Originally Posted by
elcyc
About that tire width dimension ... how is that actually engineered in the industry?
It's easy to grasp the inner/outer width of a solid component like the rim. But dimensioning the width of a soft, rubbery component like a tire ... ???
In a way, the Bell's ballpark approach (32-45c) makes sense!!
Tire width is a nominal measurement, and there’s a number of things that can change the actual measured size from wheel to wheel and tire (brand) to tire.
Usually, a road tire is based on a 17mm rim, although wider rims will make the same tire measure wider, and at the extreme, not quite as tall.
Also, some tire brands and models measure more true to size than others, but really it’s +/- 1~2 mm in most cases.
There’s really no such thing as a 32-45mm tire. Tires don’t stretch. I agree with the above, that it sounds a lot more like an inner tube size (tubes do stretch) unless they are offering the same tire in both 32mm and 40mm on the same listing, and you select the size when you order it.
The Bell / Wmart tires are probably rebranded CST’s (Cheng Shin) which is what you would find on a typical department store bike. Wmart doesn’t really need the business, and you could do a lot better for your Fuji, for just a couple dollars more, somewhere like biketiresdirect.com