Am I stuck with my narrow mudguards and 700x23s forever?

London_commuter

Hi all,

I would be grateful for your thoughts as I have 2 questions.

I have a Spec. Sirrus pro which I love but find the riding on 23cm tyres quite an uncomfortable experience. Furthermore, I found another bike left leaning on mine whilst it was in the rack which I presume left my rims out of true since the 700x23s have hardly any meat on the sidewalls to protect rim. I am considering going a little thicker on the tyres but I am challenged.

I made the mistake of buying full SKS Narrow Guards (P35) Mudguards to fit the 700x23s. I feel that I am now stuck with the 700x23s as I am not sure if the mudguards would take anything thicker than 700x23s.

My question is:

1) With the narrow mudguards on, what would be the thickest tyre I can take? Should I ditch the mudguards?
2) Can my Specialized Sirrus, without mudguards, take tyres 700x28 and above?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

PS: I am assuming it was the other bike that caused the rim to give in because the Ritchley rims that come with Spec Sirrus seem quite robust. At least that's what I heard. Has anyone had any problems with these rims. For London commuting where the roads are just awful, would you agree that 700x23s are just too ambitious?

SEAcarlessTTLE

Not sure about frame/brake clearance on your bike, but Harris Cyclery's site says the P35's are good for tires up to 25 mm.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/fenders.html

blorg

I have a Sirrus (Elite, don't know if it's the same frame) which currently has 700x28s on and looks like it could even go a bit bigger. I have clip on plastic mudguards with them which are OK but don't give 100% protection on bad days.