Any size tyre for any rim?

Sebcycle · 2017-05-16, 05:51 AM

Hi all, I was just wondering if it is possible to put a thicker tyre on a unicycle that already comes with a smaller one. Eg. I see a 24" uni for sale that comes with a 1.75" tyre. Can I buy a 2.2" thick tyre and put it on the uni, or is the rim only made for tyres of that size? Thanks in avance.

Eric aus Chemnitz · 2017-05-16, 06:16 AM

https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#width

pierrox · 2017-05-16, 07:22 AM

And to add to Eric's link, the other question is: will there be enough space under the frame of the uni?

Siddhartha Valmont · 2017-05-16, 07:42 AM

Hi Sebcycle,

if you stay reasonable, it will work. The main concern (as pointed out by Pierrox) is your frame clearance. After that, have fun.
Usually, the frame prevents you from doing too big jumps that would be not good (like installing a 4.0 tire on your learner

)

My very first unicycle was a club 26 that came with a 1.75 tire. When it got worn out, I got a beefier 2.0 tire that was available at the local bike mart and had a lot of fun.

Spinningwoman · 2017-05-16, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebcycle

Hi all, I was just wondering if it is possible to put a thicker tyre on a unicycle that already comes with a smaller one. Eg. I see a 24" uni for sale that comes with a 1.75" tyre. Can I buy a 2.2" thick tyre and put it on the uni, or is the rim only made for tyres of that size? Thanks in avance.

I have put a thicker tyre on the cheap 20" I started with, which has made it into something like a 22" mini-muni! I really like it. The clearance is all you have to watch, but unless you were going up to some kind of monster tyre, I would think you would be OK.

saskatchewanian · 2017-05-16, 07:14 PM

As a rough guide for best results off road I would measure the outside width of the rim and stick between 1.5 and 2x that width for the tire. Much skinnier and you risk pinch flats, and much wider and you need more pressure to keep the tire stable.

On road and on smooth surfaces you can go further outside these norms and just run higher pressures without any real issues.

Moron · 2017-05-16, 09:46 PM

I fretted about this when I wanted to try a mid-fat (3.25") tire on my fairly narrow (35mm) rim. All the guidelines will tell you that's a bad combination, but I've been running it for about a year without issue.

Alice Arctan · 2017-05-17, 01:17 AM

Interesting. What tire and rim?

johnfoss · 2017-05-17, 04:10 AM

You need a few key measurements:

Width of your frame where the tire passes through
Height from rim to "ceiling" under the fork crown (in other words, how tall can the tire be)
Nominal width of the tire you would like to try

Measuring the frame is the easy part, at least if you already have the unicycle. Tire measurements are not so simple. Those width numbers, like 1.75", are general at best. The only way to really know is ask people who have one, or buy one and pump it up. You can get a rough idea if you can handle one in the store, for example, but it's really hard to be sure of actual inflated width because it's based on your particular rim size.

So in answer to your original question, "It depends". It all comes down to the specifics. Some uni frames have lots of extra room in them, but others, like Freestyle (or generic) frames, might be designed to be compact.

Sebcycle · 2017-05-17, 07:06 AM

Thanks all for your responses, you have set me on the right track. Cheers.

2017-05-16, 05:51 AM	#1
Sebcycle Unicyclist Join Date: May 2016 Location: Australia QLD Age: 19 Posts: 17	Any size tyre for any rim? Hi all, I was just wondering if it is possible to put a thicker tyre on a unicycle that already comes with a smaller one. Eg. I see a 24" uni for sale that comes with a 1.75" tyre. Can I buy a 2.2" thick tyre and put it on the uni, or is the rim only made for tyres of that size? Thanks in avance.

2017-05-16, 06:16 AM	#2
Eric aus Chemnitz Landesvertreter Sachsen im EVD Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Chemnitz, Sachsen Age: 33 Posts: 2,569	https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#width __________________ Einradfahren in Sachsen: einradsachsen.com f/EinradSachsen 02.06.2019: Europamarathon

2017-05-16, 07:42 AM	#4
Siddhartha Valmont Unicyclist Join Date: May 2012 Location: Nearby Boston, MA Posts: 1,433	Hi Sebcycle, if you stay reasonable, it will work. The main concern (as pointed out by Pierrox) is your frame clearance. After that, have fun. Usually, the frame prevents you from doing too big jumps that would be not good (like installing a 4.0 tire on your learner ) My very first unicycle was a club 26 that came with a 1.75 tire. When it got worn out, I got a beefier 2.0 tire that was available at the local bike mart and had a lot of fun. __________________ => CrMo 29: KH XC rim, Nimbus CrMo hub, Spirit 110/137 & Schwalbe Big One => Flansberrium 26: Nextie rim, JumboJim 4.0, Spirit 127/150mm, M4O ISIS

2017-05-16, 07:14 PM	#6
saskatchewanian ERIC P Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: La Ronge, Saskatchewan, Canada Age: 34 Posts: 6,461	As a rough guide for best results off road I would measure the outside width of the rim and stick between 1.5 and 2x that width for the tire. Much skinnier and you risk pinch flats, and much wider and you need more pressure to keep the tire stable. On road and on smooth surfaces you can go further outside these norms and just run higher pressures without any real issues. __________________ My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world. - Jack Layton

2017-05-16, 09:46 PM	#7
Moron Unicyclist Join Date: May 2011 Location: Rockwall, Texas Age: 53 Posts: 151	Or, just try it... I fretted about this when I wanted to try a mid-fat (3.25") tire on my fairly narrow (35mm) rim. All the guidelines will tell you that's a bad combination, but I've been running it for about a year without issue.

2017-05-16, 07:22 AM	#3
pierrox Unicyclist Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Between Paris, Grenoble, NY and NC Age: 48 Posts: 1,313	And to add to Eric's link, the other question is: will there be enough space under the frame of the uni?

2017-05-17, 01:17 AM	#8
Alice Arctan rhymes with dark tan Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: anglophone North America Posts: 269	Interesting. What tire and rim?

2017-05-17, 04:10 AM	#9
johnfoss North Shore ridin' Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: El Dorado Hills, CA Age: 57 Posts: 17,106	You need a few key measurements: Width of your frame where the tire passes through Height from rim to "ceiling" under the fork crown (in other words, how tall can the tire be) Nominal width of the tire you would like to try Measuring the frame is the easy part, at least if you already have the unicycle. Tire measurements are not so simple. Those width numbers, like 1.75", are general at best. The only way to really know is ask people who have one, or buy one and pump it up. You can get a rough idea if you can handle one in the store, for example, but it's really hard to be sure of actual inflated width because it's based on your particular rim size. So in answer to your original question, "It depends". It all comes down to the specifics. Some uni frames have lots of extra room in them, but others, like Freestyle (or generic) frames, might be designed to be compact. __________________ John Foss www.unicycling.com "Who is going to argue with a mom who can ride a unicycle?" -- Forums member "HiMo"

2017-05-17, 07:06 AM	#10
Sebcycle Unicyclist Join Date: May 2016 Location: Australia QLD Age: 19 Posts: 17	Thanks all for your responses, you have set me on the right track. Cheers.

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