BMC tyre clearance

rich164h

Hi,
Is there someone out there with a BMC Streetfire who can tell me whether 25mm tyres fit ok? The clearance to the frame looks very tight indeed at the rear and I don't want to pay out for some tyres that I subsequently can't fit onto the bike!

The Roadracer and Streetracer models appear to have the same rear (and possibly overall) geometry so owners of those would be good to hear from as well.

Thanks,

Rich

CiB

Can't help as I've never thought of fitting anything other than 23s, but the SLX01 clearance is so small as to suggest it wouldn't fit on there. Any reason why you want to though? It's a very comfortable ride as it stands and putting bigger tyres doesn't offer much surely?

Evans are the sole importers of BMC stuff (or were). I'd suggest asking them - it's likely they've heard it before and may well have tried it.

rich164h

Thats what i thought. Thanks.

I was only really thinking about is because the roads are so cut up and mud covered where I am, that I thought that running a slightly lower pressure and a larger contact patch might give me a bit more grip. Yesterday was pretty hairy in places! I've been happy with 23s for the past 4 years so its not a comfort thing that's making me think about swapping. I'm perfectly happy on that front even though the streetfire is aluminium unlike the slx01. I'm sure that would be a lovely ride.

djm501

I've got a BMC streetracer. It won't fit 25c tyres, sorry, if yours is the same then that's it.
It's about as tight a clearance as there is I think. I just fitted crudracer mudguards and it very nearly didn't work - I had to chop a large chunk off the rear guard to get it on and they claim to fit just about any bike.

djm501

Think about gettin Conti GP 4 season tyres if you're worried about punctures and grip - they've made mine a much 'safer' ride, even at 23C

rich164h

djm501 wrote:

I've got a BMC streetracer. It won't fit 25c tyres, sorry, if yours is the same then that's it.
It's about as tight a clearance as there is I think. I just fitted crudracer mudguards and it very nearly didn't work - I had to chop a large chunk off the rear guard to get it on and they claim to fit just about any bike.

Thanks. my next question was going to be about mudguards so you've answered that one as well. I wasn't desperate for them though as I don't do group rides, bu I guess if they can be fitted with a bit of modification it's useful to know.

rich164h

djm501 wrote:

Think about gettin Conti GP 4 season tyres if you're worried about punctures and grip - they've made mine a much 'safer' ride, even at 23C

Compared to what though? I'm not sure I see how they could offer more grip than my current PR3s given that they would be the same size and at the same pressure. Surely it only comes down to the softness/stickiness of the rubber doesn't it? It's not as if I need the tyres to key into the surface like MTB tyres do.

They would give more puncture protection but I'm not worried about that to be honest. Without wishing to antagonise the puncture fairy, I've gone through two sets of PR3 over 4000 miles and I've only had one puncture. Having to spend 10 mins fixing one every now and again really isn't a problem vs the extra performance that they give.

djm501

Well that was just a suggestion - YMMV :-)

Crudracers mark II guards do go on - if you look at the video tutorials on their website you'll see that there is a section on trimming the rear guard with a hacksaw just beyond the zip tie loop if clearance is to tight and that's what I had to to. I didn't use a hacksaw though - I just used scissors (a good pair). You don't get the bit of the rear guard that protects the seattube and chainset then though.
I have raceblades on another bike - they would probably work fine - not as much coverage as the crudguards though.

rich164h

Excellent, thank you very much 8)

philbar72

yep, stick to gp4 seasons or 4000s in 23mm. best you can do!