putting 700x38 snow tyres on roadie wheels

[Rob_T]

so i got some snow and ice tyres for christmas and it looks like they may actually get some use...

question is, i was planning on putting these tyres (700x38) onto a spare set of road wheels that normally i have a set of 700x25's.

i put one tyre and tube on yesterday and to say it was a tight fit is possibly an understatement. haven;t ridden on them yet, is it safe / wise?

[SuperNiceBig]

Some tyres are b******s to get on some seem too loose, dont worry about that. Will they fit on your road bike? usaully a very snug fit around the brake calipers.

[itsnotarace]

Unlikely to be clearance near chainstays / seat tube and under the fork crown but obviously this will vary per frame

[Rob_T]

sorry, forgot to mention the wheels are going on my cross bike...

[clonmult]

SuperNiceBig said:

Some tyres are b******s to get on some seem too loose, dont worry about that. Will they fit on your road bike? usaully a very snug fit around the brake calipers.

This.

Its taken me an eternity to get used to getting tyres on without resorting to dropping them off at the local independent, now I'm used to it and some are just a nightmare to fit.

[DrMekon]

I would look up the specs for the rim to be safe, but I guess ~32 will be the max if there are 25s on it now. That said, if you keep keep the pressure low (as it should be for snow), you should get away without damaging the sidewall of the rim.

Are they Schwalbes? You are meant to do 50km on tarmac to bed in the studs before you use them on snow - during this you may lose a few studs (I lost 4). Schwalbe will send you an envelope full of spares if you email them.

I've got mine for my cross bike. They are bloody hard going, and make a hell of a racket on tarmac. I'm waiting for actual snow, despite what Schwalbe say about them being suitable for the whole season because of the centre tread. bks they are - it sounds like the bike is fitted with tank tracks.