Would 700x28 tires fit on a road bike - CAAD9? Interested in trying Cyclocross. If not, has anyone tried a cyclocross race on a road bike? Thanks
a 28 might clear a road frame, but most will not clear the calipers. You “could” finish a CX race on a road bike, but it would have to be a very tame course and you’ve be all over the place. The good news about cx bikes is that they are pretty cheap. Get something with 105 or apex and race/ride the $hit out of it. Bonus points: Get a single speed cx like surly cross-check or masi cx/ss or the uber-cheap ($350 shipped!) one from bikesdirect.com, put some 40+ tires on there and go a rippin’. Single speeds are ideal for the winter. You get high cadence, low cadence-high torque AND it is fun.
what i’ve found is that the ‘height’ (not sure if that’s the right word) is a bigger obstacle than the width. i’ve had some luck running ‘low-profile’ cyclocross tyres on a road bike with road calipers, but it’s never perfect. i’ve currently got a bontrager jones XC on my singlespeed, and that’s a pure road frame, albeit and old steel one.
i think cross on a roadie would be pretty nasty, depending on the conditions. tyres are one thing, but gearing and braking would be another!
-mike
I am very interesting in getting into cyclocross, I’ve heard it’s a blast. I may look into getting a new front fork, as that seems to be where a 28 would be especially tight. Other than that, would I just need to get new brake calipers (Avid Shorty 4)? I realize I should probably search on this, likely discussed a great length, but you seem to have a good deal of experience. If not I may go the BD route. Don’t have a whole lot of extra $$$ right now. Thanks, really appreciate it - Dave
As a science project, the conversion route might be interesting, but chances are you will end up with a marginally functional machine and have almost spent the same amount for a good used CX bike. Look on Craigslist, it is pretty easy to get a good-enough cx bike for under $500 or go to bikesdirect and be done with it. Durability over weight/style. Bikes direct are not well known for their QC, but the single speed stuff is sorta idiot proof.
I will take a look at those Bontrager tires, they may do the trick. I was considering getting new brakes (shorty 4) but I never considered problems with gearing. Seems like I have some more research to do. Thanks - Dave
Good advice. I will do some searching around. Thanks - Dave
I ran a 28 on the rear on a Trek Madone 5.0 I didn’t notice it, but, when I brought it into the LBS for some work they told me that the tire had rubbed the chainstays quite a bit and it could have been a safety issue…maybe tryng to sell me a new bike, either way I run 25’s both front and back with out issue now.
Thanks, can you recommend some 25’s?
Not familiar with the CAAD9 but (slick) 28s fit fine on my older road bike. The clearance on the chain stays is fine for road use but wouldn’t allow for much mud. What is cyclocross without mud?
a 28 might clear a road frame, but most will not clear the calipers.
Probably depends on the tire. I have one wheel with 28 Conti 4-seasons and they fit my shimano 7900 brakes and frame (Parlee Z4) just fine.
Shorty 4 are canti brakes and won’t fit onto a regualer road frame/fork, they mount on the bike totally different.
Totally depends on the frame, dunno CAAD9s well enough to say for sure. I’ve seen some frames that are built w/ a little extra clearance in mind for Flanders-style all-rounder duty but still marketed as a “road” frame and not CX (main diff is canti studs or not, and maybe top tube cable routing). I’ve got an old road frame that I run a 25F/28R for riding forest service roads and it just barely clears OK, but that’s w/o knobbies and only dealing w/ gravel road grit rather than clingy mud. It wouldn’t fly for CX.
That is a good point. I was considering swapping out my front fork. Obviously the rear brake would be a issue.
Yea, thinking that the road to cyclocross conversion just won’t work. Currently looking for a good used bike/frame or I’ll see what’s available on BD. Thanks - Dave
Quick question, in general should I be looking for a cyclocross frame with basically the same dimensions as my road bike frame? Thanks - Dave
Question.
Are you allowed, say, to ride an old MTB in a low-category cyclocross race?
It strike me as perhaps being a better compromise than trying to squeeze a knobbly tyre or a 28 on a purely road frame - surely the mud would foul the stays, fork and brakes pretty quickly anyway?
Yes you can use a mtb, but can’t have barends. To the OP yes a CAAD 9 has a lot of clearance for a road bike 28mm tire will fit, but I’m talking road tires. Some 28 knobbies might not.
The bigger issue is mud, if its a muddy or wet race it’ll get cloggeg pretty quick, but I once did a CX race on a Caad9 with bigger tires.
Thanks, I appreciate the reply. I am currently looking to get some used 700x25 (found) and 28 (still looking) tires to try out for size. I understand that it may not be perfect (or work at all), but I figure it couldn’t hurt to explore it. - Dave
Crashed my Fuji road bike last weekend and had to replace the fork. Bought an Alpha Q CS-20 off of eBay. Nice fork, looks nice on the bike and fits great EXCEPT that the bridge is significantly lower than the original Fuji fork and now my 28c tires are rubbing on the underside of the fork. I have another set of wheels with 25c tires and they fit fine but I’d like to have the extra width of the 28s. Any recommendations for a low-profile 28c road tire or a 25c that runs a little wider? Thanks.