Are 32mm tires good enough for light gravel/ adventure riding?

h.m.s.salty

So I've decided on my frame (sort of), hopefully it's going to be the Fairlight Cycles Strael, but it all depends on this simple question:
-Is a 32mm tire good enough/ wide enough for riding on light gravel/ adventure riding when I want to go off the beaten path on my rides?

I ask this from a bikepacking point of view as I'll be cycling from Rome to Barcelona later this year and this bike I'm building up will be the bike that I'll be using on mainly roads; but if there's a small track that looks like a nice detour, that I'll be able to go down it too.

The maximum tire size the Fairlight Cycles Strael can take is 32mm so that's why I ask. If the answer to my original question is no then I'll only have to switch to buying the Fairlight Cycles Faran but I particularly love the Strael for it's 1:1 sizing of my current road bike.

Thank you in advance for your answers

meanredspider

Yes - 32 is fine. You might need to be careful on potholes and the like if you are running tubes.

tomisitt

32mm is more than adequate. I do a fair amount of gravel-grinding on 25mm Conti 4000s. Perfectly manageable as long as it's not too wet.

https://flic.kr/p/V8fLim

kajjal

I ride more off road than on road and use tracer pro tyres which are 33mm. They grip well off road and are fine on road but if I was spending most of my time on road I would go for something like a Roubaix pro 30/32 as it provides better grip on road but still plenty of cushioning. I did a 50 mile mainly off road ride on Roubaix pro 30/32 tyres and it was fine except on steeper loose off road climbs which took a bit more effort to keep traction but not a big problem.

mrfpb

I do a 13 mile each way commute half on road, half forest rail/canal path. I use 25mm road tyres in summer, 28mm more grippy in winter. I slow down for the nastier uneven/loose surfaces, but punctures are no more an issue than on roads.

mrfpb

The road cc review says it only takes 30mm if using mudguards

http://road.cc/content/review/216171-fa ... les-strael

It looks fantastic, though.

bluemoon17

I do quite a lot of gravel/trail riding on my Genesis Zero with 25mm Contis- you'll be fine.

h.m.s.salty

mrfpb wrote:

The road cc review says it only takes 30mm if using mudguards

http://road.cc/content/review/216171-fa ... les-strael.

Yeah I was on the phone to a sales rep from Fairlight earlier today who said that the recommended tire size is 32mm but a knobbly 32mm still has plenty of space on both the fork and the rear triangle. Yeah just bought the frameset in Black with the blue highlights on the seat tube, gonna be a lush build in the end I think.

meanredspider wrote:

Yes - 32 is fine. You might need to be careful on potholes and the like if you are running tubes.

Yeah I've got a tubeless ready wheelset on my list of things to buy next so will be okay I think.

tomisitt wrote:

32mm is more than adequate. I do a fair amount of gravel-grinding on 25mm Conti 4000s. Perfectly manageable as long as it's not too wet.[/url]

Yeah I've done a touch of offroad on my current rim brake, relaxed geometry Felt Z85 on 25mm conti gatorskins/ Felt's own all weather tire, but it will be used for wet weather too I think.

Kajjal wrote:

...I would go for something like a Roubaix pro 30/32 as it provides better grip on road but still plenty of cushioning.

I'll have to give those a look then, been eyeing up the Schwalbe G-One tires too so I'll have to look into them both, cheers.

But thank you all for your input, I did end up buying the Strael so should be a fun build!

antonyfromoz

i have the Clement MSO Xplor tyres in 32mm and they have been really fine on both road trips and across bridle paths etc. I found their limits on a ride along the Ridgeway where the sticky mud and wet chalk combined to make my tyres into very heavy slicks but anything other than CX or MTB tyres would have been in the same situation. That bike looks like a beauty.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

If your tyre clearance is "real world" 32mm, don't buy 32mm Panaracer Gravelking SKs, they have been measured by some as "real world" ~35mm.;)

animal72

I've just spent a week riding off-road round Kielder, on varying surfaces, on 32mm Clement tyres.
Only problem (compare to my MTB) was the rear spinning on steep climbs. No flats, no cuts, all good.

meanredspider

My OEM Clements were good - right up until the bead ripped out. 5km walk ensued.

antsmithmk

Yes /end of thread