700c tire upgrades?

cp241
cp241 Posts: 6
in MTB beginners
My bike has 700c tires. They work and ride great, but on the roads near my house are frequently soft sugar sand and these tires being super narrow get downright scary when I hit a soft patch. I'd like to upgrade the tires with something a good bit wider and with more aggressive tread, since I seldom ride on anything paved. Is there something nice and fat I can upgrade to (29er tires?) Or would I have to change wheels too?

I dont want to change my "dual sport" bike for a straight up mountain bike, I really like my bike. I just would like a bit more flotation, grip, and cushion

Comments

  • singleton
    singleton Posts: 2,498
    The width of tyre you can fit will depend on how much clearance you have in the frame - will a wider tyre fit in and turn or will it get stuck?

    As there are a lot of gravel type bikes around, you can get a lot of tyres that give a good rolling speed on road but still have some decent capability for sand, gravel, tracks etc.

    Check your frame clearance and then search for some gravel tyres - things like Panaracer gravel king, Schwalbe G-One etc.
  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,446
    This will help you decide what width of tyre will fit your wheel rim. And don't forget @singelton's advice above.

    https://www.wtb.com/pages/tire-rim-fit-chart
  • cp241
    cp241 Posts: 6
    Thank you.

    It has 700x40 on it now and there is a TON Of clearance. Easily an inch on each side of the tire, so there is plenty of room to work with there. I see the markings on the rim also, 700cx28/38c ETRTO 622x20 and having a bit of trouble correlating that to the chart
  • N0bodyOfTheGoat
    N0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 5,845
    I think the very general rule is make sure there is 6mm+ clearance around the fitted tyre.

    It sounds like you might be able to fit 2.35" tyres.

    A G-One variant would be my suggestion, my 2.35" Speeds are great all-rounders in dry conditions, but I don't recall riding over any significant stretches of sand with them over the last few summers.

    "Allround" might be better, here's the Schwalbe blurb and their suggested version for different conditions...
    https://www.schwalbe.com/en/tour-reader/schwalbe-g-one-allround
    ================
    2020 Voodoo Marasa
    2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
    2016 Voodoo Wazoo
  • cp241
    cp241 Posts: 6
    Thank you for the response.

    Will a "29er" tire fit a 700c wheel? Or do I need a 700c tire? I've read both that they will and they wont fit. Lot more selection in 29 tires
  • singleton
    singleton Posts: 2,498
    edited June 2020
    29er and 700c wheels are the same diameter - 622mm
    However, they are often not the same width - with 29er wheels often being wider to accommodate a wider tyre.
    So are they the same size? Yes and no are valid answers.
    Steve above included a link to a chart on tyre / rim compatibility. If yours is a 20mm internal width rim (as it appears from the ETRTO 622x20 sizing) then according to that chart, you can fit up to a 62mm wide tyre - or 29er x 2.44".
  • cp241
    cp241 Posts: 6
    Thank you very much, that is extremely helpful! I really appreciate it!

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