BIKEREX

Hello everyone,

I have a hybrid bike and would say that 75% of my riding is on paved roads. The bike came with Kenda Happy Medium Sport tires and I am thinking of replacements that have less rolling resistance and better puncture protection. I would not be opposed to a tire that is not as wide as what I have.

In looking at my rims and tires, I came across information that is confusing me, despite what I have been reading about the various designations.

RIM Markings: 622X17 700X18/23 ETRTO
Tire Markings: 42-622 700X40C 28X1 5/8

I know that for a given inner rim width, there is a range of tire widths that will work well, but given the above rim markings, I cannot figure out what the rim width would be. For the tire markings, I thought that the 42 was the width, but then I am seeing 700X40C, so is the width 40 or 42? 1 5/8" = 41.275mm, so I seemingly have three conflicting numbers to work with.

When looking at tires for this rim, I would be interested in knowing what sizes would fit. Also, is there a rule of thumb for sizing a tube to match a particular tire?

I am new to this and want to get it right.

Thanks!

dksix

I posted these two links the other day, so good information.

Tire Sizing Systems
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/26.html

The 18/23 on the rim may be inner and outer widths. The 622 is bead seat diameter, that has to match for a rim and tire to work I'm pretty sure. I'd guess the 40/42 is more of a nominal sizing, not a true measurement and as such basically interchangeable.

Andrew R Stewart 

Generally tires with more flat protection also have greater rolling resistance. If the rim is actually dimensioned as the label suggests then the OP could run tires as narrow as 25mm (not that I am suggesting it). Dropping width to about 35 to 32mm, going to a thin tread cap thickness, loosing any tread depth (as in going to a slick) will all up the feel of the tire. Do know that your speed is still much more dependent of bike weight and air resistance, tire rolling resistance plays a tiny role of total friction. Andy

CliffordK

Your last question is about tubes.

Choose a 700c tube. The tubes usually have two width measurements such as 700c x 25-35. Match this to your TIRE size.

A slightly smaller tube size will normally work just fine. A larger size could have issues with not fitting into the tire well.

I prefer to get a tube size that is the largest size rated for your tire. So, say you had a 35mm tire, and had a choice of:

700c x 25-35 and 700c x 35-45. I'd probably choose the 35-45 tube as it should fit the 35 tire size, and be the largest size that will properly fit in it.

I feel the larger tubes tend to have slower leaks, but either will actually work, as well as choosing even smaller tubes.

I'm not a big fan of thicker thorn-proof tubes, but will use them from time to time.

canklecat

Those Kenda Happy Mediums look good for gravel and off road. If you mostly ride pavement and want good flat protection and low rolling resistance try Michelin Protek or Urban tires. 700x32 or x35 would work with those rims.

For comparison I run 700x40 Michelin Protek Cross Max on one bike with 622x19 rims, and 700x42 Continental Speed Ride (tread similar to your Kendas) on 622x19 rims on the other bike. The Contis run a bit narrower than spec, closer to 700x38.

Bill Kapaun

It's the other 25% that you need to worry about.

nfmisso

The important numbers are:

RIM Markings: 622X17
Tire Markings: 42-622

Everything else is marketing gobble gook.

I would not put anything wider than your current tires on those rims.

As noted by Andrew; as narrow as 25mm would work.

As Bill noted: "It's the other 25% that you need to worry about." Tires that are the best on the road are practically unrideable on gravel and rougher stuff.

Check out some "cross" type tires in a ~32mm width to cover that "other".

BIKEREX

Thanks Nigel.

I think I have this narrowed down to these choices:

https://www.continental-tires.com/bi...ct-plus-travel

https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_t...rathon_mondial

https://bike.michelin.com/en/product...otek-cross-max

I've noticed that puncture-resistance comes with a weight penalty. For the list above, 1,100g, 650g, and 950g respectively, so the Schwalbe is anywhere from .66 to 1.13lbs lighter per tire than the other two.

I would be interested in comments on the three choices and everyone's thoughts on the weight difference. Is it that significant?

Thanks again to all who have responded.

canklecat

While the Michelin Protek Cross Max tires are practically bulletproof, they're overkill for most folks. I got them for my errand bike because most of the places I ride are swamped with broken glass and construction debris. Seriously, the nearest pharmacies and grocery stores are in strip malls with redneck bars -- the parking lots are littered with broken beer and booze bottles. Ditto the shoulders of the nearby boulevards -- broken glass from bars, along with staples, nails and screws from longterm housing development.

My first two sets of regular all terrain tires were punctured pretty easily by this stuff. But I've plucked broken glass, shards of metal and other stuff out of the Protek Cross Max tires that didn't cause any punctures, even when the tread was slashed down to the puncture shield.

And the Protek Cross Max tires are remarkably nice riding for 1,100 gm for the 700x40. They just don't feel that heavy. The Specialized Hemisphere and Innova hybrid tires I rode before with similar chevron tread felt slower and squirmy compared with the Michelins.

If your rides don't include such extreme conditions, go for the lighter weight Michelins. Here's a quick guide to the current Michelin tires for hybrids and city bikes:

• Protek refers to their Aramid puncture shield -- a tough yellow fiber similar to Kevlar.
• Standard Protek tires have 1mm Aramid shields.
• The "Max" tires have 5mm Aramid shields.
• "Cross" refers to the tread thickness.

If you ride gravel and off road stuff that's pretty clean and clear of sharp pokey stuff, the Protek Cross with chevron tread are good. That probably includes most groomed crushed limestone multi-purpose trails and city parks.

If you mostly ride pavement the regular Protek and Urban tires are much lighter than my Michelin Protek Cross Max and great values. They're often heavily discounted by Bike Tires Direct, Nashbar, and other discounters.

But check out the Schwalbe Green Gaurds too. Excellent value in a well regarded tire, and not much more expensive than the Michelins -- usually only $5-$15 more. I'm seeing Schwalbes more heavily discounted now than I did a couple of years ago.

BIKEREX

Great feedback canklecat...thanks.

Another question for the group - I am finding that certain tires are not readily available in 700X40. I see 32, 35, 38 in many cases. The question is: if I go from the 40 that I have now to something like a 35, what am I likely to notice - good or bad?

cyccommute 

You are correct. The "42-622" is the ISO markings and is most likely the "real" width of the tire, i.e. the tire is 42mm wide. I'm not sure why some manufacturers make tires wider than they are marketing them but there are a number that do. Some are even much wider than the "advertised" width. I have some Vittorias that are supposed to be 32mm but they are marked 37-622 and they are very wide.

You are being much too conservative with your tire widths. I regularly run 55mm mountain bike tires on 17mm rims without issue. Granted they aren't high pressure tires but I can run them as high as 80psi without problems. I could probably go higher but I run out of nerve before then.

As for how narrow a tire you can put on that rim, a 23 would work just fine. The Velocity A23 is 18mm wide and is designed for use with a 23mm tire.

rumrunn6

visit a cpl bike shops near you & see what they have in stock. you have 40mm wide tires w a texture. try something smoother & narrower like a 700x35 Bontrager Hardcase

BIKEREX

Getting close on tire selection, but now wanted to ask about tubes.

Have read that latex tubes have better puncture protection and create lower rolling resistance, but need to be topped off with air before each ride (which I do now anyway)

I guess my only question is whether the lifespan of latex is significantly shorter than butyl rubber. What have your experiences been on this and the use of latex tubes in general?