As an extreme example, my '93 Trek MTB came with 26x2.125" (559-54) tires. When I realized it was going to be used as a beater road bike I replaced them with 26x1.25" (559-32) tires and they worked fine. So narrower tires on rims meant for wide ones can and do work well.
Last edited by HillRider; 02-28-14 at 01:48 PM.