# touring/gravel grinder wheels?



## josephr

Just curious --- Do you use the same wheeelset for on-road touring as you do for off-road touring? Maybe a smaller rim with a 28mm tire for road touring and then a wider rim/tire combo for off-road type trips?
Joe


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## headloss

different size tires, definitely... I don't see where rim width really matters if you're going between, say a 28 and a 35. 28mm is a great all around tire in my experience and only slows you down over large gravel (but is great on crushed lime-stone).


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## MB1

We ride dirt and gravel every chance we get. Don't make any changes at all.

The key (as far as I can tell) is to just be relaxed and don't think so much.

It is just a bike ride.


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## nOOky

Depends on the gravel and other factors. If it's a rail to trail crushed limestone most anything will work. If you're doing gravel grinding at higher speeds with tight corners, hills, and washed out areas a 32mm cross tire with some tread on it is much better. Some gravel and fire roads are similar to paved roads, some can really beat you up so it's hard to say until you pinch flat or have your tires wash out from under you.
I usually say better to be over-tired than under-tired.


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## Zeet

nOOky said:


> Depends on the gravel and other factors. If it's a rail to trail crushed limestone most anything will work. If you're doing gravel grinding at higher speeds with tight corners, hills, and washed out areas a 32mm cross tire with some tread on it is much better. Some gravel and fire roads are similar to paved roads, some can really beat you up so it's hard to say until you pinch flat or have your tires wash out from under you.
> I usually say better to be over-tired than under-tired.


I've always run either 32 mm Touring or Crosses on my '94 Giant Innova converted Touring bike. Right now, I'm running 32 mm Panaracer Paselas (touring). Most touring tires can slice thru gravel.


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## josephr

thanks guys...ya'll really helped a lot. I'm building my first touring bike and will use a standard 700cx23mm wheelset and 28mm tires. I mtn bike so definitely a fan of fat tires, but thinking it'd be great to set it up to easily convert this bike over to handle washed out trails, etc, with a CX style tire as nooter suggested. I guess I'm just asking if you guys fit the wider (32mm+) CX tires on standard rims or if eventually I should get a wider width wheelset for such occasions. 

I really appreciate the "just ride the damn thing and stop being an internet weenie" too!!! Unfortunately, I'm having surgery the first of August and won't be able to ride for 2-3 weeks. I'm taking the time to build up this touring bike I've been wanting to build for a couple of years now and planning on finishing a couple of other bike projects too!


Thanks!
Joe


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## headloss

28mm's on the C&O trail for 120miles destroyed my hands... that's the only time I've ever regretted running 28s. If I do it again, I'll probably go 35mm. My riding partners were running 32's and no one else was bothered by the trail conditions.


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## ArcticCat500

Im no expert but heres my .02 I did a tire $ wheel swap on one of my bikes, it soon became a major PITA, back and forth, back and forth. Just do some foot work, talk to couple local shops, get some ideas, with the money spent on 2 sets you can have one heckava set-up.


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## crossracer

I have some conti 700x43 on my bike Abd they are regular road rims. No biggie and I have over 600 miles on them


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## wooglin

Agree you don't need two sets of wheels. I run 28s to 35s, and could go narrower or wider if I wanted without problems.


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## jrm

Yup, A23s laced 3x to DT 350 hubs. used with everything from a 28c panaracer tservs to a 35c clement adventure tire


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## tednugent

josephr said:


> thanks guys...ya'll really helped a lot. I'm building my first touring bike and will use a standard 700cx23mm wheelset and 28mm tires. I mtn bike so definitely a fan of fat tires, but thinking it'd be great to set it up to easily convert this bike over to handle washed out trails, etc, with a CX style tire as nooter suggested. I guess I'm just asking if you guys fit the wider (32mm+) CX tires on standard rims or if eventually I should get a wider width wheelset for such occasions.
> 
> I really appreciate the "just ride the damn thing and stop being an internet weenie" too!!! Unfortunately, I'm having surgery the first of August and won't be able to ride for 2-3 weeks. I'm taking the time to build up this touring bike I've been wanting to build for a couple of years now and planning on finishing a couple of other bike projects too!
> 
> 
> Thanks!
> Joe


It depends on the rim you choose.

The rims on my cross bike allow for both CX tires and road tire widths to be used (Stan's alpha 400)

the stock Mavic CXP22 on my road bike, only allow up to 28mm tires...


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## ArcticCat500

Stans Iron Cross will fit the bill as well, either prebuilt or custom.


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## josephr

thanks guys...this is what I needed to know as to whether I should prepare for one or two wheelsets...I think I'll be able to find a reasonable wheelset that can serve double-duty.
Joe


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## tarwheel2

I have a spare set of Open Pros with some 32 mm Ritchey Crossmax Pro tires mounted on them for trail rides. They have been great for riding on the unpaved trails such as C&O Canal and New River Trail. They roll nicely with enough tread to handle mud and loose gravel and dirt. They are just OK on the road, slower than road tires and a little sketchy on winding roads.

I usually run 25 or 28 mm road tires for commuting and recreational rides. However, I've got some 32 mm Vittoria Randonneur Hypers on my touring bike that can handle unpaved trails if not too muddy or otherwise sketchy. My cross bike has 33 mm Rivendell Jack Browns, which are similar in functionality to the Hypers -- that is, wide enough to use on nice trails but lacking tread for muddy, loose stuff.


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## GRAVELBIKE

My disc-equipped commuter runs 23mm wide rims, and tires range from 28mm-32mm. That bike sees lots of dirt and gravel. I run 24mm rims on my road bike (which also sees un-paved use), and that bike rolls on 28mm tires most of the time.

Both of those wheelsets can handle 25mm-45mm tires, so even if I had to pick just one set, tire compatibility wouldn't be an issue.


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