Road bike on gravel

johngti
johngti Posts: 2,508
in Road buying advice
So I sold my btwin MTB because I didn’t see the point of using it just for gravel riding. I have a Giant Contend disk that is perfectly fine for gentle tarmac based rides with my son but we have a heath nearby that I’d still like to ride on. I know I could just use the wheels and tyres I have but I’d rather explore the option of using the proceeds from the MTB to get a spare set of wheels and tyres that would be more suited to the odd bit of off-road riding than the continental gp5000tls I currently use as I’d rather keep them for road use.

So what tyres would be best? I’ll take a picture of the clearances on the frame and fork when I get home shortly. Currently on 28mm tyres as that may help but has anyone done anything similar?

Comments

  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    How gravelly is it ? I know I've done stretches on 25mm GP4000s.

    It's not ideal but fine for infrequent shortish stretches.

    If you're just riding round the heath with your young son you might just be fine on your 28mm tyres. If it is gravel you ride on you'd need more space to allow the gravel to get round.
  • johngti
    johngti Posts: 2,508
    Think it’s going to be a problem. Pics below. First couple are the fork crown distance and width and the last couple are the space in the seat and chain stays. Looks like I could just squeeze a 32mm slick in there.






    I did think about getting some 650b wheels and tyres but I’m not even sure they’d fit.
  • johngti
    johngti Posts: 2,508
    fenix said:

    How gravelly is it ? I know I've done stretches on 25mm GP4000s.

    It's not ideal but fine for infrequent shortish stretches.

    If you're just riding round the heath with your young son you might just be fine on your 28mm tyres. If it is gravel you ride on you'd need more space to allow the gravel to get round.

    Pretty gravelly and flinty too so lower pressures are a good idea. Not sure I’d want to risk the contis. Other solutions may be necessary - might at least get a semi decent MTB out of it I guess.
  • Cargobike
    Cargobike Posts: 748
    I ride all manner of terrain on 32c Conti GP5000's.
    They aren't anywhere near perfect apart from on smooth tarmac, but they still do the job if the terrain is dry and mud-free. I just see it as another test of my bike handling skills. You only learn the limits by pushing the boundaries.
  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    Schwalbe CX Pro 30s wouldn't add much volume or height but would give you some more grip. Not a lot of room there.
  • johngti
    johngti Posts: 2,508
    me-109 said:

    Schwalbe CX Pro 30s wouldn't add much volume or height but would give you some more grip. Not a lot of room there.

    Now they could work...

    Thanks!

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