Help speccing tire sizes?

Mountain bikes can typically fit tire/tube sizes from 26" x 1.0" through 2.3", whereas hybrids can typically fit 700c x 20mm through 38mm. Of course, there are exceptions. Going to a smaller width is usually not a problem, but you need enough frame clearance for the larger widths. Most bike manufactures can provide you with a tire size range for any given bike. What are your current bikes?

Sheldon Brown sums it up here:
sheldonbrown.comtire sizing.htmlOpen ↗

Scotty_Dog said:

...What are your current bikes?

we have a schwinn mountain bike, a "Sidewinder" (26" wheel) and a Trek 730 hybrid with a 700c wheel.

thanks for that help!

g

geardad said:

we have a schwinn mountain bike, a "Sidewinder" (26" wheel) and a Trek 730 hybrid with a 700c wheel.

If you simply want the SAME, comparable tires for each bike, then you just have to look at the sidewall of the respective tires -- the 26" tire will have some raised characters that read something like 559-35 & the 700c tire will have have raised characters which read something like 622-38.

It's a good idea to know the bead-to-bead distance (the tire needs to be off the rim -- e.g., 17mm/22mm/whatever because that dictates the minimum tire size OR, at least, the distance (side-to-side) between the rim's brake surface. You can usually install a larger tire (e.g., 622-42 instead of 622-38) than the one currently on a given wheel.

yeah, we really just want the same basic tire. maybe with a bid more tread, but nothing over-the-top ridiculous.

we just need to handle: pavement, sidewalk, gravel and maybe a little grass and mud, plus snow and rain when those happen.

we aren't mountain biking per se...we use these as go to work and get around town errand vehicles.

the most extreme use would be when we load up with 50# worth of groceries or whatever.

gd

Check out Continental's line of city/trekking tires here: conti-online.comfolder en.htmlOpen ↗

Then use an online price comparison site to search for the best deal on any given model of tire you choose. I like to use qbike.comqbike.comOpen ↗ (be sure to uncheck the "include auctions" box to keep the list smaller).

Or support your local bike shop and make a purchase based on their recommendation.

geardad said:

yeah, we really just want the same basic tire. maybe with a bid more tread, but nothing over-the-top ridiculous.

we just need to handle: pavement, sidewalk, gravel and maybe a little grass and mud, plus snow and rain when those happen.

we aren't mountain biking per se...we use these as go to work and get around town errand vehicles.

the most extreme use would be when we load up with 50# worth of groceries or whatever.

gd

The store is right - it is hard to predict whether a tire will fit without looking at the frame, brakes, etc. or trying it.

My first question would be - what size tires are on the bikes right now? That might help predict.

That said, you can probably get tires that look and act very similar on your 700c and 26" wheels. I just put some narrower, less aggressive tread tires (my LBS calls them their "commuter" tires) on one of our family's MTB and it made a huge difference from the full-on knobby MTB tires for casual, non technical MTB use. Pretty much turned it into something very similar to a hybrid.

Standing that bike alongside our new hybrid bike (700c wheels) the tires look pretty similar in width and tread. The hybrid has Kenda Kwest, 700x38C, the MTB has Maxxis Overdrive, 26X1.75. I'm not mentioning these tires to recommend them, just that this is the size and type that will look and act similar on the two bikes. Take a look at these tires on line and then you'll have an idea of what you're looking at in the local stores.

In fact, look at this website (again, not recommending the tires, just FYI)

http://www.maxxistires.com/products/bicycle/product_detail.asp?id=225

It shows the same tire in both of those sizes, which reinforces my opinion that those two sizes, given similar treads, are very similar in appearance and function.

I have no doubt the 26X1.75 and probably even a 26X1.5 will fit on the MTB.

I'd be surprised if you'd have any trouble fitting the 38 on your 700c bike - but that would be my only question though. There's no substitute for having someone look at it, or buying the tire and trying it. What size tires are on it now? Is your LBS willing to let you try for fit? IF not, just break down and bring it in. In the future you'll know.

I really think that many, if not the huge majority of MTB owners should switch their tires over to this less aggressive tread design which is much better for the use these bikes are actually seeing.

Tires will also have measurements like 26x1.5 (generally geared more for road riding (but not as skinny as roadbike tires)) to 26x2.3 (off road tread) (wider / bouncier!). Both bikes probably came with average sized tires meaning as long as you don't want a 6" fatboy rear slick you can pick anything and it'll clear your brakes etc. I would suggest looking at Specialized as they make decent tires for all riding and good all purpose tires are the Hemisphere & Borough lines. Also look at getting tires w/puncture resistance as they really work. Specialized take on that is their "Armadillo" line and I use them on both my MTB & roadie and love 'em. Never go back. Hope that helps you find a solution to keep ridin'

Cheers 🙂

ALSO... tube are generally multi-size so if your tire is a 26x2.0 tire, the tube you need may be sold as "26x1.8-2.25" tube good for a variety of sizes of tire!

my MTB uses 26x1.95-2.25 tubes
my roadie uses 700x18-25c tubes

also make sure you buy the proper valve; Schraeder is like your car tire and typical on MTB's; Presta is narrower and usually threaded. You can use a Presta in a Schraeder rim, but a Schraeder valve won't fit through a Presta hole.

Cheers,

geardad said:

my wife and I have a couple mountain/city bikes. last night, we were informed that wheel diameter isn't enought to get the right tire or tube. we need to consider the frame, brake shoes, and other things to make sure we get the right fit without causing abrasion and other horrors we had no idea about.

can someone help me to know what dimensions I need to know so that I can select the right tire?

the friendly representative suggested we bring in the bikes, but we'd rather be informed consumers, not bewildered ones.

thanks!

geard

I'm going to agree with your bike shop. There's a lot of factors that may affect what tires will fit on your bike. If you want to know the answer for sure there is no substitute for seeing the whole bike.

1. Rim diameter. In this case, there are actually several different 26" rim diameters. Tires with a decimal designation (26 X 1.5"😉 have a different bead seat diameter than tires with a fractional designation (26 x 1 3/8).

2. Rim width. While most decimal tires will fit on most 26" rims, narrow tires (26 X 1.25"😉 pinch flat easily if installed on rims that are too wide.

3. Tire width. The most common issues are fitting between the brake pads and interference with the frame chain stays.

4. Tire tread. I've encountered several cases where wide, knobby tires appeared to fit on a bike just fine. Then I tried shifting into the granny chainring and found the front derailleur hit the outer tire knobs.

I wouldn't be surprised if somebody posts some additional issues that I haven't thought of.

Just knowing that all of these issues exist may affect your thinking. If one were to buy some wide knobby tires from an internet source, for example, it would be prudent to test them with the front derailleur in all positions before rendering the new tires unreturnable.