Mountain Bike Tire Sizes Front Back

Measurements like 26 1 which is the 27 5 size and 28x two fractions which is the 29 size are fractional inch markings.

Mountain bike tire sizes front back.

It s important to note that you cannot mix fractional markings with decimals. Typical mountain bike tire. With mountain bikes you re mostly safe from fractional sizes but it s worth mentioning them for completeness. At the extreme end there are 69er and 96er mountain bikes that mix and match 29 622 and 26 559 wheels on the same bike as well as terry women s bikes with 24 520 front wheels and 700c 622 rear.

In general the desired tire width for the most common biking styles are as follows. Sticking with only a wide front tire is a good compromise. 26 inches 27 5 inches and 29 inches. When wtb redesigned the vigilante last year they went all out on a modern front tire for aggressive mountain biking.

We selected tires in the 2 3 to 2 6 inch width range. Tubeless tires are recommended when you want lower tire pressures. All mountain and trial bikes have tire width in the range of 2 25 to 2 4. Some special tires can even be wider up to 3 inches with some models.

Tires come in three diameters. 2 2 and 27 5 indicate a tire that has a width of 2 2 and an outer diameter of 27 5. Cross country bikes have tire width between 1 9 and 2 25. Frame limitations while there is generally quite a bit of room in the front suspension fork a 2 3 2 5 tire can probably fit the frame can only accommodate a certain size tire.

Previously the tire was only available in a 2 3 inch width and the brand released the new version in june 2018 in 2 5 and 2 6 inch widths. As tires continue to trend wider so too are the tires in our test. Check your tire s sidewall the numbers there indicate your tire size roughly its outer diameter and its width but not always in that order. Most riders prefer a tubeless system.

Tires are also measured in width. Share a link to this answer. We now have several models in the 2 5 and 2 6 widths that are becoming much more common in the current mountain bike tire market. This varies from 1 6 to 2 5 inches.

For downhill bikes the tire width can go up to 2 5. Downhill bikes which are meant to withstand the abuse of drops and rock gardens are typically equipped with tires up to 2 5 wide. Fat bikes have tire width over 3 7. This is also why a narrow tire goes on the rear wheel.

Additionally rear tire tread designs should complement the front tire but can be very different to achieve rear specific goals. It s lighter requiring less energy to rotate. Read our review on the michelin wild rock r2 all mountain tire. A cross country bike will have tires in the 1 9 to 2 25 width range.

On the typical cross country mountain bike you won t get bigger than a 2 1 tire back there. We mounted tires to 30 mm internal diameter wheels. Trail and all mountain bikes will have tires in the 2 25 to 2 4 width range. Once you ve identified your tire diameter 29 27 5 or 26 you ll want to dial in your width.

Alongside the tire size you have the option of running tubeless or tubed tires.