Tires switching?

Question

found out me and wife have 26x2.125 tires on both bikes, are we able to up or downsize(if so how far down can we go with out getting new rims) we need to be able to get some high pressure tires on those current rims 60+

Answer 1

By any chance are these beach cruiser type bikes?

If so then you should go to a bike shop for some free advice as your wheels might be wider than the usual mountainbike rim.

I say this because most 2.125 tires[not all] that I have come across are cruiser street tires,not mountainbike tires.

Rim width does make a difference as some are very thin and some are very wide.

Also keep in mind that at high pressure settings the tube size matters alot too.

I hope this can be of some assistance to you

Answer 2

Here's the real question: what surfaces are you riding on? If it's pavement, you could drop down to a smooth tread and roughly a 1.5" tire. The smooth tread is much faster than knobby tires. Know that whine of the tires when you're going at speed? That's wasted energy. Knobby tires are efficient off road, not on. Head to a good local bike shop (LBS) and talk to the folks there. There are a whole slew of tires available for the purpose you need, and the LBS can help you decide.

Answer 3

You can mount 26x1.5 tires. I've done this myself, many times. Make sure you get a tire that has a max pressure of at least 80 psi. One time I cheaped out and got a tire with a 60 psi max pressure. I wasn't happy with them.

HTH

Answer 4

they make city or cross tires for 26" rims.  what it comes down to is how narrow your rims are.  you shouldnt mount a tire that is narrower than your rim, as it could roll off on you.  city tires are 26" tires that come in varying widths but have a smoother tread to run on pavement.  you can get them as narrow as 1.25" if your rims are narrow enough to allow you to use those.