Quote:
Originally Posted by otto_kretschmer
I have to get my Cannondale on the road. I've thought about it today and I'm going to get new tires (if they fit), so go from 23 to 32 and borrow the mountain bike stem from my sisters old race bike. Raise the bars up 2 1/2" and fatter tires may make the bike comfortably enough to start putting on miles. Three months from now I'll have all the cobwebs blown out.
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I'd suggest that with those rims a 25/26mm tire is the widest that will work on it. Anything wider, regardless of whether or not it fits the frame and fork is oakley to roll off the rim when you turn in, especially going fast downhill..... possibly to be avoided.
The rim is likely to be 17mm wide and so check with the tire makers what they reckon. I know my Mavic M40 rims from that era are really not suitable for anything more than 26mm... and the ride on them is better than the 23s but nothing like a 28 or 30mm.
That being said a set of modern rim braked wheels, either alloy or carbon will be wider (19mm) and so suitable for 25 and upwards to at least a 30mm tire. There are a number of (relatively) inexpensive 50mm carbon aero rims that are designed around 28mm tires. Worth it for the additional speed even with an older frame.
I found the aero rims allow a 2-3 km/h average speed increase over a 199 km ride with the same effort.. or maintaining the previous speed with less effort. Much appreciated.