# Cyclocross tires on road wheels?



## lawrence

I have a pair of cyclocross tires someone gave me, I don't remember the size, 700x32 or 700x35. Can I put them on a set of road wheels and use on my road bike? I want to use my road bike to ride some smooth dirt or stone dust bike paths and use the cyclocross tires on the road to get a better workout due to the increase resistance of wider tires and knobby treads.


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## pharding

Many road bikes do not have the tire and wheel clearance to go beyond 25 to 28 cm.


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## Andy STi

No, you can't put cross tires on road wheels. Cross tires will only fit on cross wheels. ;-)


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## colinr

Andy STi said:


> No, you can't put cross tires on road wheels. Cross tires will only fit on cross wheels. ;-)


They will fit on your wheels fine, but you probably won't be able to put the wheels back on your frame.


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## Dan Gerous

Road tires can handle stone dust and smooth dirt just fine...


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## JamieM

Yeah, the cross tires may be tough to get passed the brakes and frame. You should be able to find road tires with a file tread, but most road tires would work fine on dirt and gravel.


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## BrianN

Like you need an excuse to buy ANOTHER bike...

You really do need a cross bike. 

-B


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## martino

BrianN could have a point. i'm riding on DT Swiss RR 1.1 rims and i have no problems mounting anything up to 34mm rubber for the dirty stuff and conti 4 seasons 28mm for the roady stuff. but it's a cross bike. IMO if RBs would accomodate 28mm rubber you'ld never find another roady on skinny tires, unless of course they're into a more uncomfortable ride. which leaves us with the question what the hell is the bicycle industry thinking ? why can't we ride at least a 28mm on a RB ??? wake up and give us the option!


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## Salsa_Lover

The Cross Tires go on Road wheels,

This is the way most of us use them

You could also find some touring wheels ( with wider clincher rims ) if you are concerned, but 70032c or 700x35c work perfectly welll on standard road rims.

Your road bike would probably not have enough clearance for the wheel with the cross tire.

A simple solution to that is to use touring tires.

Schalbe Marathons are made in 700x25c that would fit most road frames. The 700x28c version doesn't fit as the tyre has a thick layer of punture protection though

Or get a sweet set of tubulars with Vittoria Pavé 700x27c


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## Guest

I can't think of any training advantage to having tires with high rolling resistance.


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## big_papa_nuts

kytyree said:


> I can't think of any training advantage to having tires with high rolling resistance.





lawrence said:


> to get a better workout due to the increase resistance of wider tires and knobby treads.


It's not hard to understand. Realistically I can't understand why people who ride primarily for fitness spend all this money to make their bikes easier to ride.


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## Guest

big_papa_nuts said:


> It's not hard to understand. Realistically I can't understand why people who ride primarily for fitness spend all this money to make their bikes easier to ride.



Yes it is hard to understand, its not as if just riding harder cost money, that will give you a workout without buying tires. Hills and wind also come pretty cheap. 

While there are things you can buy that might make your bike more comfortable there is no free lunch, ie you can't make your bike easier to ride unless you're going to put a motor on it.


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## pharding

big_papa_nuts said:


> It's not hard to understand. Realistically I can't understand why people who ride primarily for fitness spend all this money to make their bikes easier to ride.


It is fun to go fast and have cycling components that work really well. Also beautiful bikes are cool.


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## big_papa_nuts

kytyree said:


> Yes it is hard to understand, its not as if just riding harder cost money, that will give you a workout without buying tires. Hills and wind also come pretty cheap.
> 
> While there are things you can buy that might make your bike more comfortable there is no free lunch, ie you can't make your bike easier to ride unless you're going to put a motor on it.


But just riding harder is a bit of a different workout. Same with hills and wind, which the rider can't control. Well I guess they could get one of those mini chutes that football players use but that seems a bit silly. And even then, a heavier bike will result in more exercise.

There are a ton of things that will make your bike easier to ride, pretty much all "performance" products in fact. Riding a lighter bike for the same amount of time as a heavier one will result in less physical exertion.



pharding said:


> It is fun to go fast and have cycling components that work really well. Also beautiful bikes are cool.


I never mentioned fun or looks, I was talking about exercise. And I bet I could make your bike work 100 times better if you weren't worried about how much it weighed.


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## rrcat2

"Riding a lighter bike for the same amount of time as a heavier one will result in less physical exertion".

I disagree...
Bigger tires (rolling resistance) or a heavier frame will only give you a better workout if your riding with your normal buddies at the normal pace, otherwise on your own, you'll get the same workout, you'll just be going slower...!

To misquote G. Lemond "it hurts just as bad for the top pro's, they just go at a faster speed"


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