Bicycle Mechanics - LBS says tire width can = rim width?

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slvoid
02-25-04, 07:51 AM
I just called the LBS and the guy said if I wanted thinner tires that I can go all the way down to as thin as my rims are?
My rims are around 1" wide, according to him, I can get tires that are 1" wide. Isn't it a rule that the tire's always supposed to be 1/4" or so wider than the rim?

Punisher
02-25-04, 08:09 AM
No, he is right.
Ebbtide
02-25-04, 08:21 AM
I have 26X1 on my mountain bike. No problems at all.

Gonzo Bob
02-25-04, 10:28 AM
You can probably go down to rim width if your rims are 18mm or 20mm wide (outside width) but I think for rims wider than that, you may run into difficulties. I once tried mounting 23mm tires on 22mm wide rims and could not get the tire to stay on the rim as I pumped it up.

Here are some guidelines...

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html#width
miamijim
02-28-04, 06:06 AM
Yes, it can be done.
sch
02-28-04, 06:19 AM
As the tire gets closer to rim width you will have more
trouble mounting the tire and less room for the tube
with increased risk, especially with road tires of difficulty
with seating the bead into the rim and hence blowoff
of the tire as pressures go above 50-70#. Note that
tubes come in sizes too and you may want to get a
narrower tube with thinner rubber to go along with that
narrower tire. You can't stuff a tube for a 28-32mm
tire into a 20mm carcass. If the tire is going to blow
off the rim it will do so as or with in minutes of inflation.
Nothing like a blow off at 110psi to get peoples attention.
The converse is also true, don't use a tube intended for
20-23mm tires in a 32mm tire, it will over stretch easily
to fill the tire but any little manufacturing defect, scratch
or mark will thin out preferentially and the tube may fail
prematurely. :) Steve