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Wheel Sizes



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 7th 05, 03:53 PM
Dave
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Default Wheel Sizes

Bit of a numpty question this but here goes.

Many moons ago I used to cycle a bit and am considering getting a bike again
to help keep fit and general riding.

I have with guidance almost written off mountain bikes as I have no
intention of of riding accross really rough terrain, my intended being
roads, canal towpath and forest roads etc so believe that a hybrid type bike
will be a better choice for me.

In the past bikes had wheel sizes that were easy to understand like 27 x 1,
or 26 x 1 and 3 eighths etc. I am now faced with sizes like 700c 25 etc.

What does all this mean? I guess that it is metric with this meaning 700mm x
25mm but chat do the letters stand for.

Any help as I am still in imperial measurements.

Dave
UK


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  #2  
Old September 7th 05, 04:03 PM
Call me Bob
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Default Wheel Sizes

On Wed, 7 Sep 2005 15:53:01 +0100, "Dave"
wrote:

In the past bikes had wheel sizes that were easy to understand like 27 x 1,
or 26 x 1 and 3 eighths etc. I am now faced with sizes like 700c 25 etc.

What does all this mean? I guess that it is metric with this meaning 700mm x
25mm but chat do the letters stand for.

Any help as I am still in imperial measurements.


Trust in Sheldon, for he is The One:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html


"Bob"
--


Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.
  #3  
Old September 7th 05, 04:14 PM
Arthur Clune
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Default Wheel Sizes

Dave wrote:

What does all this mean? I guess that it is metric with this meaning 700mm x
25mm but chat do the letters stand for.


The basic summary would be:

700c - road bike size wheels
25mm - width of tyre.

So 700c x 38 would be big tyres suitable for the sort of thing you
are proposing

Tyres labelled 26 x 1 1/4" etc are for old roadsters

Tyres laballed 26 x 1.25" are for MTBs. Note that these last two examples
are not the same size tyre even though 1 1/4 = 1.25!

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune
  #4  
Old September 7th 05, 05:41 PM
Simon Brooke
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Default Wheel Sizes

in message , Dave
') wrote:

Bit of a numpty question this but here goes.

Many moons ago I used to cycle a bit and am considering getting a bike
again to help keep fit and general riding.

I have with guidance almost written off mountain bikes as I have no
intention of of riding accross really rough terrain, my intended being
roads, canal towpath and forest roads etc so believe that a hybrid type
bike will be a better choice for me.

In the past bikes had wheel sizes that were easy to understand like 27
x 1, or 26 x 1 and 3 eighths etc. I am now faced with sizes like 700c
25 etc.

What does all this mean? I guess that it is metric with this meaning
700mm x 25mm but chat do the letters stand for.


The nominal overall diameter is 700mm. In fact it isn't but never mind;
the actual diameter of the rim is 622mm (or maybe that's the bead seat
diameter). Doesn't matter. It's a smidgin smaller than an old 27" and a
smidgin bigger than a 26", and it's the current default size for road
bikes and road-oriented hybrids. Tyres range from 20mm (similar to an
old 3/4" - razor thin for racing on - through 23mm which is default fast
roadbike tyre, 28mm which is about 1 1/4" up to 38mm fat touring tyres
(and indeed you can get '29"' mountain bike tyres which are even fatter,
which also fit a 700c rim).

Any help as I am still in imperial measurements.


Think of it as being 27", give or take.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; All in all you're just another nick in the ball
-- Think Droid

  #5  
Old September 7th 05, 05:54 PM
Alan Braggins
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Default Wheel Sizes

In article , Call me Bob wrote:
On Wed, 7 Sep 2005 15:53:01 +0100, "Dave"
wrote:

In the past bikes had wheel sizes that were easy to understand like 27 x 1,
or 26 x 1 and 3 eighths etc. I am now faced with sizes like 700c 25 etc.

What does all this mean? I guess that it is metric with this meaning 700mm x
25mm but chat do the letters stand for.

Any help as I am still in imperial measurements.


Trust in Sheldon, for he is The One:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html


But this being a UK group, you want his English page:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tyre_sizing.html
  #6  
Old September 7th 05, 06:49 PM
David Martin
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Default Wheel Sizes


Simon Brooke wrote:
in message , Dave
') wrote:

Bit of a numpty question this but here goes.

Many moons ago I used to cycle a bit and am considering getting a bike
again to help keep fit and general riding.

