Curious as to what the widest tire anybody has used/ridden on their Roker's. I have only ridden with 700 x 40's so far and there seems to be lots of room left over. I was thinking of trying a 700 x 45 tire. Looking at possibly doing a race in Utah next Fall. The Salty Lizard 100. From reading the ride report or at least one it sure looks like you need a sand tire that is bulletproof as it seems they also have lots of sharp stones. I have no idea what kind of tire that is. The ride report was actually on the site here is the link.
and I recall thinking I could have gone a bit wider in front (fork is stock) - I've never used mis-matched tires, but know some do and are happy with results. I'd bet a good chance...although I've never tried...that you could get away with a 50 in the front for a little more flotation in sandy conditions.
Thanks again RedRamler. My trouble is I have never ridden in sad before. I spent 3-4 or 4-5 hrs. last night reading tire reviews to see what worked i sand. WT WTB Resolutes kept showing up but they only come in 700 x42 but most said that they measure 44. Maybe run them in the back with a 700 x 50 in the front.
Rim width affects final tire width so it's more informative/helpful to know the rim width and the tire size. My experience is the internal width is approx. 5mm narrower than the external width. I'm only providing that because rim manufacturers seem to be moving to specifying internal width but it's much easier for one to put a set of calipers to the outside of a rim for a tubeless setup.
My Roker has a 43mm Panaracer in front mounted on the stock (cheap) wheels and there's lots of room for a 45. The back looks a bit narrower and I'm running a 40mm and it looks like a 43 would be no issue.
No issues with different size tires on the Roker nor my Dean CX bike which has a 42 in front and 36 in back (due to clearance).
I switched to 650b and I rarely ride the 700c wheelset anymore. The 650b are just as fast and 10x more comfortable for me. I currently have 48mm gravel king sk, and I probably have room to go even bigger with this setup if needed. For the type of riding you are proposing, that would be the route I would go.
I have a pair of Raddler's by WTB that are 44 and there is more room. I have a pair of 650b wheels that I have not set up yet and am hoping a 2.0 will work up front.
Zurichman--I live in the land of sand and fine gravel--Arizona--and have found what I think is the sweet spot here with 650 B Ventures at 47 mm. The width helps and low pressures seem to give the best stability is deeper sand. Low gears and powering thru the deeper, nasty sand works best for me. Good luck.
I did (won) the Salty Lizard's sister event (Stupid Pony) in 2019 with a Roker Sport on 45mm Riddlers. Having been on a lot of Utah gravel I'd say 45mm is the target minimum for big days. You can get through most any course on 45's but there may be times when you wish for bigger tires, although I've never put anything bigger on my Roker.
Also, I've tried both 45mm WTB Riddlers and 45mm Maxxis Ramblers. I think I like the Ramblers a little better since they seem to hold up better over time, but the Riddlers were a great tire that got me through some pretty rough stuff.
Clearance on the Roker is still great with 45's, but I'm not 100% certain you can fit 50's on there since I never tried. For reference I have ENVE 525's with 25mm internal width.
Have you tried a 650B tire and Wheel? Am curious as to what the largest size that would work. Wondering also what the trail number is for the bike. Can't find it on geometry lisitings..
mgef2000 wrote:Have you tried a 650B tire and Wheel? Am curious as to what the largest size that would work. Wondering also what the trail number is for the bike. Can't find it on geometry lisitings..
You can calculate it: geometric trail = (wheel_radius x cosine(head_angle) - fork_offset) / sine(head_angle)
You might also consider pneumatic trail (more with wider tires) and rotational inertia (more with heavier tires/rims and larger diameter tires/rims).
nmanowaring wrote:I did (won) the Salty Lizard's sister event (Stupid Pony) in 2019 with a Roker Sport on 45mm Riddlers. Having been on a lot of Utah gravel I'd say 45mm is the target minimum for big days. You can get through most any course on 45's but there may be times when you wish for bigger tires, although I've never put anything bigger on my Roker.
Also, I've tried both 45mm WTB Riddlers and 45mm Maxxis Ramblers. I think I like the Ramblers a little better since they seem to hold up better over time, but the Riddlers were a great tire that got me through some pretty rough stuff.
Clearance on the Roker is still great with 45's, but I'm not 100% certain you can fit 50's on there since I never tried. For reference I have ENVE 525's with 25mm internal width.
Thanks for that info nmaowaring I have ridden the Riddler 700 x 37 TCS Fast Rolling lights in 700 x 37. I like them. I have only ridden them/the now Donnley xplor MSO 700 x 40/ and the Kenda Flintridge Pro in 700 x 40. I keep reading that the WTB Resolutes in 700 x 42 that expand to 700 x 44 are a great tire. I don't know about tires enough though to know the difference between the Riddlers/Ramblers/Resolutes.
