The challenge now lies in selecting the widest gravel tire that can fit into the frame. As you may already know, the actual tire width will differ from the claimed tire width, depending on the width of the rim. A very good example is the Continental GP4000 tires mounted on the Reynolds Assault wheelset. The claimed tire width of 28 mm has an actual tire width of about 32 mm when mounted on the wheels with internal rim width of 21 mm.
Continental GP4000 28 mm tire + 21 mm rim => 32 mm actual width (+4 mm)
Plenty of tire clearance at the front fork around the 32 mm wide (actual width) GP4000 tire.
Since there is no bridge between the seat stays for a caliper brake, there is plenty of tire clearance here as well.
To further complicate things, different tire manufacturers may have different standards for indicating tire width. A 28 mm wide tire from manufacturer A and B may be different.
With all that in mind, I tried to estimate the final tire width as best as I could, with limited information. The smallest frame clearance on the Canyon Endurace is between the chain stays, which has a maximum width of about 40 mm as measured.This means that the widest tire that I can safely fit is probably about 36 mm, with a 2 mm margin between the tire and the frame.
With 32 mm wide tires, there is about 4 mm of clearance between the tire and the chain stay on both sides.
The DT Swiss G 1800 rim has an internal width of 24 mm, which is considered wide even by gravel wheelset standards. If I were to get a 35 mm wide gravel tire, it is very likely that it will turn out even wider, making it too wide to fit on the Canyon Endurace.
Therefore, I needed a narrower tire width (as claimed by the manufacturer), which will turn out wider once installed on the wide gravel rims.
Based on some information from this discussion thread, I guessed that if I were to use a 32 mm wide tire (manufacturer claim) on the 24 mm rim, I would get something like 36 mm actual tire width.
32 mm gravel tire + 24 mm rim => ??mm actual width
Based on around 4 mm of extra width, I think the final tire width will be about 36 mm.
There are also many gravel tires to choose from, but based on many reviews, the Panaracer GravelKing SK tires seem to be really good and suits my purpose. There are tires with less knobs, but the grip does not seem to be sufficient. On the other hand, there are tires with really large knobs, but those are for muddy conditions, and I don't intend to ride in muddy conditions. My intention is to ride on unpaved trails in dry conditions or on actual gravel, therefore a tire with small knobs should be suitable. The GravelKing SK (Small Knobs) fulfills my requirements and it also comes in the width that I need.
Panaracer GravelKing SK Tires
Closer look at the features of the tire.
I chose the brown wall version, to have that gravel look. A black wall version would look almost the same as a normal road bike tire.
Claimed width is 32 mm, let's see what the actual width is once mounted. Max tire pressure with inner tube is 94 PSI. If it is used as a tubeless tire, the max tire pressure is 58 PSI.
Closely spaced knobs in the middle for lower rolling resistance, wider and angled knobs at the edges for better grip during cornering.
Each tire weighs 317 grams, which is quite lightweight for a gravel tire, as GP4000 tires (28 mm) weigh about 266 grams each. This is mainly due to the folding bead which saves a lot of weight over a metal wire bead.
For now, inner tubes will be used. Schwalbe SV17 tubes can be used for 28 mm up to 47 mm wide tires, making it very versatile. This inner tube can be used for both the GP4000 and the GravelKing tires.
The SV17 inner tube with 40 mm valve weighs 154 grams.
Here is how it looks with the tires mounted on the wheels! I like the brown side walls which makes it look different.
Pair of front and rear wheels with tires installed.
Actual tire width is measured to be 35 mm, up from the claimed tire width of 32 mm.
Comparing the GP4000 tires with the new GravelKing tires. Looks totally different!
How the two different wheelsets will look with the different tires.
Panaracer GravelKing 32 mm tire + 24 mm rim => 35 mm actual width (+3 mm)
With the wheelset and tires settled, the next components to prepare would be the cassette and rear derailleur, to complete the gravel setup.
Hi, this is exactly what i am after. Same bike and rims here. My question is... Does it fit? And how does it ride? Does it rub under load for example?
ReplyDeleteIt rides well, and fits well. 35 mm wide tire on the Canyon Endurace is about the maximum that can fit. There is 3 mm of clearance on either side of the tire, at the chainstay area. It does not rub under load as the frame and wheels are stiff.
DeleteThis is great, thank you for all the detailed info and pictures on your bike. I'm going to purchase an Endurace shortly.
ReplyDeleteIs there any way that you can add a picture of the bottom bracket\chainstay area from underneath the bike with the new wheel tire setup?
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DeleteThanks for this very interesting investigation, so I have a new canyon endurace cf 8.0 di2 disc with DT swiss E1800 spline wheels, it's too beautiful to start damaging it with gravel but buying a separate gravel bike is not an option (also I won't use a different cassette and derailleur), how do you protect the frame against damage and is the fork strong enough to handle little holes in the field roads and woods (which you typically absorb with a suspension on a MBK?)
DeleteI don't put extra protection for the frame, although you could put those tough clear films on the frame like how it is done on MTB.
DeleteNot sure about the fork strength but so far it is enough, the tires will absorb a lot of the energy if you use wide and high volume tires. It helps that my weight is about 64 kg, so there is big margin from the max weight limit.
Ok thanks a lot, it will be 35mm tires with less than 5 bar pressure, should be fine!
ReplyDeleteJust fitted schwalbe 33mm x one speed to hunt Mason 4season gravel wheels to my carbon endurace without a problem. I thought slightly less tread than gravel Kings might reduce stone spray on to the frame.
ReplyDeleteI'm running GravelKing SK 35mm on my Endurace and have not experienced any rubbing or issues. It's a fast gravel bike! The only issue is the gear ratio...on longer, steeper climbs you'll want to have more gears than are standard. I'm running 52/36 with an 11/32 cassette which works most of the time but, we have a lot of steep logging roads in Oregon. I'm entertaining the idea of swapping cranks to 50/34 and 11/34 cassette. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI'm using 50/34T crankset and 11-34T cassette for gravel and I think it is perfect. The 1:1 low gear ratio comes in useful for steep terrain.
DeleteJust make sure your RD can support 34T low gear and the slightly bigger chain capacity.
gcorn1 you are probably not watching this thread anymore, but I ran across it and thought I might let you know that I use 46/32 and 11-40 on my gravel bike (GT Grade). It's 4T over derailleur capacity but works fine other than the last few small-small combinations. Worth thinking about - the 32/40 low gear comes in handy on steep grades, and I don't miss the top end too much. Best part is with the wider range cassette I'm shifting in the front far less - perhaps 1/3 of the time.
ReplyDeleteHi, I wondered what the maximum width gravel tyre could be used with the standard Assault LE wheels. If Panaracer, would it be 32 or the 35mm you used?
ReplyDeletethanks
The wheel itself can accommodate even wider tires. But this Canyon frame can only accept a 35 mm actual width tire. I installed a 32 mm tire and the actual width is 35 mm.
DeleteGreat post, I have knight wheels, 20mm internal width with Panaracer 32mm GK+ on my 2019 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Disc and I have room to spare, thinking maybe going with 35mm GK SK+.
ReplyDeleteSeems like you are maxed out at 32mm though, maybe because your rims are 24mm internal width, thoughts?