Can a bike that came equipped with 700cx32 tires use a 29'er tire, assuming of course that the chainstays could accomodate a wider tire? Isn't 700c equivalent to a 29 inch diameter? Agustin
so, you have a frame that fit 700c x 32. you might have 2 issues... 1. tire clearance. you already stated that tire clearance shouldn't be a problem, so we will drop that issue. 2. the other issue would be running a fatter tire on a narrow (roadie?) rim. a 32-35c tire will fit on a road rim with no problem. i run 32 and 35c on my cx, and I am going to try a 44c soon. i run both velocity aerohead and mavic open pros. i like the open pro's better in terms of durability (but i have a set of dt swiss r1.1 rims on the way to me soon!!!) a fat tire/skin road rim combo can be troublesome... lots of pinch flats. sidewall and rim failure can occur and the ride will be VERY sloppy as slow speed. you can correct the slow speed/sloppy feel problem by overinflating the tire, but then that would defeat the purpose of running a bigger/wider tire and would put alot of pressure/force on the rim. so, i guess the question is....what rims do you have an what tire are you thinking of using??? with my aerohead....i think 35-38c is the widest i would ike to go. with the open pros and dt r1.1 rims....44c won't bother me one bit and i think there are some 29er guys running 2.1" tires on them!!!! or, to answer you question....you can fit s 29erx2.1 on a road rim.....but if you did so, and actually rode on it....i think you would be asking for trouble.
Thanks for the reply it really was helpful. I forwarded a link to this thread to my friend and he decided to try a 700x45 instead. 29'r would have been better but the rims on his bike would definitley have been too narrow for something like a 29x2. Agustin
curious....that 700x42c tire is he running. i can run a fat tire up front on my cx rig (i have a race rc31 fork on it, so I can get REALLY wide). the rear end of my bike is another issue. i think a 38c will fit no problem, a 44c is too wide. just curious in which 42c your buddy is going to try.
depends.... all around xc....i like nanoraptors. the specialized fasttrax are nice too (though i never tried them, they are like nanos, but with more volume and the same weight, or maybe even lighter!). need a fatty.....i run the exiwolf. all around tire good in mud... maxxis ignitor. these are pretty might too. a great do everything tire. i am not a fan of bonty 29er tires. thin sidewalls....i always seem to flat on them!
My wife has run road rims on her 29er for about 1500 miles of racing and riding using 2.1" tires at the smallest. It's safe. If it fits, run it.