagined the 19'' is the outer width?

hokiefyd 

I think they're the same wheels. 19mm is the inner width, between the rim lips.

Esthetic

Awesome, that really opens up the options! That means the roughly 2.5" eyeball clearance from my measurements was pretty close. Thanks for doing this...FOR SCIENCE

I guess its up to how much speed i want to give up. How do they feel?

Esthetic

Update: Scored a PAIR of New (old stock) Ritchey Z Max Evolution 29 X 2.1 for $25 shipped from ebay

Excited!

hokiefyd 

They're nice. I haven't ridden them on this bike, but I rode them on my dad's DS (before he sliced this particular one). They're probably more "tready" than I probably want on my bike, and this particular one has a huge thick boot on it, anyway (which means it has a stiff spot in the sidewall, which probably makes it feel like an unbalanced tire at speed). But knowing the Roam will take an actual (vs. nominal) 50mm tire is good information to have.

Again, these Nanos are nominally 2.1" (and ISO is 52mm), but only about 49mm actual. I probably wouldn't go much wider in terms of an actual/as-installed size for fear of a rub or difficulty inserting the wheel into the frame. A 47-622 or 50-622 should be an easy/comfortable fit, with a 29x2.1" and larger getting iffy, and depending on whether that particular tire model tends to run true to size or not. For example, if a particular 29x2.1" is close to 2.2" or 2.3" with tread shoulders/lugs, that particular tire might rub.

hokiefyd 

Nice deal. Did you order the Smart Sams also?

Esthetic

I had not.

Being the polar end in fitment, that is provided they fit, i want to see how i feel about these. ​​​​​​Given the cost, i'm not out much if they don't work out.

A summer with them should give me a good idea if i want to go down to the 40-47c range gravel options. I'm curious about the added air volume and how that may work in concert with the limited travel on this fork when it comes to pushing a bit more on the trails.

Idin Donuffin

Just curious what's the ERD on the Giant GX28?

Evan_760

I have a 2016 Giant Roam Disc 2 and was able to fit a set of Blackburn mtb tires at 29x2.1 on front and back. its way beefy now but 'feels' heavier for sure. They were $20/per at Wal-Mart (although i cringe to buy anything there) but all my local bike shops were either out of stock or selling WTB brand options for $65/per. Parts and accessories are insane to find amd buy post-pandemic. If it was my primary gravel ride in Oregon, I'd have gone with WTB Riddler or similar and spent the money but the Giant Roam is a secondary bike I keep in southern California and ride a but more mtb trails in addition to asphalt with. So far so good on the 29x2.1