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How large can I go?

Old 06-18-19, 05:21 AM
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85allegro
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How large can I go?

With tire sizes, do you just have to try the tire to see if it fits? Or is there a general rule of thumb? What tips do you all have for me?
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Old 06-18-19, 06:18 AM
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Measure the clearances between your fork legs, seat stays, and chain stays. (You can buy a cheap digital caliper on Amazon that will make this easier.) Read online reviews of tires to get a sense of how wide they actually get (aside from nominal sizes) on rims with roughly the internal width of yours. Buy tires and mount them. Hope that you get at least 5-6mm of clearance on each side of the tires.
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Old 06-18-19, 06:39 AM
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I haven't experimented with tire sizes much myself , but from what I gather, the actual size as mounted depends quite a lot on the rim width, and there are also discrepancies in actual size vs. what it's labeled to varying degree depending on the manufacturer. Thus the actual width may vary quite a lot, 5mm or in case of wider tires probably even more.
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Old 06-18-19, 06:41 AM
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Also, if you have rim brakes see how far apart the brake pads spread to pass a mounted tire through.

Some rim brakes don't spread as far apart as others.
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Old 06-18-19, 07:17 AM
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Originally Posted by 85allegro
With tire sizes, do you just have to try the tire to see if it fits? Or is there a general rule of thumb? What tips do you all have for me?
Are we talking about an '85 Fuji Allegro?
If so, then probably 32mm(1 1/4) wide is the most if you have the stock 27" wheels. Thats a common 27" size, the only larger size I know of for 27" is this 1 3/8" size SwiftTire 27? x 1 3/8? Tan Tire ? Made by Panaracer (Plenty Back in Stock) ? SWIFTTIRE.
If you have changed the wheels to 700c, then that gives you more room for tires since 700c is a bit smaller than 27". You could fit a 35mm tire in there most likely. Many of the entry level road bikes from the 70s thru mid-80s had a good bit of tire clearance.

Ideally you want 4-5mm of clearance on all sides of the tire, but depending on where and how you ride, you could get away with less.
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Old 06-18-19, 07:21 AM
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Originally Posted by FiftySix
Also, if you have rim brakes see how far apart the brake pads spread to pass a mounted tire through.

Some rim brakes don't spread as far apart as others.
And if your rim brakes don't open wide enough you'll have to deflate the tire every time you want to take it off. It's a real pain in the rumpus.
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Old 06-18-19, 08:02 AM
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
Are we talking about an '85 Fuji Allegro?
If so, then probably 32mm(1 1/4) wide is the most if you have the stock 27" wheels. Thats a common 27" size, the only larger size I know of for 27" is this 1 3/8" size SwiftTire 27? x 1 3/8? Tan Tire ? Made by Panaracer (Plenty Back in Stock) ? SWIFTTIRE.
If you have changed the wheels to 700c, then that gives you more room for tires since 700c is a bit smaller than 27". You could fit a 35mm tire in there most likely. Many of the entry level road bikes from the 70s thru mid-80s had a good bit of tire clearance.

Ideally you want 4-5mm of clearance on all sides of the tire, but depending on where and how you ride, you could get away with less.
Thanks for the reply. It's not the Allegro. I have 27x1-1/4. Pretty happy with them. I want to squeeze bigger tiers onto my State 4130 which has 700cx23 tires on it. I want something meatier on it for bunny hops.
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Old 06-20-19, 01:53 AM
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Originally Posted by 85allegro
Thanks for the reply. It's not the Allegro. I have 27x1-1/4. Pretty happy with them. I want to squeeze bigger tiers onto my State 4130 which has 700cx23 tires on it. I want something meatier on it for bunny hops.
State 4130

25mm for sure. You may be able to go 28 but that will be tight. Youll have to flip the brakes open for sure.

With the 28 youll probably have to deflate the tire to fit it in there.

What are you bunny hopping? Not sure you need wider tires for that. A 25mm will smooth out the ride just a hair. If you dont weigh a whole lot you could probably run slightly lower pressures in a 25mm tire.
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Old 06-20-19, 05:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Wilmingtech
State 4130

25mm for sure. You may be able to go 28 but that will be tight. Youll have to flip the brakes open for sure.

With the 28 youll probably have to deflate the tire to fit it in there.

What are you bunny hopping? Not sure you need wider tires for that. A 25mm will smooth out the ride just a hair. If you dont weigh a whole lot you could probably run slightly lower pressures in a 25mm tire.
Just makes for a rough landing with the 23s. I contacted state and they said they recommend no more than 28s. But maybe it can get bigger. The 27x1-1/4 are awesome.
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