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Bicycle tires come in a bewildering number of sizes, brands and models. It's enough to drive anyone crazy. In order to reduce the level of bewilderment and craziness, what follows is a somewhat long-winded (but fascinating to the technoid) little guide to ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TIRES FOR YOUR BIKE.

First of all, if all you want is to replace what you have with a nearly identical tire, just look on the sidewall of your old one to find the size. Generally, the size will be imprinted in inches (like 27x1-1/4 or 26x2.125) or more strangely (like 650x20 or 700x23). What does this all mean? Well, again, if all you want to do is replace the tire with another just like it it, get one that has the same markings and all will be pretty much the same. If, on the other hand, you'd like perhaps a better tire with a longer-wearing tread and a more compliant ride, you may want to dive into the "wild and wacky world" of tires. This is a world of great variety and price. And, as the saying goes, you do get what you pay for....My shop carries tires for adult bikes that sell for as little as $15.00 and others as much as $65. Actually, the average price of a good quality tire is about $25 to $45.

Making sense of tire sizes:
First off, the critical thing is bead size. This is what fits on your rim and keeps the tire on under pressure. There are some sizing marks on all good-quality tires that indicate the bead size and width. If you know what your bike uses, you will always be able to find a tire for your rim. This is called the ISO number, an international sizing system.

Here are some ISO numbers:
559: This is the size for ALL "regular" mountain bike tires. 559 is the bead size. A tire with 559 stamped on it will be 26 x some decimal number, NOT a fraction number! For instance, 26x1.75 fits a completely different rim size than 26x1-3/4. Fortunately there aren't many 26x1-3/4 wheels around anymore. If you have a mountain bike, any tire with "559" stamped on it will fit your rim.

Here is another common ISO number:
630: This is the number for a 27" wheel, like all those old 10-speed bikes of yesteryear. 630 is the metric bead diameter of a 27x1-1/4 tire. Same for a 27x1, a 27x1-1/8 or 27x1-3/8.

Triathlon and roadbikes built for small women often come with 650C tires, which have an ISO rim size of 571. There is a limited number of very high-quality tires made in this size.

A not-so-common tire size that is actually coming back into limited popularity is 650B. 650B tires have a rim/bead size of 584. It is somewhere between a 26" mountain bike and a 700C roadbike wheel size. This size was extremely popular in the 1950s through the 1970s in Europe, especially France, and was common on Randonneur and touring bikes. The tires commonly have "26x1-1/2x1-5/8" imprinted on the side. A mountain bike tire will NOT interchange. Panaracer makes two tires in this size: the Col de la Vie, and the Nifty Swifty.
I've heard that Schwalbe is also making their wonderful Marathon tire in this size.
A cool use for the 650B is to retrofit an old ten-speed bike with these wheels and very long-reach brake calipers. You will instantly have a bike with gobs of clearance for fat tires and fenders, along with a lower center of gravity for better handling (just watch your pedals when cornering!).

Here is the last ISO number I will lay on you:
622: This is the metric size for all modern skinny-tired bikes (with few exceptions). 622 is the ISO number stamped on tires that will be marked 700x something, such as 700x23 (622x23), 700x25 (622x25), etc. The numbers 20, 25, etc. refer to the metric width of the tire. If you have a modern racing bike or one of the new and popular "cross" or hybrid bikes, your wheel rims will take ISO 622 tires. You may want to use 700x23 on your race bike and 700x38 on your hybrid. ISO 622 is also the rim size for the new "29'r" mountain bikes....basically, a cross/hybrid bike built for real mountain biking, with room for extremely large 700C tires.

TIRE/RIM WIDTH COMPATIBILITY:
When contemplating a new set of tires, you should consider the width of your rims relative to the width of the tires. With a mountain bike, you can get tires as narrow as 1" or as wide as 2.5". The fatter the tire, the more traction and the cushier the ride. If you have room for a really fat tire in your bike frame and you are only putting a light or moderate amount of weight on it, go ahead and "get fat" if you wish. On the other hand, if your bike will be heavily loaded, either by touring, or if you are a heavy guy or gal, your tire should not be a whole lot wider than the rim it is mounted on, as the effect of tire sidewall squishing 'way out beyond the edge of the rim will be the cutting and abrading of the sidewall by the rim. Another effect of a wide tire on a very narrow rim is squirminess while cornering. Again, for heavy loads, the tire should not be a whole lot wider than the rim when inflated.

Ok, what are some good tires? Most of the major tire companies make good, no make that great! tires, as well as low-quality "economy" models. In my opinion, an economy tire that sun rots, get cracks quickly and punctures easily is no bargain. High-quality tires (those selling for about $25 and up) provide more durability, are more sunlight-resistant and puncture less readily than the cheapies.

With high quality tires you often have the choice of a wire-beaded tire or a kevlar-beaded (fold-up) model. Kevlar-beaded tires are lighter, more expensive, and more prone to blowing off the rim than wire-beaded models. If you have modern high quality aluminum rims with a pronounced "hook" on the inside edge, you can probably use kevlar-beaded tires very safely. If not, stick with the wire-beaded variety. You'll save money, too.

What are my favorite tires? We carry tires made by Specialized, ChengShin, IRC, Panaracer, Continental and Schwalbe. Many Specialized tires come with "FlackJacket" kevlar puncture shielding in the tread area. ChengShin (CST) tires are cheap and not too bad for old beater bikes. Panaracer makes a superb touring tire, the T-Serv, which is very cut/puncture resistant with a long-wearing tread . My favorite would probably be Continental tires, especially for touring. Their Travel Contact tires are long-wearing, very puncture-resistant, and give a comfortable ride. And they are pricey. Their Grand Prix tires for race bikes are hard to beat, as well.

When to replace your tires? Tires usually rot out before they wear out. Look at the sidewalls. Are nylon ply threads frizzing out, is the rubber dry and cracking, do the cracks go deep into the tread area? Get new ones! A blow-out is not worth saving money over. New tires also is the quickest way to make your bike ride like new again. Contrary to "common sense" is where your best/newest tire should be....on the Front! If you get a rear flat, you can safely come to a stop. Blow out your front and you risk losing control and crashing! Happy riding!!