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Max tire width

Old 02-20-22, 10:02 PM
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hbsyncro
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Max tire width

I need new tires and I want to get a set of Conti GP 5000 28s and I am pretty sure they will fit in my 91 Basso Paris Roubaix, but I thought I would ask here first. What is the widest tire people have fit into their vintage frames?

The Basso has Mavic Open 4 CDs and I currently have a Conti Gatorskin 25 on there no problem. It measures 23.8 on that wheel. I have 28 Gator Hardshells on another more modern bike and they measure 27.2. Seems like the 28s would fit on the Basso. I guess I could put the 28 on the Mavic wheel and see, but I am too lazy. Plus I need to ride that bike in the morning and I am over wrenching for the day. Also I am not sure if the GP 5000 have a different profile than the gator. Frame measures 32.9 at the narrowest part of the chain stay. What do ya think?
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Old 02-20-22, 10:16 PM
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You should be OK, but it's getting tight between the chain stays. Rim won't be a problem though.
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Old 02-21-22, 12:56 PM
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Originally Posted by hbsyncro
I need new tires and I want to get a set of Conti GP 5000 28s and I am pretty sure they will fit in my 91 Basso Paris Roubaix, but I thought I would ask here first. What is the widest tire people have fit into their vintage frames?

The Basso has Mavic Open 4 CDs and I currently have a Conti Gatorskin 25 on there no problem. It measures 23.8 on that wheel. I have 28 Gator Hardshells on another more modern bike and they measure 27.2. Seems like the 28s would fit on the Basso. I guess I could put the 28 on the Mavic wheel and see, but I am too lazy. Plus I need to ride that bike in the morning and I am over wrenching for the day. Also I am not sure if the GP 5000 have a different profile than the gator. Frame measures 32.9 at the narrowest part of the chain stay. What do ya think?
it will vary widely depending on the specific frame. FWIW my gp 5000 28 measure out at 28 on mavic open pro rims and fit my 85 team miyata easily (do have to deflate to get by brakes)
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Old 02-21-22, 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by squirtdad
it will vary widely depending on the specific frame. FWIW my gp 5000 28 measure out at 28 on mavic open pro rims and fit my 85 team miyata easily (do have to deflate to get by brakes)
Ok thanks for the measurement. I think I am going to go for it and figured I might have to deflate to bypass pads.
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Old 02-21-22, 09:28 PM
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I ran into this issue, or nearly did, when I put some 25mm Continental tires onto one bike with tight clearances. The issue was the vertical clearance, not width.
It seems obvious now that a frame that uses short reach brakes, where the brake pads are at the top of the slot, would be pretty limiting. I hadn't really noticed those details until I installed the tires and saw this:



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Old 02-21-22, 10:31 PM
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The widest tires I've put on my 1980s and '90s bikes are 700x25 Continental Ultra Sport II and GP Classics. No problems with the frames (chainstays or forks).

However the GP Classics have a raised center tread rib that can scrape the bottom of the rear brake bridge on some brakes, including the Suntour GPX on my Centurion Ironman. However other brakes might clear the tires -- I have some spare Shimano 600, 105 and other brakesets that I've intended to try on the Ironman to see if they offer more clearance. Or I could take a moto tool grinder to the rear brake bridge to clear a bit of space, but I'm reluctant to compromise the strength of my stoppers on an experiment.

I resolved that problem by first riding the GP Classic on another bike to wear down the raised rib just a bit, then installing it on the Ironman. But The Soma Supple Vitesse fit perfectly and are even plusher than the GP Classics, although not as puncture resistant.

Other than those minor quibbles, the GP Classics are my favorite road bike tires, a terrific value and compromise between low rolling resistance, durability and puncture resistance. I've babbled so much about them at least one local friend has switched to them from Conti GP5000 and Gatorsludge.

The Soma Supple Vitesse were an outstanding bargain when I bought 'em on steep discount closeouts last year, but availability varies. They're remarkably durable for a lightweight racing quality tire. I put 'em on my lightest carbon fiber bike for days when I feel like tackling Strava PRs or climbing sessions. I think I paid only $15 each, an incredible value.

While the Conti Ultra Sport II do fit and are durable with reasonably low rolling resistance and fair price, they are ridiculously difficult to install. I cannot recommend them unless you're willing to carry a Kool Stop bead jack or similar doodad to help install the tires in the field after a puncture. The bead to rim fit is much tighter than most people can manage with bare hands, unless they have massive vise grip mitts like my cousin the welder. In my 60s with arthritis, osteopenia and deteriorating thumb and wrist joints, my days of wrasslin' tires are over. But I do still use Conti Ultra Sport II tires on the rear wheel for indoor trainer sessions.
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Old 02-22-22, 02:07 AM
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Originally Posted by canklecat
The widest tires I've put on my 1980s and '90s bikes are 700x25 Continental Ultra Sport II and GP Classics. No problems with the frames (chainstays or forks).
My circa-1990 Cinelli "Mens Sana" is happy with 700x28 Gravelkings.

The bike isn't with me now, so I can't remind myself of just what it looks like. But I think I remember that it looks as if it would take 32 mm. But even if it does, I'm in no hurry to try. When contemplating the maximum size of tyre that will fit, one should ask oneself what will happen if a spoke breaks (let alone two spokes) while on a ride. Does one carry spare spokes and recall what to do with them? If not, how badly is the rim likely to deflect, and will the wheel still be capable of turning freely?
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Old 03-01-22, 09:45 PM
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So I got a great deal on a pair of 28mm Conti GP5000s with cream side walls. I put them on the Mavic Open 4CDs and they fit on my Basso frame no problem. The tires mic out at 25.5 on those rims. The 25 Gator was about 1.5 mm less than advertised and the 28 GP5000 is 2.5 mm less. Plenty of room all around, but I did have to deflate to fit between the brake pads even with them flipped open. Any idea why the tires are so much narrower than 28 mm when mounted? Rim width?
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Old 03-01-22, 10:52 PM
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~ 90 psi ?
Break in?

The GP5000's are much, much nicer in my experience than Gatorskins.
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Old 03-01-22, 11:26 PM
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Originally Posted by cyclic_eric
~ 90 psi ?
Break in?

The GP5000's are much, much nicer in my experience than Gatorskins.
80 psi and I haven't ridden them yet. These are probably the best tires I have ever had. We will see.
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Old 03-02-22, 02:10 AM
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Originally Posted by hbsyncro
So I got a great deal on a pair of 28mm Conti GP5000s with cream side walls. I put them on the Mavic Open 4CDs and they fit on my Basso frame no problem. The tires mic out at 25.5 on those rims. The 25 Gator was about 1.5 mm less than advertised and the 28 GP5000 is 2.5 mm less. Plenty of room all around, but I did have to deflate to fit between the brake pads even with them flipped open. Any idea why the tires are so much narrower than 28 mm when mounted? Rim width?
gp4k used to run oversize
on my 19mm internal rims, a 25mm GP4k would be 27mm
now, a '28mm' gp5k is the same, 27mm

tyre companies in collusion with cycling journalists pushed a wider size tyre for road cyclists, but actually, it's the same size tyre, just with a different name. It's all marketing. This has been going on for decades. If you dig out your old 23s and 21s you will find they are also 27mm
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Old 03-02-22, 11:27 AM
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In my experience, most race bikes before the mid 90s will fit 28s ok. It wasn't until the mid-to-late 90s when everything got super tight clearanced.
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