Would you take this road bike "off-road"?

luv2ride

Hi. Just picked this up 2nd hand for my 15yr old son (not bad for £320?!). Son now says he wouldn't mind mixing up routes with some bridle ways, etc.



Rather than trying to hunt down a proper 'crosser, Im tempted to put some knobblies on as the frame has big tyre clearances, with its long drop brakes and mudguard fixings. That mahoosive head tube would also keep the front wheel tracking well I'd imagine. Would only be occasional dry, dusty trails, but would you risk it if bigger volume tyres would fit?

bob6397

I would want at least 28mm (28c) tyres before I even looked at anything not tarmacked on that.. But in theory it should work if the tyres will fit..

bobmcstuff

bob6397 wrote:

I would want at least 28mm (28c) tyres before I even looked at anything not tarmacked on that.. But in theory it should work if the tyres will fit..

Really? It'll be fine for short cut-throughs and stuff. Road bikes can take more than you think. I've taken my Defy (25c GP4seasons) down rocky bridlepaths up to 2km several times with no issues (originally as a means to make a nice loop avoiding doing the same bit of road twice, but it was actually quite fun so I've done that loop a few times since). The main likely issue is pinch flatting, but if your tyres are at the correct pressure to begin with it shouldn't be an issue.

I have to say I'd prefer a cross bike or something better suited if I was planning to do a lot of that, but for occasional gravel paths or even bridleways you'll be fine.

bob6397

Yeah, coming from a mtb and therefore inevitably comparing it to one means that I struggle with narrow tyres off road - I love the lower pressure grip on a mtb and the way that you can go through rocky sections (or pebbly sections) without having the tyres bouncing off everything left right and centre..

It's about comparisons.. If you are used to a road bike and only a road bike then you will probably be fine.. but if you have a mtb or have ridden one recently then the comparison will not be favourable without decent sized tyres on there..

luv2ride

Thanks all. I have some spare 32mm tyres so may give those a try. I just wasn't sure whether proper cross and gravel frames and forks tended to be "overbuilt" to cope with the rough stuff, but this will only be occasional off piste use.

iron-clover

Yes, it should be fine to take on good quality bridlepaths- the bikes themselves are actually much better at coping than we often give them credit for- but the rider might struggle unless they have really good off-roading skills.

I have "25"mm Michelin Pro 4 endurance tyres on my road bike for general miles, and they come up to 27mm on my shimano R500 wheels- if you go for their 28mm version you'll probably be closer to 30mm which would do quite well. I've taken my 25mm over a fair bit of gravel and grime recently and they've coped fairly well- a little sketchy but not unmanageable.

mpie

As others have said - should be OK as long as it's not too steep or muddy. I take my ordinary road bikes with 23 or 25mm types on odd bit of bridleway and it's fine.

One other point: Have you got the speed sensor on the front fork the wrong way round? I've always assumes that having it pointing back means that if it gets knocked towards the spokes (branch on bridleway), they'll pull it further into the wheel and probably jam it. If it points forward then they tend push it out - a noisy but safe option.