Fitting narrower tyres

Hi all,

Recently my offroad riding has gone from "almost none"
to "none". My hybrid currently has 700x38c tyres, and
so I'm thinking about getting some narrower ones.

I've only ever replaced tyres with ones of the same size,
so I'm a bit unsure about what range of sizes will fit
my wheels. Can any kind person tell me what range of sizes
I could expect to fit?

Hopefully it's not too much of a tyre-some question. Ahem.

Cheers,

--
jc

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"Jeremy Collins" wrote in message
news
Hi all,

Recently my offroad riding has gone from "almost none"
to "none". My hybrid currently has 700x38c tyres, and
so I'm thinking about getting some narrower ones.

I've only ever replaced tyres with ones of the same size,
so I'm a bit unsure about what range of sizes will fit
my wheels. Can any kind person tell me what range of sizes
I could expect to fit?

Go here and read all about it:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html#width

....under "Width Considerations."

You will need to know your rim width to know what tires will fit. Choosing a
median size, rather than one at the extremes of compatibility for that rim,
will tend to reduce mounting and in-use damage problems.

Hybrids that I've seen tend to come with rims that start to become difficult
to use with tires smaller than 32, although you might be able to get a 28
onto some of them. 700x32c is a size in which there are many good choices in
pavement tires.

RichC

What kind of rims do you have (recommended width and are they hook
beaded)?

- -

"May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

"Jeremy Collins" wrote in message


[...]

Thanks for the reply! I was hoping to go down to 28; My rims
are marked 622x18 (the brand is Alexrims - "DH19"). Sheldon
says 28 tyres are OK with 19 rims, or is it too borderline to
be worthwhile?

If they're a true 28 you'll probably be OK but some tyres are narrower than
their nominal width and you won't want to go below a 28. I went for 32s
when I was in the same situation as you.

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Rich Clark wrote:

You will need to know your rim width to know what tires will fit. Choosing a
median size, rather than one at the extremes of compatibility for that rim,
will tend to reduce mounting and in-use damage problems.

Hybrids that I've seen tend to come with rims that start to become difficult
to use with tires smaller than 32, although you might be able to get a 28
onto some of them. 700x32c is a size in which there are many good choices in
pavement tires.

Thanks for the reply! I was hoping to go down to 28; My rims
are marked 622x18 (the brand is Alexrims - "DH19"). Sheldon
says 28 tyres are OK with 19 rims, or is it too borderline to
be worthwhile?

Cheers,


--
jc

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JC wrote:
I've only ever replaced tyres with ones of the same size,
so I'm a bit unsure about what range of sizes will fit my wheels.
======
Hi JC. I have been wondering about the same thing. I bought my first road
bike recently. I no sooner got on our local bike path when I got a flat.
This had never happen to me before, when riding my old Bridgestone mtb.
Carrying the bike on my shoulder, I got off the path and went to the nearest
bus stop. The bus driver told me that lots of people have been getting
flats on the bike path due to glass having been used as a filler in the
asphalt. After a few years the glass had surfaced to the top causing flats,
especially to cyclist who have skinny tires. Anyway, I was told that I
should replace my stock Fuji tires w/ Kevlar tires. They are a rather odd
size ( 700 26c) so I've had been wondering if I could replace them w/ the
more common 700 25's or 23's. Hope you (and I) get some answers here.
Good luck to the two of us! Btw, does anyone know what the "c" stands for
(as in 700 26 *c*)?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeremy Collins"
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.misc
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2004 5:40 AM

Hi all,

Recently my offroad riding has gone from "almost none"
to "none". My hybrid currently has 700x38c tyres, and
so I'm thinking about getting some narrower ones.

I've only ever replaced tyres with ones of the same size,
so I'm a bit unsure about what range of sizes will fit
my wheels. Can any kind person tell me what range of sizes
I could expect to fit?

Hopefully it's not too much of a tyre-some question. Ahem.

Cheers,

--
jc

Remove the -not from email


"Jeremy Collins" wrote in message
news
Hi all,

Recently my offroad riding has gone from "almost none"
to "none". My hybrid currently has 700x38c tyres, and
so I'm thinking about getting some narrower ones.

I've only ever replaced tyres with ones of the same size,
so I'm a bit unsure about what range of sizes will fit
my wheels. Can any kind person tell me what range of sizes
I could expect to fit?

Hopefully it's not too much of a tyre-some question. Ahem.

Cheers,

--
jc

Remove the -not from email

Chris Zacho The Wheelman wrote:

What kind of rims do you have (recommended width and are they hook
beaded)?

Er, not sure. They're marked 622x18 - Alexrims DH19, so
I was assuming that the "18" was the rim width. I don't
know what hook beaded means, though...

--
jc

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Glenn Civello wrote:

Btw, does anyone know what the "c" stands for
(as in 700 26 *c*)?

Ah, I think I know. AIUI it's a redundant leftover from the
old French style of describing the width of the tyre - "a",
"b" and "c" were standard sizes. Don't know why its still
used, since all metric tyres seem to be a "c", these days
and the width is quoted anyway.

I suppose you can see something like "700x28c" and know
immediately that someone is describing a tyre, just by the
"c" being there.

--
jc

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DRS wrote:

"Jeremy Collins" wrote in message


[...]


Thanks for the reply! I was hoping to go down to 28; My rims
are marked 622x18 (the brand is Alexrims - "DH19"). Sheldon
says 28 tyres are OK with 19 rims, or is it too borderline to
be worthwhile?


If they're a true 28 you'll probably be OK but some tyres are narrower than
their nominal width and you won't want to go below a 28. I went for 32s
when I was in the same situation as you.

That's a good point, I suppose some manufacturers skimp on the
width for reasons of cost and weight. This might be a job
for the LBS, since if they don't fit properly I won't be wasting
money. I was planning to buy the tyres online as my LBS is
good but very small, and they don't have much of a range of stock.

Cheers,


--
jc

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"Jeremy Collins" wrote in message
...
Chris Zacho The Wheelman wrote:

What kind of rims do you have (recommended width and are they hook
beaded)?

Er, not sure. They're marked 622x18 - Alexrims DH19, so
I was assuming that the "18" was the rim width. I don't
know what hook beaded means, though...

According to the manufacturer the width is indeed 18. Google is your friend.
http://www.alexrims.com/rims/ct_dh19.htm

Personally, Sheldon's chart notwithstanding, if I wanted to try a 28 on that
rim I would try to find a way to test it before investing money in the
tires. The heavier the rider, the more hesitant I'd be. Otherwise I'd go
with a 32. On a hybrid it's not going to make much of a difference in
performance -- picking a lightweight high-pressure tire with little tread
pattern matters more -- since the rims are already fairly hefty.

RichC