I changed the Continental 4 Seasons 28 mm tires from the Douglas to the Merlin. The Douglas wheelbase was too short and the tire stuck on the front derailleur clamp.

The Merlin has a wheelbase slightly longer and the tire clears sufficiently.. However, the 28 mm (supposedly) rear tire is now rubbing against the chain stay on the drive side only. No other 28 mm tire I've used does this and I am really pissed at this point since they are such a pain in the ass to mount.

Why would a 28 mm tire be so much larger than other 28 mm tires?

On Monday, September 6, 2021 at 11:22:32 AM UTC-7, cycl...@gmail.com wrote:
> I changed the Continental 4 Seasons 28 mm tires from the Douglas to the Merlin. The Douglas wheelbase was too short and the tire stuck on the front derailleur clamp.
>
> The Merlin has a wheelbase slightly longer and the tire clears sufficiently. However, the 28 mm (supposedly) rear tire is now rubbing against the chain stay on the drive side only. No other 28 mm tire I've used does this and I am really pissed at this point since they are such a pain in the ass to mount.
>
> Why would a 28 mm tire be so much larger than other 28 mm tires?

Have you measured the 4seasons? Both of those frames are from the era of tight clearances. 28mm 4Seasons seem a little large to me, but I never had a problem because I was running them on a disc bike. I didn't find them hard to get on or off except on tubeless-ready rims.

-- Jay Beattie.

On 9/6/2021 1:22 PM, Tom Kunich wrote:
> I changed the Continental 4 Seasons 28 mm tires from the Douglas to the Merlin. The Douglas wheelbase was too short and the tire stuck on the front derailleur clamp.
>
> The Merlin has a wheelbase slightly longer and the tire clears sufficiently. However, the 28 mm (supposedly) rear tire is now rubbing against the chain stay on the drive side only. No other 28 mm tire I've used does this and I am really pissed at this point since they are such a pain in the ass to mount.
>
> Why would a 28 mm tire be so much larger than other 28 mm tires?
>
Brands, models and tread patterns vary greatly, as always.
Mounting any given tire on wider or narrower rims changes
the profile of course.

If it rubs on one side, center your wheel.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Monday, September 6, 2021 at 1:00:31 PM UTC-7, AMuzi wrote:
> On 9/6/2021 1:22 PM, Tom Kunich wrote:
> > I changed the Continental 4 Seasons 28 mm tires from the Douglas to the Merlin. The Douglas wheelbase was too short and the tire stuck on the front derailleur clamp.
> >
> > The Merlin has a wheelbase slightly longer and the tire clears sufficiently. However, the 28 mm (supposedly) rear tire is now rubbing against the chain stay on the drive side only. No other 28 mm tire I've used does this and I am really pissed at this point since they are such a pain in the ass to mount.
> >
> > Why would a 28 mm tire be so much larger than other 28 mm tires?
> >
> Brands, models and tread patterns vary greatly, as always.
> Mounting any given tire on wider or narrower rims changes
> the profile of course.
>
> If it rubs on one side, center your wheel.

Several bikes I have, have drive side chain stays closer to the tire. Both the Merlin and the Lemond are that way but the Lemond has so much clearance that you have to look closely to notice it. These are with wheels that in the truing stand are centered.