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is it possible to fit gravel tires for Cannondale CAAD 9? If yes then can you please suggest some good ones.

The bike looks very similar to the one in the picture.

Thank you in advance. enter image description here

pi2018
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    The question would be what width the frame/brakes will accommodate. Comes standard with 700/23 tires, which is not very wide. – Daniel R Hicks Sep 13 '20 at 02:14
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    I have an older cannondale and cannot fit larger than 25mm tyres safely. Its a road bike not a CX bike, so nothing "gravel" is likely to fit. You can't even change to smaller 650b wheels, because it has rim brakes. – Criggie Sep 13 '20 at 02:21

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Most modern road bike rim brakes only have clearance for 28 or 30mm wide tires. Unfortunately I’m not aware of any real gravel or cyclocross tire with less than 30mm width. With disc brakes some road bikes have clearance up to ~35mm width.

Edit: I should add that older brakes and frames have less clearance, the ability to fit 25 or 28mm tires has really only become commonplace in the last few years. Older (or more race oriented) bikes are sometimes limited to as little as 23mm.

Your best bet is probably Panaracer’s GravelKing SK (small knob) which is available in 28mm width and does have some tread (tiny knobs).

However, I don’t think the tiny knobs are going to make much difference for grip (maybe on grass or relatively firm mud).

Low tire pressure is going to help you much more. I’d just get a high quality road tire (e.g. Conti’s GP5000) and run it at as little pressure as possible.

Michael
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    Note this bike dates from 2008, so predates the increase in tyre widths. – Criggie Sep 13 '20 at 09:22
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    Even my last-year-bought road bike only allows 25 mm. A larger tyre would rub on the seattube. – Vladimir F Героям слава Sep 13 '20 at 14:40
  • My bike has a 23mm tire at the moment. I am just looking for something to drive on simple gravel roads(nothing too extreme), would Conti GP5000 do the trick? – pi2018 Sep 13 '20 at 20:26
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    Low pressure and as wide as you can fit is the most important. I’d just stay away from very cheap or very puncture resistant tires (e.g. Schwalbe Durano Plus) because they are probably not supple enough for the low pressure. If you ride on sharp gravel some sidewall protection (e.g. Conti 4 Season) could be nice. – Michael Sep 14 '20 at 05:43
  • Thank you! at the moment I have Schwalbe Durano on them but will look into Conti GP 5000 and Conti 4 Season! – pi2018 Sep 15 '20 at 05:41