Cycling Wheels and Tires

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Puncture Resistant Tires

Wheels and Tires

Your choice of wheels and tires will have a huge impact on performance on different riding surfaces.

Recommendation

• This can really get complex, much more complex than is should be

• Selection will in large part be related to the High Adventure planned for the year

• You should come talk to our Bike Team before making an expensive purchase

• Eastern Washington Recommendations

  • Tire Liners 

    • amazon.com/dp/B0032VC1Q0 

  • Tires can't be more than 5 years old 

    • Unless doesn't have sign of aging

  • No tube more than 2 years old

    • Prefer self sealing tubes

      • amazon.com/dp/B07FMNL13P 

Wheels, Tires and Innertubes

Your bike frame is designed for a certain wheel/tire combination.  You will likely be able to mix and match tires and tube to some extent, but may need to consult with a bike expert to make sure it works on your bike.

This page to intended to show some of the differences in tires and wheels to help with support planning for bike outings. 

Tires and Wheel Sizes

• Road and Gravel Tires

  • 27.5

    • 650b

      • Gravel Bike tires

      • Sometimes used to run wider tires when frame allow for more clearance for 650b than 700c

      • Sometimes used for shorter riders

    • 27.5"

      • Mountain Bike tires

  • 29er

    • More common Road size

    • 700c

    • 29"

      • About the same size as 700c but generally wider

• Mountain Bike Tires (some Gravel Bikes)

  • 26inchers

    • 650c

      • 571mm Rim Diameter

    • 26"

      • Mountain: 559mm Rim Diameter

      • City: 584mm Rim Diameter

      • This used to be the go-to tire size for mountain bikes

      • 27.5" and 29" tires have mostly replaced this tire size on newer bikes

  • 27.5

    • 650b

      • Gravel Bike tires

      • Sometimes used to run wider tires when frame allow for more clearance for 650b than 700c

      • Sometimes used for shorter riders

    • 27.5"

      • Most common Mountain Bike tire size

  • 29er

    • Has become the most popular size for the Tour Divide

      • More Gravel orientated 

    • 700c

    • 29"

      • About the same size as 700c but generally wider

• Kid Bikes and Folding Bikes

  • 16"

  • 20"

  • 24"

Tire Width

• Width of tires are dependent on so many factors, especially the surface you will be riding on 

• These are VERY General Guidelines

  • Finding the perfect tire size is also a great way to start up a biking argument if that's what you area into

• Road Bikes

  • 28mm

    • Standard Road Size

    • Most popular size used on Tour de France

    • Anything smaller starts to get really harsh 

      • 25mm offers good grip and rolling resistance

  • 32mm

    • More cushiness

      • Less road buzz

    • Becoming more popular for road riding and racing

    • Some teams in the Tour de France have switched to 32mm

      • Improved comfort

      • Reduced risk of punctures on gravel

• Gravel Bikes

  • 35mm

    • Very mild Gravel

    • Old standard tires size

    • Fine for most gravel use

  • 45mm

    • Good balance between road and rougher gravel

    • 40-47mm have become the newer norm from gravel bikes

    • Somewhere between 40-50mm is recommended for Palouse to Cascades Trial

      • Soft Sand in a few spots

      • Rougher gravel in other spots

      • Mix of both soft sand and rough gravel too

  • 2.1-2.25"

    • Popular size of off road focused riding

    • Most popular size used on the Tour Divide (and on 29ers)

• Touring Bike

  • 32-35mm

    • Seems to be popular size for touring

      • Good balance of rolling resistance and ride quality on paved surfaces

    • Larger for Gravel Touring

    • Some still like 28mm for lighter touring

• Mountain Bikes

  • 2.1-2.25"

    • Great balance between rolling resistance, flotation and comfort if running front suspension 

    • Down to 1.9" if using bike for gravel

    • Up to 2.5" for downhill bikes

  • 2.6-2.8"

    • Provides a little more cushion on bumps if running a rigid fork

  • 3.7- 5.2” Fat Tires

    • Great for loose sand and snow

    • Pig to power on rides - not recommended except for special terrain

    • Anything larger is too difficult to steer

Tube vs Tubeless Tires

• Running Tubed and Tubeless Tires are their own benefits

  • For Scouting and those new to Cycling, we recommend Tires with Innertubes

    • Easier to change a flat

    • Allows you to develop this basic skill

    • Overall - less expensive

  • For rough riding, such as on the Palouse Trail east of Ellensburg, tubeless tires have their benefits

