Gravel tires?
06-16-19, 12:57 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Gravel tires?
Hi,
We got our first tandem a year ago, and have been loving it.
Specific to my following question, our tandem has 32mm tires on 700mm wheels, and mechanical disc brakes.
We occasionally want to ride on gravel paths, and find that smooth, relatively thin, road tires provide for squirrely handling, which requires us to go quite slowly, which detracts from the fun.
So we're thinking about getting a separate set of wheels to put on the bike when we want to go off road (never on gnarly stuff, just on crushed gravel).
We chatted with a guy on a half-bike yesterday, who had 40mm tires with knobby tread, and seemed to be having no trouble going a bit faster than we were.
So we're curious about what specs would make sense for making a tandem better able to tackle crushed gravel surfaces.Thanks!
We got our first tandem a year ago, and have been loving it.
Specific to my following question, our tandem has 32mm tires on 700mm wheels, and mechanical disc brakes.
We occasionally want to ride on gravel paths, and find that smooth, relatively thin, road tires provide for squirrely handling, which requires us to go quite slowly, which detracts from the fun.
So we're thinking about getting a separate set of wheels to put on the bike when we want to go off road (never on gnarly stuff, just on crushed gravel).
We chatted with a guy on a half-bike yesterday, who had 40mm tires with knobby tread, and seemed to be having no trouble going a bit faster than we were.
So we're curious about what specs would make sense for making a tandem better able to tackle crushed gravel surfaces.Thanks!
Mark
06-16-19, 01:09 PM
#2
Senior Member
We’re a 320lb team (including bike); if you’re heavier you’ll want wider tires at these same pressures. For tires, I’d recommend 50mm tires at 50psi for most dirt roads and crushed gravel trails. 60mm at 40psi covers unmaintained roads, muddy roads, or ones with huge gravel. A lot of those roads are rideable with 40mm tires at 60psi, but it’s not as much fun for captain or stoker. I’m a big fan of the Panaracer Gravelking series in all its flavors. Other good tandem gravel tires include Schwalbe G-One Speed 2.35” and Terravail Rampart.
06-16-19, 01:33 PM
#3
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Bikes: 2003 Cannondale Jekyll 1000, 2014 Fuji Finest 1.5 (wife), 2008 Fuji Finest 1.0 (Daughter), 2012 Fuji Cross 2.0 (son), 2011 Cannondale Road Tandem 2
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Hi,
We got our first tandem a year ago, and have been loving it.
Specific to my following question, our tandem has 32mm tires on 700mm wheels, and mechanical disc brakes.
We occasionally want to ride on gravel paths, and find that smooth, relatively thin, road tires provide for squirrely handling, which requires us to go quite slowly, which detracts from the fun.
So we're thinking about getting a separate set of wheels to put on the bike when we want to go off road (never on gnarly stuff, just on crushed gravel).
We chatted with a guy on a half-bike yesterday, who had 40mm tires with knobby tread, and seemed to be having no trouble going a bit faster than we were.
So we're curious about what specs would make sense for making a tandem better able to tackle crushed gravel surfaces.Thanks!
We got our first tandem a year ago, and have been loving it.
Specific to my following question, our tandem has 32mm tires on 700mm wheels, and mechanical disc brakes.
We occasionally want to ride on gravel paths, and find that smooth, relatively thin, road tires provide for squirrely handling, which requires us to go quite slowly, which detracts from the fun.
So we're thinking about getting a separate set of wheels to put on the bike when we want to go off road (never on gnarly stuff, just on crushed gravel).
We chatted with a guy on a half-bike yesterday, who had 40mm tires with knobby tread, and seemed to be having no trouble going a bit faster than we were.
So we're curious about what specs would make sense for making a tandem better able to tackle crushed gravel surfaces.Thanks!
Mark
I think it will depend on wether or not you want to remove your fenders everytime you do gravel. If you dont, you are likely limited to 700x35. I am running the schwalbe g-one in a 650bx40 and it does real well on gravel.
If you are going to buy a second wheelset, you may want to consider going 650b as depending on your chainstay yoke you may be able to fit a 650bx50. These would be relatively equal in diameter to your 700x32's so as not to increase or decrease bottom bracket height.
06-17-19, 01:01 AM
#4
Full Member
We put some Specialized Sawtooth 700 x 42 on our tandem for a mixed terrain 310km trail they are super comfy and handled the shingle and gravel with ease, they roll nicely on the road as well.
06-17-19, 11:21 AM
#5
Full Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: WI
Posts: 262
Bikes: 2010 Bob Brown Cycles tandem, 2019 Co-Mo Carrera tandem, 1980 Richardson tandem, 2014 Cervelo R3, 2018 Specialized Roubaix, 1985 Bianchi Campione, 1983 Trek 720, 2020 Trek Fuel EX8, 2021 Salsa Mukluk
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A few years ago we tried a pair of 700x35 knobbies on our road tandem while riding on a crushed limestone trail, only to find that my stoker was getting stones thrown up at her shins for the entire ride. It never bothered me for whatever reason. I'm not sure if fenders would've remedied the situation or not, but my wife has never wanted to do it again. I will say, though, that the bike handled quite well with those tires (can't remember the brand).
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