I’ve got an old Bianchi SX Sport from the 80s I’m using as a commuter bike. I recently moved from a concrete jungle to a rural area and probably need to get some new tires. Right now I’m riding on some slicks with pretty much no tread and am wanting to get some tires that will be better suited for light gravel and dirt roads. Current tires are 700x23. Will I need a new wheel to accommodate some thicker tires or can I get away with some all condition tires on gravel and dirt?
My general suggestion would be to fit whatever your stays/fork/brakes could accommodate. My guess is you could probably size up to 28mm no problem. Maybe 30.
Ok cool I didn’t want to have to shell out for new rims if I could fit some fatter tires on the ones I currently have. Appreciate the advice
I doubt rims will be the limiting factor there. You could also look at picking up a used hardtail MTB for cheap (maybe $100-200) and put much wider tires on.
I thought about that but the longest stretch of non paved roads I’d be riding is like a 6 mile stretch of a multi use path between my town and the next town over. Pretty much everywhere else is paved so I don’t think I’d need fat mtb tires.
Road tires are much wider than they used to be. Professional road racers are running 28mm or even 30mm tires for lower suspension losses and reduced fatigue. The days of high pressure, thin tires are over. Absolutely go with the largest size tire that fits in your frame. You’ll be more comfortable and have better traction on dirt surfaces.
You’ll probably not be able to fit them, but IMHO, ~40mm tires are the sweet spot for commuting. They’re wide enough to tackle just about any dirt/gravel path but not so bulky as to make it feel like you’re spinning a tractor. 584-700 x 40 widely available with many models aiming for that commute / touring crowd with features like puncture resistance and aggressive tread only along the edge of the tire.
Try it with your tires and see what you think would be my suggestion then, 6 miles of dirt or gravel on a road bike might be rough but it could be doable depending on conditions and how they made the trail.
You should be able to fit wider tires without getting new wheels. I’m not sure how wide your rim is but you can fit much wider tires than 23mm for sure.
Cool I appreciate the info. I don’t see any width indication on the rim, but knowing I can move up in tire width a bit is good to know. I’m sure the tech at my bike shop can figure how wide a tire I can fit on there.
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