Chasboy

Hi folks, I posted something similar a few weeks ago but cannot find the thread. However I have better info.
My daughter’s Miyata has 700-35c tires on it. She cannot enjoy softer trails because of the narrow tires. How wide can she go in the 700c range? Is there another size tire that would fit?
My granddaughter is a good rider and athlete, strong but thin, and 5 feet tall. She travels the same trails as her mother, We want to give her a new bike for her birthday because the old 20 she is riding is no longer fun. Can she move up to a larger (Like a 26” or 700c ) bike?
thank you all. I’ve been out of the loop for awhile so I’m not up on the current sizes and cross references.

rumrunn6

w/ 1 exception I bought my kids used bikes. it seemed like every year or two they needed the next size up.if 20 in the wheel size I think there is another size in between, 24" maybe?

reg: rideability on soft dirt or sand. bigger diameter wheels can roll over stuff smaller wheels have trouble with. 26" wheeled bikes can fit a big variety of sized tires & get pretty wide. 26" wheeled bikes come in various size frames depending on the size of the rider. 26" wheels can fit prety wide tires that can make riding on soft surfaces easier. letting air out of tires to make them wider can sometimes help

is she trying to ride trails / roads that her other family members are riding? is she riding alone? it's hard to fgure out exactly what you should buy with seeing the child, or knowing their height / weight / age and the surface she's trying to ride on

what are her friends riding? can to talk to those parents & get some info about what those bikes are?

EDIT - oh sorry sounds like you want to buy 2 bikes. the adult can get an entry level 29er style mountain bike w/ wider tires

Chasboy

We want to buy her a new one, the trails are typical rail trails with some kind of composition surface. Her neighborhood is very hilly so they don’t do a lot of neighborhood riding.

I’m just wondering what other kind of tire can replace a 700c, seems that they don’t get any wider than 32.

Troul 

I'd look into XS Hybrid front suspension bicycles and go 38 wide.

Ironfish653

700c and "29er" wheels are actually the same 622mm ERD rims., Road and Hybrid tires typically go up to about 45mm, and are traditionally labeled with metric sizes (700c X 32mm) while the 29er MTB tires are given inch sizes like 29 x 1.95"

What tires fit on the bike though, is another question. That's typically determined by how much clearance there is between the tire and the chainstay / seat stays and the top of the tire and the crown of the front fork.
I actually find that a 35-38mm tire is quite versatile for a wide variety of riding situations.
Look at what air pressure you're running as well. Most people see the 'max rating' which is usually 115 psi or so, and pump them all the way up,then want bigger tires to try to solve the harsh ride.
My path bike actually runs 32s on gravel paths, at about 75 psi, and i'm a pretty big rider (over 200#)

At 5' tall, she might not be quite tall enough for a typical 26" bike, unless you can find an XS ~12" or 15" size frame, like pictured here (click link) A used 24" wheel bike can also be a good value buy, as they only get used for the 'tween' years, so they can often be found with very little wear.

rumrunn6

for the adult - Marin Muirwood

https://toposoutdoor.com/products/ma...uter-bike-2020

alcjphil

700c tires go very much wider than 32mm in width. Once they get beyond 700x 47, the tires tend to go to 29" which is a marketing version of 700c. There are literally thousands of wide 700c tires available

GamblerGORD53

Used 26er MTBs are a dime a dozen. Especially at pawn shops.