Mountain Bike Tire Sizes Front Back

When wtb redesigned the vigilante last year they went all out on a modern front tire for aggressive mountain biking.

Mountain bike tire sizes front back.

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. Tires come in three diameters. Additionally rear tire tread designs should complement the front tire but can be very different to achieve rear specific goals. Alongside the tire size you have the option of running tubeless or tubed tires.

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. This varies from 1 6 to 2 5 inches. 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.

Measurements like 26 1 which is the 27 5 size and 28x two fractions which is the 29 size are fractional inch markings. Trail and all mountain bikes will have tires in the 2 25 to 2 4 width range. 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. Typical mountain bike tire.

For downhill bikes the tire width can go up to 2 5. 2 2 and 27 5 indicate a tire that has a width of 2 2 and an outer diameter of 27 5. Share a link to this answer. As tires continue to trend wider so too are the tires in our test.

A cross country bike will have tires in the 1 9 to 2 25 width range. Downhill bikes which are meant to withstand the abuse of drops and rock gardens are typically equipped with tires up to 2 5 wide. 26 inches 27 5 inches and 29 inches. With mountain bikes you re mostly safe from fractional sizes but it s worth mentioning them for completeness.

Tread profile is also important. Once you ve identified your tire diameter 29 27 5 or 26 you ll want to dial in your width. We selected tires in the 2 3 to 2 6 inch width range. In general the desired tire width for the most common biking styles are as follows.

By necessity those run very different tires front and rear. All mountain and trial bikes have tire width in the range of 2 25 to 2 4. 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. Read our review on the michelin wild rock r2 all mountain tire.

Most riders prefer a tubeless system. Tires are also measured in width. It s lighter requiring less energy to rotate. Mountain bike tire size and width.

It s important to note that you cannot mix fractional markings with decimals. This is also why a narrow tire goes on the rear wheel. Cross country bikes have tire width between 1 9 and 2 25. Some special tires can even be wider up to 3 inches with some models.

Tubeless tires are recommended when you want lower tire pressures.