Question about tyre and wheel sizes

[Zoom93]

Hi, just a quick question about tyres regarding a new bike i may buy. I have been looking at buying a Boardman Hybrid bike from Halfords (Unfortunately). After looking at the bike in store, i thought that the current tyre size would not be robust enough for the roads around my area (rural devon) so was wondering which tyres would fit. The standard size is 700c x 28c.
I was wondering whether any width of tyre would fit a 700c wheel. In particular 700c x 37c tyres. I have no experience with tyre sizes, so any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

and, BTW
Here is the bike im looking at, if you have any thoughts:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_502571_langId_-1_categoryId_165534#dtab
And these tyres in 700c x 37c:
http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti touringplus.shtml

 

[MacB]

the rim should have a size designation which indicates diameter and width, for 700c this would be 622-XX where XX is the rim width. There are then recommendations based on rim width and size of tyres they can cope with here:-

http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

but you can check with the rim manufacturers specs as well.

 

[accountantpete]

Hi Zoom & welcome.

You might give the 28's a go - they should be able to cope with most roads and will be lighter and offer less rolling resistance than the 37's you mention.

 

[Theseus]

Another thing to consider beyond whether they will fit on the rim is whether the frame/forks/brakes/mudguards has enough clearance for a larger tyre.

 

[Zoom93]

Thanks for the comments guys. I may give the 28s a go. Just a bit worried that they wont hold well on a damp/worn road. Any thoughts on whether the bike is a good choice? Thanks again.

 

[ianrauk]

Don't worry, they will

Thanks for the comments guys. I may give the 28s a go. Just a bit worried that they wont hold well on a damp/worn road. Any thoughts on whether the bike is a good choice? Thanks again.

 

[Randochap]

It should be noted that it is a misapprehension that narrower, high pressure tyres inherantly have less rolling resistance. In fact, a wider tyre (accordingly w/ lower pressure) will actually have lower rolling resistance, particularly on uneven surfaces.

If you are doing much riding on bumpy roads and unpaved trails, I'd encourage you to use tyres up to 40C. You'll be very happy with the performance.

The key to performance of any tyre is the suppleness of the casing. That's why many cyclists who do much long-distance riding on bumpy roads and trails have embraced 650b and the excellent tyres available, such as the 42b Grand Bois Hetre (see my Bleriot page at Veloweb).