Will 650 Tires Fit 700 Wheels?

Ronnie McClure has a question about tire sizes, he has a Trek 7200 which has 700 size wheels and he wants to know if he can fit the smaller 650 size tires. I think maybe he is looking at the wrong size on the tire and asking the wrong question, so here is our answer

Question:
I’ve got a Trek 7200 and want to know if I can replace the 700 size tire with a smaller size 650tire? Thanks.

Hi Ronnie,

The size 700 refers to the overall size of the wheel, a 650 is a smaller wheel and the frame for that size of wheel is radically different, so the tire is also very different. If you want a smaller tire and in this I think you mean a narrower tire, then you need to look at the other size, i.e. 700 x 25 or 700 x 19. This refers to the 700 size wheel and the other figure is the width and height of the tire. So take a look at the size on your present tire and if it is a 25 go down to a 23, or what ever. If you ride a tire as small as a 19 you will find that it will give you a lot of road vibrations and you will feel every bump in the road, especially if you have the tires blown up very hard and they tend to be more susceptible to what is referred to as “snake bite” punctures, these are two punctures either side of the tube caused by the rim cutting into the tube when you hit something like a stone in the road.

We hope this has helped, if you have 700 wheels then you must stick with 700 tiers.