alpharalpha

I have a Trek Multitrack hybrid with 700x35 tires stock and that's the widest that'll fit on the rear due to kickstand bar clearance (I'd remove it but that crossbar looks structural?) so am thinking of putting the 700x38 in front. Is just for in town riding. Both tires are Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 348 not much surface thread to speak of. So would be a 35c in rear and 38c in front; any pros/cons of this setup?

datlas 

Should be fine.

Likely not much different from current setup. Why bother??

Troul 

other than additional weight, i dont see any harm it could cause.

Camilo

It might be a little more comfortable if you plan to run it at lower pressure because it's larger. If that's the case, before you do that, make sure you're not using too-high pressure in general, which a lot of people do.

Flip Flop Rider

I've got a size up on the front and it's good and stable. Better than the equivalent size

79pmooney

Yes, 38 in front and 35 in back will do nicely. I rode that combo for a 90 mile day - to a ride of a dozen of us, then 30 miles of gravel with several thousand feet of up and down, each hitting 17% and that "gravel" being 1-1/2 to 2" rocks on the steep stuff. Tires did better than I did going up and the bike simply ruled going down. I rode about 60 psi on the pavement and less than 30 on the gravel.

Gugie, Andy K and a few others here can vouch for that gravel and that my tires worked.

SkinGriz

20+ years ago it was common in my area to run BMX bikes with a 1.95 in front and a 1.75 or 1.5 in the rear.

Wider tire in front. The exact sizes may be fuzzy.

It’s your bike. It will do exactly what you imagine it would- little more traction, little more stability, little more bump absorbing, little more weight.

Let everyone know how you like it.

Thats one of the things I love about bikes is how everyone can make it their own.

bwilli88 

Better than smaller in front. I have done this often.

4130NewJersey

We always ran larger tires on the front when I raced BMX back in the day.....it helped keep the front end from washing out in turns and gave a little extra cushion when coming up short on a jump. I don't know if you'll feel much of a difference with just a 3mm increase in width, but it can't hurt.

BlazingPedals

It won't do anything bad WRT handling. Personally a 3mm difference at that size isn't worth the cost of buying a new tire. I suppose if your rear tire was worn out you could try replacing it with the 38mm - it might be exactly the same carcass. If it didn't work you could always swap it to the front.

Yes the stay bridge is stuctural.

alpharalpha

I already have the 38, tried to put it on rear but wouldn't clear the kickstand bar so put a 35 Schwalbe Marathon Plus in rear and still have the original Bontrager front tire; was thinking that I'd like to have Marathons on both tires and since I have that 38 just sitting around; would've preferred 38s on both but can see even with a 35 on rear there's not much clearance left (I think the Marathon's are taller than some others?)

Troul 

after the front 38 is worn a few hundred miles, it might clear in the rear.

SkinGriz

From this pic I can’t tell if it’s the chainstays or the kickstand bracket in the way.

If it’s that bracket, maybe see where it hits the bracket and kiss that spot with a flap disc on a 4.5” angle grinder until it just clears.

The dust is bad for all the other moving components. Tape them off or remove them or at least clean the bike extremely well afterwards.

alpharalpha

It's the kickstand bracket/plate; the 38 wedged into it pretty tight, I'd say it'd need to be shaved down to at least where the kickstand bolt is at; isn't that bracket structural?


(Is aluminum frame.)

icemilkcoffee 

Shave away! That plate looks like it's welded to the bottom of the chain stays. If it was structural, it would be welded to the midsection of the chainstays.

Bill in VA

From the photo, it looks like the rear section of the plate bends up. That would prevent twisting of the plate, as well as stiffening it due to the right angles part. Grinding that down for clearance may allow the kickstand to twist or loosen, and / or bend making the kickstand unreliable for its purpose, especially if you have any loaded items or bags..

thumpism 

I think the bent up part is probably a tab drilled for the forward mounting bolt for a rear fender. If you never intend to use a fender bolted there and you're not bothered by trimming the frame I'd bet the frame is strong enough to take it. I'd do it that were my goal, but I'd probably choose to live with the largest tire that currently fits without that mod.

alpharalpha

Yes, is for fender mount; and on bottom has grooves for the kickstand plate to slide into; just kept the 35 back there; is fine. The 38 up front is an improvement though. I like it.

Wildwood 

A lot of people prefer high tire pressure on most pavement surfaces.

Moisture

I like having wide rims in the front for better cornering stability. Can get away with something lighter and more narrow in the rear for better speed.

The width of the rim is what you should be considering here. I like wider tires, but I will go with whatever tire fits nice and tight around that rim.