Mountain Bike Tire Size Explained

Mountain bike tire size and width.

Mountain bike tire size explained. The sizes you commonly see for mountain bike wheels like 26in 27 5in and 29in all refer to the outside diameter of the wheel with the tire fully inflated. For xc riding and racing tires usually fall into the range of 2 2 25 inches. 700x25c indicates a tire with a 700mm outer diameter and a 25mm width. First up is the tube s diameter.

Alongside the tire size you have the option of running tubeless or tubed tires. It s also the size used on smaller sizes of canyon s women s range. But there are other sizes in use. Some special tires can even be wider up to 3 inches with some models.

Road tires generally come in the size 700c which roughly equals 700 millimeters. Trail and all mountain bikes will have tires in the 2 25 to 2 4 width range. 29 x 2 3 indicates a tire with a 29 outer diameter and a 2 3 width. A tire size you might see on a mountain bike.

This same rim size was adopted by the early pioneers of west coast klunkers and became the standard for mountain bikes. This varies from 1 6 to 2 5 inches. It also helps to ask questions and speak to knowledgeable staff members. Most road bikes will have 700c wheels and need 700c tubes to fit.

Lately though riders across categories have been exploring the opportunities of bigger tires especially in the front. Some gravel bikes like the cannondale slate come with 650b wheels. Most riders prefer a tubeless system. As an added bonus.

Due to the terrain and lower tire pressure mountain bike tires are wider. But here s the funny part you need to get off the internet and spend some quality time with some real mountain bikes to learn about sizing them. Although they are still called 26 inch these tires are actually 25 5 8 not 26. A tire size you might see on a road bike.

A third type of tire size might appear on either a mountain or a road tire. 26 inches 27 5 inches and 29 inches. Tires are also measured in width. Tires come in three diameters.

Once you ve identified your tire diameter 29 27 5 or 26 you ll want to dial in your width. Tubeless tires are recommended when you want lower tire pressures. A rim width that coincides with that is generally around 20 25mm on the inside. Mountain bike sizing explained one very popular topic that s always asked about online is mountain bike sizing.

These sizes can be thought of as a sort of shorthand for decimal sizes each with a corresponding iso measurement. Many bicycle brands and bike shops offer demo days or demo events to allow customers to test ride bikes.