I have an old Specialized with 105 components that I want to ride on a crushed limestone path. I think I would need to get some pretty meaty cyclocross tires for it but am wondering if I’ll have clearance problems with the fork & brakes. The path is fairly packed down but not suitable for a skinny road tire. If anyone has any experience doing this I would appreciate your input.
Thanks
I raced a few cross races on a road bike with cross tires. Can’t help with the clearance issues. But you can get cross tires in as low as 28mm, or as big as 38. If you don’t need the big tread there are a number of town and country tires in the 25-30mm range that would probably be ok too.
I would check out Nashbar or a LBS for what is in stock. If you are running 23mm tires with tons of room you are probably good to go. Carbon forks ar usually a tad tight for bigger tires. If you have an old steel fork, that is probably a good thing too. G
YES! I did the same thing with an old Trek! It works beautifully. I can’t believe that I didn’t do something like this sooner!
Vredestein makes a great cyclo tire with good tread and 28mm width. That is about as wide as you would want to go. (It’s green.)
Last year, I put on a set on Continental Gatorskins and rode a lot of dirt roads, including some big hills, rocks, “no winter maint.” roads, etc. No problems whatsoever. Those should be fine on crushed limestone. They go up to 25mm.
If you get serious about this, you may want to put a granny gear on the back so you can climb some big hills. The biggest risk is that this will become your favorite way to ride!
Ray
Did it to my old Fuji commuter bike, what fun! I think my tires are 28’s on a steel fork.
Sure you can! If you ride on that path, the clearance issues (mud and crap in the brakes and chainstays) shouldn’t be a problem unless it rains or snows a bit. I rode a road frame as my spare bike when I raced 'cross a few years ago, I just put some Michelin 'Cross tires (700x28) and some bar ends, I was good to go. The other possible clearance issue with tires too fat, was addressed by the small size (relatively) of the michelins. I rode a Cannondale, so the clearance issue of a fat tire was a significant obstacle. If I went to a 700x32 it never would have worked. The mud in the brakes, fork and chainstays at the BB was an issue in the muddiest of conditions (hence the spare bike so someone can clean the other while you can continue racing), but that was an issue infrequently enough that some race directors would spray water on select parts of the course just to mud it up. I hope there won’t be someone out there spraying water on your path just to spice things up. STI levers should be fine, unless you wreck alot (which I did). They don’t seem to take the beating very well. If you are planning on keeping the rubber side down (which I expect you do), no worries! Have fun!
Second the Ultragatorskins. I have some 25s on my fixie, which is my workhorse for commuting/ buzzing around town. I can run these on paths, and as long as I don’t go into any ruts, I’m fine. Only punctures I have had are from broken glass. (twice in 8 months riding it without a care- that’s what it’s for.) It is a steel framed bike though, and I wonder how compliant an Alu bike would be. ( I know an alu bike can be comfy- I have a Dual on order- but they have a tendency not to be)
Thanks for the advice everyone. I went to my LBS and got some gatorskins, the clearance is good so as soon as the 8 inches of snow melts off I go.