Tire Clearance on a Dura-Ace Brake

[Roadie_scum]

I have a Spec Tarmac E5 that has a small indent in it, but doesn't look like it is going to catastrophically fail anytime soon. I want to retire it from racing, but I was wondering about turning it into a training bike with fire road capability. I can actually ride fire roads with 23mm tires if they aren't too rocky, but I was wondering if any manufacturers make a small enough treaded, cyclocross style tire that I might be able to slide in there. I would anticipate riding dusty roads, not mud, so as long as the tire fits, mud clearance shouldn't be an issue.

 

[landotter]

On Sep 3, 11:44 pm, Roadie_scum <Roadie_scum.2wd...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
> I have a Spec Tarmac E5 that has a small indent in it, but doesn't look
> like it is going to catastrophically fail anytime soon. I want to
> retire it from racing, but I was wondering about turning it into a
> training bike with fire road capability. I can actually ride fire roads
> with 23mm tires if they aren't too rocky, but I was wondering if any
> manufacturers make a small enough treaded, cyclocross style tire that I
> might be able to slide in there. I would anticipate riding dusty roads,
> not mud, so as long as the tire fits, mud clearance shouldn't be an
> issue.
>

I don't think there's anything common in xcross tires that's less than
around 30mm. If it's just dusty stuff, ya can just use some general
use tires. I do fire roads around here on 30mm IRC Tandems, and would
also consider 28mm Paselas to be a good choice for smooth non-paved
surfaces.

23mm is a bit nuts, how much room ya got to play with?

 

[Daniel]

I frequently ride fire roads on 23mm GP4000's. I have even done a
couple of races that included some dirt sections...I have had no
problems with traction or handling. Maybe just for peace of mind you
could throw a Mr. Tuffy in the tires to be super safe...

 

[Roadie_scum]

I frequently ride fire roads on 23mm GP4000's. I have even done a
couple of races that included some dirt sections...I have had no
problems with traction or handling. Maybe just for peace of mind you
could throw a Mr. Tuffy in the tires to be super safe...

Ya, I do that too. The point is, if I have a dedicated bike I can 'increase its range' if I have a bigger tire. It will improve my ability to actually put the power down on rougher fire roads. I'm just wondering how big I can go.

 

[landotter]

On Sep 4, 11:13 am, Roadie_scum <Roadie_scum.2we...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
> Daniel Wrote:
>
> > I frequently ride fire roads on 23mm GP4000's. I have even done a
> > couple of races that included some dirt sections...I have had no
> > problems with traction or handling. Maybe just for peace of mind you
> > could throw a Mr. Tuffy in the tires to be super safe...
>
> Ya, I do that too. The point is, if I have a dedicated bike I can
> 'increase its range' if I have a bigger tire. It will improve my
> ability to actually put the power down on rougher fire roads. I'm just
> wondering how big I can go.

As big as you can squeeze in there. On most road bikes, that's
something like a 26mm tire tops. The bike's in front of you--measure
it. D'oh!

 

[Hank Wirtz]

On Sep 3, 9:44 pm, Roadie_scum <Roadie_scum.2wd...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
> I have a Spec Tarmac E5 that has a small indent in it, but doesn't look
> like it is going to catastrophically fail anytime soon.

That's a carbon frame, right? The problem with damaged carbon is that
it gives no warning before catastrophic failure. See the thread about
the shattered CF Scott.

If it were my bike, I'd look into crash replacement discounts or SOME
sort of new frame. A carbon frame ain't cheap, but an expensive one is
less than the cheapest hospital stay.

 

[Nate Knutson]

On Sep 4, 9:40 am, Hank Wirtz <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sep 3, 9:44 pm, Roadie_scum <Roadie_scum.2wd...@no-
>
> mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
> > I have a Spec Tarmac E5 that has a small indent in it, but doesn't look
> > like it is going to catastrophically fail anytime soon.
>
> That's a carbon frame, right? The problem with damaged carbon is that
> it gives no warning before catastrophic failure. See the thread about
> the shattered CF Scott.
>
> If it were my bike, I'd look into crash replacement discounts or SOME
> sort of new frame. A carbon frame ain't cheap, but an expensive one is
> less than the cheapest hospital stay.

also might look at calfee's repair service.

 

[Roadie_scum]

On Sep 3, 9:44 pm, Roadie_scum <Roadie_scum.2wd...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
> I have a Spec Tarmac E5 that has a small indent in it, but doesn't look
> like it is going to catastrophically fail anytime soon.

That's a carbon frame, right? The problem with damaged carbon is that
it gives no warning before catastrophic failure. See the thread about
the shattered CF Scott.

If it were my bike, I'd look into crash replacement discounts or SOME
sort of new frame. A carbon frame ain't cheap, but an expensive one is
less than the cheapest hospital stay.

Half carbon/half alloy. The dent is in the alloy. I agree with you about carbon.

 

[Roadie_scum]

As big as you can squeeze in there. On most road bikes, that's something like a 26mm tire tops.

Thanks, that's what I was looking for.

The bike's in front of you--measure it. D'oh!

I'm travelling, don't have a measuring tape. Cheers for the answer above.

 

[zencycle]

On Sep 4, 12:44 am, Roadie_scum <Roadie_scum.2wd...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
> I have a Spec Tarmac E5 that has a small indent in it, but doesn't look
> like it is going to catastrophically fail anytime soon. I want to
> retire it from racing, but I was wondering about turning it into a
> training bike with fire road capability.


The best thing to do is go to a 'cross race and ask a few people if
you can see if their wheels will fit into your bike. Pick a dry race
or everyone will be running their 38s. Other than that, just pick a
nice heavy 23c tire and use thick tubes.

As you probably already know, you can buy tires that say they're 25c
and are actually quite a bit wider/narrower. I have a set of
Vredestein Campo 'cross tires in my basement that are advertised as
28c but are not much wider than the panaracer stradius 23s I ride on
every day. FWIW, I can't use the campos because there's another sizing
issue, they blow off my Mavic rims just below the max pressure rating.
They are the only tires that do that, I have bontrager Jones and
michelin muds that will stay on well past 100 PSI.

 

[Booker Bense]

In article <[email protected]>,
Roadie_scum <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>Ya, I do that too. The point is, if I have a dedicated bike I can
>'increase its range' if I have a bigger tire. It will improve my
>ability to actually put the power down on rougher fire roads. I'm just
>wondering how big I can go.
>

26mm if you don't want a pebble in the tread to jam the rear
wheel. Avocet Cross II's come in 28mm size which mount to a
26mm width on 15mm rims. They might just work for you.

_ Booker C. Bense

 

[Michael Press]

In article
<[email protected]>,
Roadie_scum
<[email protected]>
wrote:

> I have a Spec Tarmac E5 that has a small indent in it, but doesn't look
> like it is going to catastrophically fail anytime soon. I want to
> retire it from racing, but I was wondering about turning it into a
> training bike with fire road capability. I can actually ride fire roads
> with 23mm tires if they aren't too rocky, but I was wondering if any
> manufacturers make a small enough treaded, cyclocross style tire that I
> might be able to slide in there. I would anticipate riding dusty roads,
> not mud, so as long as the tire fits, mud clearance shouldn't be an
> issue.

Just ride your 23's. If they are unworkable you will
know eventually. I ride 25's, nominal and actual. First
think when I get off the pavement I think that they are
too skinny and high pressure. Then quickly I am riding
along perfectly at ease.

--
Michael Press