Correct Tire Size

Shane Morine in Canada is asking us what looks like an obvious question, but it is very important and needs answering for others also. His question is all about tire sizes and what fits what?

Question:
Can I put a 26×1.75 tire on a bike that has a 26×1.95 on it now?

Hi Shane,

Yes you can replace a 26 x 1.75 with a 26 x 1.95, or if you wanted to you could go even bigger to a 26 x 2.25, if the frame will take the larger tire size tire. The important number here is the 26 which is the wheel size and from this size I know you have a mountain bike.

With road bike they would be 700 which is the continental equivalent of a 27, but they are different, so don’t try to fit a 27 to a 700 or the other way round, one will be tight and the other will fall off the wheel rim. This also goes for 650′s and 26; they are similar but not the same. Stick to the same size tire that you have, i.e. 27, 26, 700 and 650, but the other size is the width and up to a point you can fit nearly any size, but check the bike first!