    • Will resist many of the smaller punctures

    • Allows you to run lower tire pressures

    • So if you are purchasing a new set of tires Well In Advance of High Adventure, there is an argument for Tubeless

      • You will need to set up your rims and tires

        • Some rims will need more setup 

        • We don't recommend you use a rim NOT designed for tubeless tires

      • You will need to learn a new set of skills for fixing flats, repairing tires and seating rims

      • You will need a different set of repair gear

      • You will still need innertubes and a innertube patch kit

• Tubed Tires

  • Most bikes comes with an innertube

    • Even tubeless ready wheels will often come with innertubes

    • Innertubes hold air longer than tubeless tires

    • Don't have to worry about sealant leaking or drying out

  • Less expensive

  • Lighter

    • Depending what which setup you go with

    • For most people, there is no noticeable difference

  • Easier to repair a flat

    • Don't need special gear

    • Don't need to mess with sealant

    • This is particularly important for new cyclists

  • Don't need to worry about sealant drying out

  • More likely to get a flat

  • Allows you to run higher pressures

    • Too much pressure can break the seal on a tubeless tires

    • Higher pressures allow for more stability

    • Sealant filled tires feel funny on jumps

• Tubeless Tires

  • Used in conjunction with sealant

    • Sealant plugs small leaks - thorns

    • Preferred when doing a lot of offroad and gravel riding

  • Can run lower pressures

    • Don't' have to worry about pinch flats

    • Lower pressures are nice offroad and on gravel

      • Nicer ride

      • Better traction 

    • Slightly lower pressures may make road handling more comfortable

  • Different rim style

    • Ideally use tubeless ready rims

    • Wheels can be converted using a Tubeless conversion kit such as Muc-Off-20085-Ultimate-Tubeless kit

      • Rim tape

      • Tubeless valves

      • Tubeless tire sealant

  • Resistant to Flats

    • Uses sealant in tire that will seal small punctures

    • Impervious to pinch punctures 

    • Less likely to have catastrophic puncture

      • A punctured innertube can explode, resulting in instant flat

    • Still prone to snakebite punctures 

  • Required more maintenance

    • Requires cleaning out and replacement of sealant at least every 6 months (more is some climates)

    • Requires topping off sealant on a regular basis

    • Requires checking air pressure on a regular basis

  • Flying concerns

    • May need to reduce air pressure when transporting by air

    • Small risk of sealant leak and associated mess

  • Needs a high power pump to seat bead

    • Or you can used innertubes and deal with the sealant mess

Innertubes

• 700c and 29" (Road and Gravel Bikes)

  • 700 × 20-25mm

    • Race style road bikes 

  • 700 × 25-32mm 

    • Road bikes

  • 700 × 28-37mm 

    • Road, cyclocross, gravel and hybrid bikes 

  • 700 × 32-47mm 

    • Road cyclocross, gravel and hybrid bikes 

• Mountain Bike Tires

  • 26", 27.5" (650b), 29"

  • Up to 2"

    • Old-school, narrow Mountain Bike Tires

  • 2-2.3" 

    • Typical cross-country (XC) Mountain Bike Tires

  • 2.3-2.6"

    • Trail

    • Enduro

    • General Mountain Bike Tires

  • 2.6-3.0" 

    • ‘Plus’ sized Mountain Bike Tires

  • 3.0"+

    • Fat Bike Tires

• Rubber

  • Butyl 

    • More common

    • Cheaper

    • Easy to repair

    • Heavier

  • Latex

    • Lighter

    • Lower rolling resistance

    • More fragile and floppy

    • Damaged if using brake pads on rims on long downhills

    • Need to be pumped up more

    • Requires a special repair kit

• Valves

  • Presta 

    • More common and specialty bikes

    • Longer and narrower

    • Some wheels require longer valves

  • Schrader

    • Similar to car tire valve

    • Found on economy bikes

  • Dunlop 

    • Found on some bikes in Europe

    • Listed here for trivia