My GF has this Felt and I’m trying to understand the max tire width that can be installed on it. Currently 25mm
by ThePhoenix74
My GF has this Felt and I’m trying to understand the max tire width that can be installed on it. Currently 25mm
by ThePhoenix74
8 Comments
Hard to tell without the wheel in
Rim brakes, the safe bet is 25mm. Some brakes will clear a 28mm, but not all.
That bottom rim brake is going to be a challenge if I can’t open the jaw wider. Fork not a problem at all.
Anyone knows what’s the model name by any chance?
Some rim brake bikes can fit 28mm.. so it might be as well. but i recommened just sticking with 25mm.
No one is going to make a joke? You all are true professionals. I’ll see myself out.
Make a tire fit gauge? It’s a simple thingy that consists of a simulated hub axle, a rod attached perpendicular to it in an adjustable way that simulates the wheel radius, and a (say, paper) circle attached on the other end of the rod that simulates the cross section of an inflated tire. Then you can insert this into dropouts and rotate the rod with the circle through tight places looking for minimum gaps.
The last time I felt a woman who was an unknown model, I landed up in jail for assault. And my wife was furious.
Joking aside, there are a couple good ways to determine the widest tire you can run with this bike:
1. Convert the “unknown model” to a “known model” by contacting Felt and asking them to check the age of your frame based on serial number. I can see from the decals in photo 1 that it’s a FR Road with a women’s geometry, but I don’t know Felt’s lineup history well enough to know off hand how old the bike is. Felt will know. There’s probably a manual or table somewhere that lists manufacturer-recommended max tire width – again, Felt will know. [https://support.feltbicycles.com/hc/en-us/requests/new](https://support.feltbicycles.com/hc/en-us/requests/new)
2. Reinstall the wheel with the current tire and measure clearance at the brake calipers, chainstays, seatstays (I guarantee this will not be the limiting factor on this bike), and fork crown. For a road bike, you want to leave about 4mm of clearance between the tire and these other frame/fork locations. If your roads are unusually free of debris, you could probably get away with less, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
And a not-so-great way to tell if a given tire will fit is just to install it and see if it rubs. Start in a workstand, and if you find it has sufficient clearance at the places I mentioned earlier, take it to the streets.