I am trying to get a set of tires for my rigid 29er single speed I am building but am having trouble finding a set of tires to run on it. I am going to use it for mostly paved or gravel roads but would like something semi wide.
Can I mount a 700c x 38 or 42 on my 29er wheel set tubeless with no problems if both are able to be ran that way?
Are there any commuter 29er tires that I can run tubeless?
Also looking at Geax Evolution 29x2.1 tires as well.
Yes - no - maybe.
Depends on the width of your rim.
The Fit Question- Diameter: Okay, let’ get this cleared up right away. It is commonly thought that 29″er wheels are a different diameter than everything else out there. I suppose the moniker, “29″er” is to blame, but make no mistake, it is 700c. 700c, or ISO 622mm is the rim diameter for both 29″ers and road racing bikes. In fact, the ISO 622 is a very common rim diameter that is used on a wide spectrum of bicycles. The term- 29″er- refers to the total diameter of the tire and wheel together, with the rim size being ISO 622mm, or as it is commonly referred to as, 700c. Okay? That part is the simple part.
A wide 700c rim, like these 35mm wide Salsa Gordo rims, are not suited for road going rubber unless it is 50mm wide or wider.
The Fit Question- Rim Width: Now here is where things get a little dicey. To make it simple, you will need to match your tire width to your rim width after you determine that the diameters are compatible. So, what does that mean exactly? Let’s assume we are using only 700c/ISO 622 rims and tires to keep that part of the equation constant.
A typical road tire will measure around 23mm to 28mm wide. To support the tire properly, and to allow it to function in a way that is safe, the rim the tire is mounted to must be within a certain range. Too narrow and the tire will “roll” or squirm in corners, and too wide will cause the height of the casing to be to low in relatioship to the rim walls. This will encourage tire blow offs and more pinch flat problems, not to mention a higher likelyhood of rim damage. To properly support a tire in this width range, I would recommend any rim that was 19mm wide to no more than 24mm wide. Any wider and you will start to see a drastic increase in the problems I detailed above.
Some 29″er wheels have rims in this range. The Easton set, pictured above, has a 23.5mm wide rim, which should work fine with road tires in our 23mm to 28mm range. What about wider 29″er rims? Well, you would by necessity start to have to look at a wider tire.
A 24mm to 28mm wide rim, which covers a lot of 29″er rims, would probably work best with tires 30 to 35mm wide, the wider rims needing the wider tires in this range. Something on the order of the Gordo (pictured above) would require a much larger tire, say at least a 2.0 inch tire and on up.
I suppose some folks will say that these recommendations are too conservative, but in my mind, it is best to match proper components for the job at hand. (Of course, it could be said that running narrow tires on mountain bike rims is not matching up your components properly in the first place!) Putting a 25mm tire on a 28mm wide rim is not fitting that ideal in my mind, and I would not recommend doing that.
Conclusion: So, the answer to our question is a qualified “yes” with the qualification being that your diameters, while matching for rim and tire, are not the sole determination of whether certain combinations will work. Width of the tire and rim must match within a reasonable range also, or you will be inviting trouble.
The rims will be WTB Laserdisc trail rims. They look to be 27mm wide. They are set up with Stan’s strips.
so from your description if I were to be using something that is rather wide like a 700x38 I should be fine on a set of these rims?
Yes, no problems. I use a 29er rim, stans ztr 355 for my CX bike with a 35mm tire, and run it tubeless. Also the tire I use isn’t a tubeless tire. I tried a hutchinson but it was too tight, which I’ve heard is an issue with their tires and Stans rims.
I am trying to get a set of tires for my rigid 29er single speed I am building but am having trouble finding a set of tires to run on it. I am going to use it for mostly paved or gravel roads but would like something semi wide.
Can I mount a 700c x 38 or 42 on my 29er wheel set tubeless with no problems if both are able to be ran that way?
Are there any commuter 29er tires that I can run tubeless?
Also looking at Geax Evolution 29x2.1 tires as well.
So if I wanted to run the geax evolution which don’t say they are tubeless I could still do it, as long as I don’t run the pressure too high.
I can get a good set of those tires, any other commuting recommendation?
that depends on the rim. Stans rims are good with most tires, and they have a list of what do not work well with their rims. I don’t know enough about the other tubeless rim brands to say you can get away with that.
If your commuting why tubeless? Pinch flat protection? The real advantage to tubeless is weight, and lower pressures. I’m able to run my 29er with tubes down to 23psi with no pinch flat issues, so I’d think you could probably get away with something a little higher on a narrower tire and have no problems.