Why you should know bike tire size?

Bicycle tires are an important part of the entire bicycle that affects the performance of the bike. After understanding the size of the bike tire, you can determine whether the bike is right for you. There are currently common manufacturing specifications for bicycle tire sizes. Different tire sizes have different advantages.

Having in-depth knowledge regarding bike tire sizes will help you clearly understand what size frame you need. Read this guide to learn how to choose the right bike size.

Although everyone talks about tire size for road and gravel biking, we've found that wider tires don't necessarily mean less speed. They can even provide more speed and perhaps more importantly, more comfort.

The ICAN Aero series wheels and the Alpha series wheels have the same aerodynamic rim shape. Both use Toray T700 and T800 carbon fiber in their construction. Provides a more comfortable experience for the driver.

The problem is how do you know what size tire you need? Which tires fit the rims you use? What exactly is the size of my tires? What do the different size specifications on bicycle tires mean?

There is a lot of sizing information on the sides of tires, and understanding what it means can be difficult. This article covers content related to bicycle tire sizes. Through it, you can understand the basic shape of current bicycle tire sizes and get to know the application environment of ICAN bicycle tires. It is a comprehensive guide to bike tire sizes in 2024.

Which tire size do I need?

If you want comfort, the simple answer here is: choose the largest possible tires that fit your rims and give you enough clearance for the frame or fork. Many manufacturers specify the maximum size you can use.

You should also consider your height and weight. The trend of the last few years shows that the size of bicycle tires is becoming larger and larger.

Which tire width fits my rim?

You should also consider your height and weight. In recent years, the trend for bicycle tires has been to keep getting bigger. You also need to find the right bike tire that fits your rim.
Here are common size combinations :

How do I know the tire size on my bike?

What do the different size specifications on bicycle tires mean?

You may be wondering what size my bike tires are. You can usually check the sidewall of your tire - the numbers there indicate the tire size (approximately the outside diameter and width). For example, 700 x 32c means the tire has an outside diameter of 700mm and a width of 32mm.

Generally, bicycle tire dimensions consist of two components. The larger number is the tire diameter in inches and the smaller number is the tire width in inches. The tire diameter is usually between 12 and 26 inches and the tire width is between 1.75 and 2.215 inches.

It is important to note that road bikes and mountain bikes use different units for size designation. The C stands for racing bikes and Zoll for mountain bikes.

What are the common sizes of bicycle tires?

Common standard road bike tire sizes are 700c x 23mm, which indicates a standard road bike tire approximately 700mm in diameter and 23mm wide. There are also some uncommon sizes like 510C, 500C, 450C, etc.

The common size for mountain bike tires is 26 inches, 27.5 inches and 29 inches. Currently, the 27.5-inch mountain bike size is the most common, while 29-inch and 26-inch mountain bikes are considered outdated models.

Bicycle tire size chart

We often encounter the situation that worn tires affect my driving experience and I need to replace them with new tires. Fortunately, various carbon bikes on the market can be assembled, which means we can use new tires to replace your worn tires. But what is our exchange based on?

We all know that an inappropriate tire size can damage the rim and put the driver in danger. If the tire is not wide enough, you risk frequent punctures and blowouts. If it is too wide, tire blowouts and poor stability may occur. It is therefore important to find the right bicycle tire size.

A complete bike tire size chart provides guidance on which tire sizes fit your internal rim width.

You can find many versions of bicycle tire size tables on the Internet. You can select the corresponding chart for reference.

Below we share a common bike tire size chart for you to reference. Check them carefully before ordering carbon rims or buying new tires. If your combination is not listed here, please contact us to discuss.

Below is a useful video about bike sizes that you can refer to.

Is there a road bike tire sizing cheat sheet available?

Yes. If you don't need any further information about tires, you can simply check out our quick reference guide to find out which tires fit the width of your rim.

The table above shows the internal width of your rim and the corresponding tire size that fits that rim. You should avoid putting tires in the red sections. Some people have managed to fit unsuitable tires, but that's a risk you don't have to take.

As you can see, rims fit a wide range of tire sizes, and it's worth choosing a rim that suits your riding style. We use an internal width of 18.35 for Aero and Alpha stock wheels as this covers a large area to suit most modern riding styles.

Who set the standard for bicycle tire size?

Currently the standard is set primarily by two major international organizations, ISO and ERTO .
We all know that ISO (International Organization for Standardization) was founded on February 23, 1947 as an international standards setting organization that develops international standards for industry and commerce worldwide. The ISO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

What is ERTO?

ETRTO stands for European Tire and Rim Technical Organization and is a professional organization for measuring the circumference of tires. Many countries use their size standards as bicycle size manufacturing specifications to avoid confusion between different sizes.

You know how everyone likes to mention that bike manufacturers like to create new standards? The idea for this came about at a time when the bicycle industry was presenting us with a new standard every week. Fortunately, we seem to be moving away from that.

But what does this have to do with ERTO? Well, every country used to have its own way of measuring tires. Some made more sense than others. All these standards turned out to be a nightmare for consumers.

It was decided that for convenience there should be an international standard guide to tire sizes. The new method was originally called the "ETRTO" system, and you can still see that. ETRTO stood for European Tire and Rim Technical Organization.

The adopted system is part of the ISO system, the International Organization for Standardization. The special name given to the ERTO standard is ISO 5775. We can thank this rule that we no longer have to deal with the fact that there used to be six types of 26-inch tires.

What does the ERTO say about tire size labeling?

The ISO/ERTO standard system uses two numbers. The first number you see indicates how much the tire is inflated. It's also worth noting that this is a benchmark for most companies. Different rims influence this width. Your rim can also change the shape of your tire, so if your rim has recommended sizes, you should stick to those guidelines.

The second number is the wheel/tire/rim size, and this is the number that confuses most people. The reason for the confusion is that this number is not the number that most people use in their daily conversations about bicycle wheels and tires.

You'll probably use the French system for road bikes and call your wheel a 700c. According to the ERTO system, your wheel is actually 622mm. 622 mm also corresponds to a 29-inch mountain bike rim. When it comes to mountain bikes, inches are usually used when it comes to the size of wheels and tires.

However, there is always an exception, which is the new standard of 27.5". It is sometimes referred to by its size in the French system, which is 650b. So you know there is also a 650a and 650c. 27.5" and 650b according to ERTO it is 584 mm. A 650 tire without letters is narrow, the higher the letters, the wider the tires are in the French system.

The French system uses the outside diameter of the tire to measure its size. The ISO/ERTO system uses the inside diameter of the tire. The customs system is not as good for measuring size as it is not as specific as the ERTO or French systems.

So if you see 622 x 35 mm. Then it is a tire the size of a racing bike, but probably more of a gravel or cyclocross variant. When purchasing hoses, providing an ERTO number will make your life much easier and prevent you from accidentally purchasing the wrong hose, provided you know what type of valve you need.

What size tire fits the ICAN carbon rim?

The ICAN Aero series wheels and the Alpha series wheels have the same aerodynamic rim shape. Both use Toray T700 and T800 carbon fiber in their construction.

40mm is more than enough for most gravel riders. If you want more than 40 mm width, you have to be very capable off-road and should take a look at our 29er XC wheels.

Between these two sizes you can use the UCI maximum width for cyclocross tires. You can easily mount these 33 mm wide tires on our Aero and Alpha rims. By the way, did we mention that they can be ridden tubeless?

conclusion

If you reading this article, I think you will understand that how to read bike tire size, why they called it so. If you have any questions about bike tire size, you can comment below.