Nyah

I've got Bontrager Fairlane rims and Continental TopTouring 2000 tires of 700 x 32c size, which are the wheels and tires that originally came on the bike as new. I've never liked the tread pattern of the tire and have been wanting to change them to something else. Will the rim accept a range of bead widths or, am I limited to just 32? Specifically, I was hoping to use a tire that comes in a 35 bead width. If I can use a 35, will I also need to use a different tube size, in order to match the tire? Thanks for reading.

trailangel

https://dycteyr72g97f.cloudfront.net...WEB_ZZ_001.pdf

nfmisso

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#width

very conservative chart.

What is the inside width of your rims? Plug that into the chart, and see what it says. Many people go wider or narrower than the charts recommendations without problems - your mileage will vary.

Why don't you like the tread? https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/slicks.html

TallRider

Terminology notes: tire bead is the part that has minimal flex, and it has a diameter but not a width.
The measure of width is (with some fudging) a measure of tire width at the widest point when the tire is inflated while mounted on a typical narrower rim. 700c is a standard of rim diameter, tires made for 700c rims have a bead diameter of 622mm. Tires are more accurately labeled 700c x 32mm, but many sources just say 700 x 32c, as if "c" were some kind of unit. This makes it all a bit more misleading.

You can always mount a wider tire (of the same bead diameter) on a rim. Wider tires will look more like a light bulb (bulge much wider than the rim) when mounted on narrower rims. A too-wide tire on a too-narrow rim will have dangers of folding over when cornering at lower pressures, and also exert more outward force on the rim at higher pressures. But the tolerances for running wider tires on narrower rims have FAR more leeway than thought. You'll be fine with 35mm tires on a Fairlane rim.

fietsbob

I see nothing in your OP about the Width capacity of your frame,
the wheels go into..

As you would, perhaps, surmise, it matters ..

Nyah

Thanks all for your input. All of it is much appreciated.

Nfmisso, I don't like the tread of the Conti TopTouring because I can feel it while rolling and (especially while) accelerating. Like a road surface with tiny corrugation when there isn't any. I have always wanted to replace it with a slick but not until now had I found any that I knew would be compatible. When I got this bike, in year 2000, the widest slick I could find was the Avocet FasGrip 28, which I was too afraid to try on the presumably-wider rim. If the wider slick tire had been around then, maybe I would've enjoyed riding this bike more, instead of letting it collect dust, because almost everything else about it is pretty nice.

TallRider, I kind of noticed that I was using the wrong terminology. I just didn't know what to call the relivent width of the part of the tire that clenches against the rim. It's not the widest part of this tire.

Nyah

The frame and brake probably have enough clearance for balloon cruiser tires. It's a Trek 520 touring bike with the newer type of cantilever brake (I forgot what they're called) that has extension arms which bring the connection cable high above the tire.

fietsbob

still no width measurement, guess , no one owns a tape measure ..

Good Luck..