# madone tire clearance



## percy (May 17, 2004)

Do any of you have experience with the largest tire size the 08/09 madones can accommodate? Mine can comfortably handle my 25mm Conti 4000s but I'm considering trying a 26 Grand Bois or a 28 Challenge Parigi-Roubaix for some of my longer distance riding.


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## zac (Aug 5, 2005)

Percy, hi. 

I cannot comment to the tires you mentioned. But there is someone on here running 28s. I wouldn't have thought it possible but apparently some 28s will fit. 

You may want to do a search, IIRC go back to about last October or so. 

If you get them to fit please post so others will have access to the information.


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## percy (May 17, 2004)

zac said:


> Percy, hi.
> 
> I cannot comment to the tires you mentioned. But there is someone on here running 28s. I wouldn't have thought it possible but apparently some 28s will fit.
> 
> ...


Follow up: no problem running a Conti Gatorskin 28 on the rear. And just eyeballing it there shouldn't be any problem on the front. I'm very happy to have found a hi-tech modern frame that can take a range of tire sizes.


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

Additionally, if you are indeed skeptical and don't wanna waste money getting a tire that won't fit, the simple solution would be to sample a wheel with wider tires at your LBS.

I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help out a little to gain your business anyway.

By the way, for longer riding - another tip for comfort you might consider is running a little lower pressure if you can. That helps too. Good luck!


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## percy (May 17, 2004)

Thanks Uzzie.

I'm a big fan of experimenting with tire pressure. Interestingly, I've found that in terms of comfort the Madone is such a nice ride that I don't need particularly low pressures to smooth out road vibrations, etc. I used to go as low as 80-90 in the rear and 70-80 in the rear on 25's, and I've never had a pinch flat.

But I'm 220 lbs, which is one reason I like larger tires. I find no reason to run them anywhere near the max sidewall pressure but these days I'm generally running a little higher than before -- about 110 in the rear and 90 in the front, mainly after reading Jan Hein's article on optimizing tire pressure for rider weight: 

http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/images/TireDrop.pdf

His premise is that ideal tire pressure is whatever causes the tire to deflect (squish) about 15% relative to its height based on the weight that is being applied. It's an interesting concept because it applies to all tire sizes and all types. Smaller tires require much higher pressures for heavier riders than larger tires to acheive the 15% tire drop.

Many riders don't seem to realize that pressures that are too high actually increase rolling resistance. Super high pressure makes sense for track riders on perfectly smooth riding surfaces but lower pressure makes for a faster ride in most real world road conditions because you want the tire to be able to deflect and roll over (absorb) little bumps and irregularities whereas a tire with too much pressure has to fight (and waste energy) to move across the same surface. 

Ironically, many riders feel that higher pressure makes the bike "feel" faster even though it may not be the case. Also, tire pressures that are too high increase tire wear and increase the chances of puncture.


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## lookrider (Dec 3, 2006)

percy said:


> Follow up: no problem running a Conti Gatorskin 28 on the rear. And just eyeballing it there shouldn't be any problem on the front. I'm very happy to have found a hi-tech modern frame that can take a range of tire sizes.


Great info. 

There's no way I'd even consider a frame that couldn't comfortably accomodate at least a 
25. Thanks.


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