Road Bike Tire Sizes Explained
To confuse matters further all tyres use the european tyre and rim technical organisation etrto system so for a road it would display 622 x nn with the nn value indicating the tyre width which is the same as 700 x nn.
Road bike tire sizes explained. So the rim spec will be 622 x then another number this other number will refer to the rim s internal width for a road bike this could be a number from 13mm up to 25mm with most road bike. Mountain bike tyre sizes are usually stated in inches. These would usually be measured in inches 26 27 etc or millimeters 650 700 etc. Note that the c does not stand for centimeters.
Finding the right inner tube depends on the size of the tires on your bike. There are a myriad of wheel sizes for road mtb touring and children s bikes. Generally bike tire sizes are indicated with two numbers that correspond roughly to the outside diameter of the tire and the width of the tire. Where you see a block of two or more compatible sizes having the same bead diameter you can assume that intermediate sizes exist that will also fit the same rim.
As the width increases the tire will have more contact surface with the road making it more stable and comfortable. As the width decreases there is less rolling resistance or friction and therefore is faster. It s a holdover from an old french system that designated tire sizes using the letters a b and c. So a 29 inch mtb tube will have the same diameter as a 700c road wheel while a 27 5 inch tube will be the same diameter as a 650b road wheel.
The table below lists most of the sizes of tyre that are likely to be found in the uk. 23c 25c and 28c their width in mm. Road bikes rim sizes. Some older road bikes still have the 27 inch size.
700 x 32c indicates a tire that has an outer diameter of 700mm and a width of 32mm. Typical road bike tire. Common road bike widths in millimeters come in sizes ranging from 18 to 23 with a typical road bike tire at 700 x 23. The second smaller number is the tire s width.
Road bike tires generally come in three widths. This is pretty simple. Adult road bikes come with 700c wheels under the etrto iso this measurement is 622mm. Because of the high pressure and desired low rolling resistance road tires come in narrow widths.