Which rim size for 32mm tire?

I've ordered some Teravail Rampart tires, 700x32 in the "Durable Sidewall" option.
I have two wheelsets for my Norco gravel bike - one with 17mm internal width, and one with 24mm internal width.
Which wheelset should I mount the tires on? Is 17mm internal too narrow for a 32?
Both wheelsets are tubeless-ready, and I would prefer to run this tire tubeless.

The 17mm internal wheelset is Fulcrum Racing 5 DB Wheelset (2018). I use these for road rides and currently they have 28mm Continental tires mounted with tubes.

The 24mm internal wheel set is Easton EA70 AX Disc. I use these for gravel rides and currently have Donnelly EMP 700x38 mounted as tubeless.

The use case for the Teravail Rampart is for longer rides where the pavement-to-gravel ratio is 75/25 -- mostly road with a bit of smoother gravel.

Zircon wrote:Be careful! I tried to mount 32mm Gravelking tires on 19mm rims. I couldn’t find stems that were narrow enough to allow the tire bead to seat in between the rim and the stem. The clearance between those two was too tight. I tried carefully removing some of the rubber that seals the stem but to no avail, by the time I had enough of the rubber shaved off the stems leaked. 

HollyBoni wrote:

Zero issues with 20mm inner width rims + 32mm (and 38 and 43mm) GK SKs running tubeless with the stock valves that came with my wheels. Tons of space. 

Simple user error. The tire width doesn't matter here. Just because a tyre is wider that doesn't mean the bead itself is wider too... If you have the wrong valve stem you won't be able to fit anything on there. If you didn't have enough clearance with a 19mm rim, then why do 17mm tubeless road rims exist? Just look for valves like this, i'd say these give you the most clearance: 

 
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caneye wrote:i just mounted 35mm and 40mm tyres (Michelin Power Gravel) on 17mm wide Bontrager CX rims. i did not have any issues. Prior to this, i was using 28 and 32mm tyres on the same rims. mind you, i am running with tubes so no need for replacement valves.

if i understand your issue correctly - it is the tapered rubber base of the replacement valve that is too wide? Too tight between the replacement valve and rim edge? is your rim tubeless-ready?

Hi all,

I just got a reply from Teravail tires customer service. The tires arrive tomorrow and I'll try mounting them this weekend or early next week and report back here. Thanks everyone for the input so far!

Hey Manuel,

 

Thanks for reaching out to us, sorry for the delayed response! Sounds like you ordered the right tires for the kind of riding you do! As far as which of your wheelsets to mount the Ramparts on, the optimal rim width for the 700x32 model is 19mm. I don’t believe 17mm would be too narrow, so I would try mounting them on the Fulcrum’s to begin with. You should be able to run them on either or, but with the 24mm Easton’s you could experience some flattening out of the tire.

 

Hopefully this answers your question, please feel free to let me know if you need anything else.

Hey folks! Just successfully mounted the tires on my 17mm internal width rims. Taped the rims up with DT Swiss 19mm tape. The Teravails' bead popped right on with the help of an air compressor. Added some sealant and they're holding solid so far.

I had no issues with interference between the valve butt and the bead like someone else mentioned.

Thanks everyone! Woo hoo!      

Oh gosh, this was years ago. I replaced these tires before the end of their life because I wanted a wider tire with a bigger contact patch and more cush/lower pressure. I had issues with the Ramparts, but I pushed them beyond their intended design. Specifically the slick center of the tire. It made for terrible traction on gravel under certain conditions -- steep climbing and wet surface. I also rode them on some wet gravel downhills and a weird thing would happen where the tire would start to slip and then the treads on the edges would abruptly engage, causing a lurch in handling.

I ended up replacing these with file tread 38's. At first I used Rene Herse Barlow Pass, and then Panaracer Gravelking "Slick" 38's. That little bit of raised file tread makes a difference, and the wider width certainly helped a lot. Highly recommend either of those tires for the road/gravel mixed surface rides. You can push them further into more gnarly terrain. 

Volsung wrote:Some of us used to run mtb tires on 17mm rims.  It might not be ideal but it works.

Zircon wrote:
By the time you load up with 2oz of sealant that weighs as much if not more than the tube. And, for field repairs you pretty much have to carry a tube along anyhow.