700x32 tires off pavement

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
42,356
Location
Great Lakes
Looked at a hybrid bike today with 700x32c tires (Kenda Kwick Trax w/ puncture resistant K-shield). They looked fairly skinny, but I'm used to mountain bike tires, so my point of reference is a bit skewed.

Are these tires suitable for occasional off-pavement ride? We're talking fairly smooth limestone, fine gravel type surfaces. Or should I be looking at 700x40 tires instead?

The bike in question is Diamondback Insight 2:
http://www.diamondback.com/bikes/performance-hybrid/insight-2-11/

Can it be fitted with 700x40 tires? Any opinions on this bike?

I already have a mountain bike, so I'm looking for a second bike that's closer to a road bike, but not quite, as the trails I take aren't always 100% smooth pavement.
 
Actually, 32mm is pretty wide, IMO. My Trek 7.1 came with 35mm tires. The Trek 7.1 is a performance hybrid that is a very similar style to your bike.

Those tires would be perfectly fine for gravel trails.

I actually replaced my Trek's tires with 700 x 23 tires. I've ridden it quite a bit on fine gravel trails with those tires and it was just fine.
 
Guys race cyclocross on 32's in a lot worse conditions. 32mm is probably the ideal size for all-purpose riding, and that's actually a pretty decent tire. If you feel like you aren't getting enough traction on the gravel, just lower the tire pressure a little.

The Insight, and really most of the DB line, is hard to beat on price/spec. The only potential issue is that if you're buying it from one of the big box stores, the quality of the final assembly vary. Some have some qualified bike techs, some not... The bikes come about 95% assembled though, so there's not much for them to do.
 
Originally Posted By: JOD
The Insight, and really most of the DB line, is hard to beat on price/spec. The only potential issue is that if you're buying it from one of the big box stores, the quality of the final assembly vary.

Yeah, as I found out yesterday. The only place that had them in stock was ****'s. The rear deraileur was not engaging correctly and was somewhat noisy, but I'm hoping it wouldn't be that difficult to tweak it myself.

Another one I'm looking at is GT Transeo 2.0 that's a $100 less and seems to actually have better rear deraileur (Deore). The Insight has Alivio which people don't think very highly of based on my research.

GT Transeo 2.0

The GT comes with 700x35c Schwalbe Landcruiser w/ puncture protection tires. But that's a direct ship, so I may need to take it to a LBS to have it set up properly.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
Put it together yourself, seriously. You'll learn a lot.

OH, I'm planning on it, I just wasn't sure whether I'll be able to do the final fine tuning as well as a bike shop.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: dparm
Put it together yourself, seriously. You'll learn a lot.

OH, I'm planning on it, I just wasn't sure whether I'll be able to do the final fine tuning as well as a bike shop.

The GT looks like a good bike. I think the only conditions where skinny tires really fall down off road is mud, or hard packed clay trails that are wet. I guess riding on alot or roots and rocks too, but I doubt you'll get into that much.
The odd time I've done trails on 1.9 slicks and its not really that different in dry conditions, just have to watch for loose materials on a hard surface more than usual.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Thanks.

One other question: do disc brakes require more maintenance? Is it a lot more?

I still have V-brakes, but I think the mechanical discs are equal or less maintenance. A few summers ago I did some lift riding in BC on a rental bike with discs and changing the pads on it was pretty simple. It was kind of fun making the original pads smoke, but then they started fading which wasn't fun...
 
The GT you posted is fitted with Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, not mechanical. Seems like overkill for a 'performance hybrid.' Maintenance tasks such as changing pads and adjusting is easy, but more in-depth tasks will be more difficult because of the bleeding required.

My wife has the Women's version of the Diamondback Insight you posted. It is a great bike for the trails and mild road riding, and the 32mm tires do very well. I bought it in a box from Nashbar and set it up myself; the wheels took some time because they were not true at all. It has held up well for almost 2 years now.
 
For what it's worth, I have hydro disc brake systems running on 6 years with zero maintenance. I have yet to run into a cable setup that you can get 6 years out of with no work.
 
Originally Posted By: cchase
For what it's worth, I have hydro disc brake systems running on 6 years with zero maintenance. I have yet to run into a cable setup that you can get 6 years out of with no work.

The reason I asked is that I've read some reviews of these Tektro Auriga brakes where people were complaining that they need frequent rebleeding and it's difficult to identify where they're leaking from...
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: cchase
For what it's worth, I have hydro disc brake systems running on 6 years with zero maintenance. I have yet to run into a cable setup that you can get 6 years out of with no work.

The reason I asked is that I've read some reviews of these Tektro Auriga brakes where people were complaining that they need frequent rebleeding and it's difficult to identify where they're leaking from...


It's definitely possible, I just wanted to dispell the notion that they are necessarily more maintenance. A poorly set-up system could certainly be a nightmare.

That said, there are a number of TERRIBLE mechanical disc systems out there, too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top