I have with guidance almost written off mountain bikes as I have no
intention of of riding accross really rough terrain, my intended being
roads, canal towpath and forest roads etc so believe that a hybrid type
bike will be a better choice for me.

In the past bikes had wheel sizes that were easy to understand like 27
x 1, or 26 x 1 and 3 eighths etc. I am now faced with sizes like 700c
25 etc.

What does all this mean? I guess that it is metric with this meaning
700mm x 25mm but chat do the letters stand for.


The nominal overall diameter is 700mm. In fact it isn't but never mind;
the actual diameter of the rim is 622mm (or maybe that's the bead seat
diameter). Doesn't matter. It's a smidgin smaller than an old 27" and a
smidgin bigger than a 26", and it's the current default size for road
bikes and road-oriented hybrids. Tyres range from 20mm (similar to an
old 3/4" - razor thin for racing on - through 23mm which is default fast
roadbike tyre, 28mm which is about 1 1/4" up to 38mm fat touring tyres
(and indeed you can get '29"' mountain bike tyres which are even fatter,
which also fit a 700c rim).


European sizes were traditionally the overall diameter of the tread
with a letter to indicate the tyre width, so 700c was nominally a 700mm
diameter wheel and tyre with a tyre of width 38mm (about 27x1 1/2) So a
650B and a 650A tyre would be incompatible though the same overall
diameter becasue the rim was a different size.

Fortunately tyres have now standardised on the size of rim they fit
onto.
The thing to look for is the ETRO number. This is the bead seat
diameter, ie the size of the rim the tyre fits on and the width of the
tyre, and looks like 622-25 (622mm diameter rim and 25mm cross section
tyre, broadly equivalent to the 27 x1" but not quite the same.) Here is
an abbreviated list of sizes

ETRO traditional description
635 28" Policemans bike
630 old 27" road
622 700c (also known as 29" for off road)
597 Another 26"
590 Old 26" roadster
584 650B
571 650c
559 26" mountain bike
547 24"
541 600A
540 24"
520 24"
507 24"
501 22"
490 550A
451 many 20" folding bikes
440 500A
438 Dutch 20"
406 20" BMX
400 18"
390 450A
387 Dutch 18"
369 17" Moulton
355 Another 18" size
349 16"
340 400A
305 16"
298 14"
254 14"
222 11"
203 12 1/2"

As you can see it is a bit of a minefield, but armed with the ETRO
number, you will get the right tyre for your bike, ie one that fits the
rims.

Hope this helps. A 700c wheel will be about a quarter inch or so
smaller than a 27" wheel, not enough to worry about for riding the bike
but quite important when it comes to replacing tyres. Most modern bikes
are either 622 (700c) or 559 (MTB 26")

...d

  #7  
Old September 7th 05, 08:00 PM
Naqerj
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Posts: n/a
Default Wheel Sizes

David Martin wrote:

The thing to look for is the ETRO number.


I think there should be another letter in there... ETRTO?

ISO size is the same thing.

This is the bead seat
diameter, ie the size of the rim the tyre fits on and the width of the
tyre, and looks like 622-25 (622mm diameter rim and 25mm cross section
tyre, broadly equivalent to the 27 x1" but not quite the same.) Here is
an abbreviated list of sizes

ETRO traditional description
635 28" Policemans bike
630 old 27" road

Well, not *that* old... it's post-WW2 (there was a pre-war 27 x 1-1/4;
that's ETRTO 622!)

622 700c (also known as 29" for off road)
597 Another 26"

That's 26 x 1-1/4

590 Old 26" roadster

26 x 1-3/8 or 650A

584 650B

26 x 1-1/2 in UK

571 650c

26 x 1-3/4 (ie: trade bike size)

559 26" mountain bike


and it's round about here that my memory fails
547 24"
541 600A
540 24"
520 24"
507 24"
501 22"
490 550A
451 many 20" folding bikes
440 500A
438 Dutch 20"
406 20" BMX
400 18"
390 450A
387 Dutch 18"
369 17" Moulton
355 Another 18" size
349 16"
340 400A
305 16"
298 14"
254 14"
222 11"
203 12 1/2"

--
Andrew
  #8  
Old September 7th 05, 09:28 PM
m-gineering
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Default Wheel Sizes

Naqerj wrote:

David Martin wrote:

The thing to look for is the ETRO number.


I think there should be another letter in there... ETRTO?


European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation

--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl
 




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