Upgrading tyres help

[Hiijinx]

Hey all,

So I have a Haibike Sduro Trekking 1.0 which has done me well the last couple years - however I have been venturing more off road lately on farm paths/fields and I was wondering if upgrading my tyres would help.

Grass/dirt/fine gravel is no problem but as soon as its larger pieces of gravel or uneven paths with rubble sticking out of the ground (south coast, lots of chalk/flint) I am all over the place. Not to mention the road conditions, every join in the road/pothole is a killer - but thats another issue.

I have already added a Suntour suspension seatpost which has helped iron out some of it.

The tyres are the standard ones it came with - Schwalbe Road Cruiser 42-622.
I have looked at alternatives and see a few which they claim offer better off-road handling (Marathon, Land Cruiser, Smart Sam) but they are still the same width as my current ones.

Am I able to fit wider ones? The rim on the bike is a Ryde Zac 421 but I don't really know much more than that.
I know it won't come close to a proper mountain bike but I cannot afford a 2nd ebike - as much as I would like to!



TLDR: Am I able to fit wider tyres to my hybrid bike - if so, what do I need?

Many thanks!

 

[soundwave]

you need one of those woof

and a splat hat.

 

[Scorpio]

Hi, Others will have more experience but I think you should be able to physically fit wider tyres onto your rims.

Does your frame have space for wider tyres, or will they rub the insides of the rear frame / forks etc? Mudgards if you have them might need to be moved ...

 

[Gringo]

The tyres are the standard ones it came with - Schwalbe Road Cruiser 42-622.
I have looked at alternatives and see a few which they claim offer better off-road handling (Marathon, Land Cruiser, Smart Sam) but they are still the same width as my current ones.

The alternative tyres you mentioned are available in different sizes, not just 42-622 (42 is the width of the tyre in millimetres and 622 is the diameter of the rim it fits) your biggest limitation will be frame clearance, you need to see how much space there is between your current tyres and the bike frame. bigger tyres can be run at lower pressures for better off-road grip and rider comfort.

Ive just swapped some 42-622 for 47-622 on my sisters bike (Crossfuse) and it has improved comfort a little. I would have preferred 50-622 but it would have meant re-routing the shifter cable that exits the frame on the inside edge of the chain stay.

As to the model of tyre, I favour Smart Sam plus’s and have 2 pairs at the moment, they are good off road while still being reasonable quick on road.

 

[Gringo]

Here’s Schwalbe’s fitment chart so you can see what width of tyre fits on different rim widths

 

[Hiijinx]

Thanks for the replies.
I am very new to bike maintenance so I appreciate the help!

@Gringo - thanks for the chart, looking at my rim specs, am I correct in reading it is a 21C, therefore according to the above chart, would fit any width tyre from 35 - 62 as long as its a 622? (depending on frame clearance)

 

[sjpt]

Thanks for the replies.
I am very new to bike maintenance so I appreciate the help!

@Gringo - thanks for the chart, looking at my rim specs, am I correct in reading it is a 21C, therefore according to the above chart, would fit any width tyre from 35 - 62 as long as its a 622? (depending on frame clearance)

I think the rim width is very unlikely to be an issue. As others have said, the main difficulty will be with clearance. Unless you really keep to dry off road conditions (as I try to these days) you don't need just enough that the wheel can spin freely under good conditions, you need extra clearance for mud. If you keep to the dry your existing tyres will be OK for light offroad. For offroad in mud you ideally want a bigger tyre, but clearance practicalities will dictate a smaller one, or to sacrifice your mudguards. (That may not be practical either it any cables are routed by them.)

 

[Gringo]

Thanks for the replies.
I am very new to bike maintenance so I appreciate the help!

@Gringo - thanks for the chart, looking at my rim specs, am I correct in reading it is a 21C, therefore according to the above chart, would fit any width tyre from 35 - 62 as long as its a 622? (depending on frame clearance)

Yes indeed, my 57-622 Smart Sam’s are more than happy on 20c rims and on another bike I have 60-622 Big Apples on 19mm rims, I must admit the frame clearance is only 3mm but it’s a cruiser so doesn’t go in the mud

 

[Raboa]

This is from the rim manufacturers:

Zac 421 - Ryde

The ZAC 421 is created with modern tire width in mind.

www.ryde.nl

TIRE WIDTH (MM)

35-64

Hope this helps.

 

[Hiijinx]

Thanks everyone for your help - after measuring the available clearance I decided to actually upgrade to a more off-road suitable bike and have my bike listed for sale in the classifieds.

Thanks again - I have learnt how to upgrade tyres now atleast!