Road Bike Tube Sizes Explained

A standard road tire is 700c x 23mm indicating a tire diameter of approximately 700mm and a width of 23mm.

Road bike tube sizes explained.

As the width decreases there is less rolling resistance or friction and therefore is faster. The steerer tube of the fork is threaded and a threaded race is screwed into the top of the fork to snug up against the top bearing. Tubes because they can stretch will list a range of widths. The standard sizes are 1 inch 1 1 8 inch 1 25 inch and 1.

Road tubes come in different widths but not as broad a range as mountain bikes. This is the reason why you see inner tubes listed with one number for the diameter and a range for the width e g. Sizing width may vary from 18c through to 28c meaning 18mm through to 28mm. You can also get 26 inch mtb tubes.

Mtb wheels in particular can be further categorised by 26 inches 27 5 inches and 29 inches. All inner tubes will come with a recommended range for tyre width for example 700 20 25 for traditional road tyres 700 25 32 for wider road tyres. How to get the right bike tube and valve size. When shopping for road tires you ll look for 700c x your preferred width 23mm being the slimmest option and going up to 36mm.

Bike tube sizing essentially mirrors bike tire sizing with one exception. Thus you need to be sure any new bike tube has sizing that has a width range that aligns with the sizing on your bike tires. There are a myriad of wheel sizes for road mtb touring and children s bikes. 23c 25c and 28c their width in mm.

To confuse matters further all tyres use the european tyre and rim technical organisation etrto system so for a road it would display 622 x nn with the nn value indicating the tyre width which is the same as 700 x nn. So a 29 inch mtb tube will have the same diameter as a 700c road wheel while a 27 5 inch tube will be the same diameter as a 650b road wheel. 27 5 x 1 9 2 3 for example. A typical road tube box may say 700 18 23c or 700 25 32c.

The diameter needs to be the same e g. 700 or 26 but the tube s width will vary depending on the amount you inflate them like a kid s balloon. Check your tire sidewall for width and choose the right tube accordingly shown as 700 x 23c etc. Common inner tube ranges for 26 inch 27 5 inch and 29 inch tire diameters 1 0 to 1 15 inches 1 25 to 2 0 inches 2 0 to 2 35 inches 2 4 to 3 0 inches.

Road bike tires generally come in three widths.