Digger Goreman

Any experience, out there, on going narrow (er) and any downsides?

I've Rhyno Lites "27mm x 559" on my commuterized mtb. Started with 1.95, gone as high as 2.1, and currently riding 1.75 happily @ 65 psi. Any worries/advantages of going thinner? How much thinner? Right now there is no problem with using a pair of plastic tire levers and a hand pump.

Thanks!

FastJake

You could probably use a tire as narrow as 32mm on those rims if you really want. I don't know what your roads are like, but around here I'll never commute on anything narrower than 26x2.1" after making the switch. Especially on a rigid MTB, I find a hard narrow tire to be distinctly not-fun. And they won't be any faster. https://www.renehersecycles.com/12-m...es-are-slower/

Advantages of narrower tires: slightly lighter
Disadvantages: possibly more prone to flats, narrow tires wear out sooner, worse ride quality on rough roads, more risk of danger over railroad crossings and other pavement gaps

Andrew R Stewart 

Tire/rim fit is a range of grey and no black and whites but for the opinions. I like some tire bulge as it leaves the rim. The Avocet Fast Grip 700x32 on the Mavic MA2 rims that I've put thousands of loaded touring miles on seemed just about right for that use but a bit too wide for the same rim when at 20psi less unloaded. Conti Gatorskins in a 25 mm size seem slightly on the narrow side when on Open Pro rims and set to 95ish PSI on my weekend rides. The 650B 2.6 tires i'm planning to use on the next frame I build, a dual rigid MtB, are tractor like to my eyes but I envision the trails I can goat climb over with them. degustibus non disputandum est Andy

Retro Grouch 

I'm pretty confident 1.5's would work. Narrower than that (if you can find them) are probably going to look a little goofy.

HillRider

My 1992 Trek 7000 rigid MTB came with 26" x 2.0" tires on Trek's "Matrix" branded rims. I don't know the exact rim width but obviously wide enough for 2" tires. The trails I rode on didn't demand such aggressive (and heavy) tires so I switched to 1.75" tires which worked well enough. A few years later I "roadified" the bike with drop bars and a replacement threadless fork and stem and fitted 1.25" (basically 32 mm) tires which also worked fine with the OEM rims and saved even more weight.

Moral of this exercise: Bicycle rims are pretty tolerant of a variety of tire widths.

LeeG

What are you seeking with narrower tires? If it’s lighter wheels you might was well go for a new set of lighter wheels with lighter rims as well as light tires. If it’s speed then an aerodynamic position with higher effort will make a bigger difference. I wouldn’t bother with anything narrower than 1.5” and focus on types of tires.

velojym

I've gone as narrow as 1.5" on mine with no issues, but I've put those tires on a new set of wheels, and slapped some Honey Badger 2.2" on the Rhyno Lites. Still works great.

Digger Goreman

Thanks for the advice! For me it is balancing quality, cost and safety