First Ride On Superteam Carbon Wheels
#126
Super-duper Genius
Most modern road bike rims have an internal width of 17 to 25 mm. With any of these, it is acceptable to mount a tire anywhere in the range of 23 to 32mm. 32mm tire on a 17 or 19mm rim (internal width) might be pushing it. Otherwise, anything from 32mm down should be okay on any size of modern road rim.
Last edited by Broctoon; 08-16-23 at 09:31 AM.
#128
Senior Member
On a rim with an internal width of "x" you can safely ride tires of nominal width ranging from x to x+10 or even x+12mm.
Most modern road bike rims have an internal width of 17 to 25 mm. With any of these, it is acceptable to mount a tire anywhere in the range of 23 to 32mm. 32mm tire on a 17 or 19mm rim (internal width) might be pushing it. Otherwise, anything from 32mm down should be okay on any size of modern road rim.
Most modern road bike rims have an internal width of 17 to 25 mm. With any of these, it is acceptable to mount a tire anywhere in the range of 23 to 32mm. 32mm tire on a 17 or 19mm rim (internal width) might be pushing it. Otherwise, anything from 32mm down should be okay on any size of modern road rim.
It's totally fine to run tires that are much wider than rim widths. Tire sizes that are significantly wider than internal rim dimensions are very common for gravel and mountain bikes. Most current gravel bikes are shipping with 40-45mm tires mounted to 21mm internal rims. There's nothing unsafe about this. WTB has a handy chart that shows a 19mm internal rim being compatible with 25mm to 62mm width tires. Tire & Rim Fit Chart WTB
The safety concerns around tire/rim width come into play if you are running narrow tires on rims that are wide. Generally speaking, you want the tire width to be 4-5 mm more than the internal rim width. The external rim width is irrelevant from a safety perspective - that width only comes into play for aerodynamics.
If Superteam is selling 21mm internal rims, they should only be used with 25mm+ tires. If they are selling 23mm internal rims, they should be used with 28mm+ tires, etc.
#129
Super-duper Genius
I think that's what I wrote, though perhaps not in the most straightforward terms. Maybe I understated it, to be a little conservative. I'm sure I did not get it completely backwards.
Let rim internal width = x
Tire width x + 2 is fine.
Tire width x + 12 still no concerns.
Tire width x - 2 could be sketchy.
I suppose you're right about tires even 62mm wide being okay. I used to put 2 or 2-1/4" tires on my mountain bike rims that were something like 25mm wide. Doing the rough math in my head, it works out.
Let rim internal width = x
Tire width x + 2 is fine.
Tire width x + 12 still no concerns.
Tire width x - 2 could be sketchy.
I suppose you're right about tires even 62mm wide being okay. I used to put 2 or 2-1/4" tires on my mountain bike rims that were something like 25mm wide. Doing the rough math in my head, it works out.
Last edited by Broctoon; 08-22-23 at 03:20 PM.
#130
Senior Member
Is x + 2 fine? This seems really narrow to me.
The WTB chart I included shows 25mm being the minimum tire size for a 19mm internal rim. This is x + 6.
An X + 2 scenario would be 23mm tires on a 21mm internal width rim, or 25mm on 23mm internal width rims. Both of these seem very marginal to me, and WTB shows both combos as "not suggested".
The WTB chart I included shows 25mm being the minimum tire size for a 19mm internal rim. This is x + 6.
An X + 2 scenario would be 23mm tires on a 21mm internal width rim, or 25mm on 23mm internal width rims. Both of these seem very marginal to me, and WTB shows both combos as "not suggested".
#131
Super-duper Genius
Yeah, I suppose that would be pushing it. Probably won't make the bike asplode, but I would proceed with caution using that setup. ^
I looked at my fleet this morning to see if I have anything like this. The closest I come is a 23mm nominal Vittoria Rubino on Reynolds carbon rim with EXTERNAL width of 21mm (probably about 17 internal). FWIW, that tire's actual, measured width when inflated is 21mm, the same as the rim's external width.
It's always safest to go with the manufacturer's recommendations.
I looked at my fleet this morning to see if I have anything like this. The closest I come is a 23mm nominal Vittoria Rubino on Reynolds carbon rim with EXTERNAL width of 21mm (probably about 17 internal). FWIW, that tire's actual, measured width when inflated is 21mm, the same as the rim's external width.
It's always safest to go with the manufacturer's recommendations.
Last edited by Broctoon; 08-23-23 at 08:37 AM.