TNLRAT

I have a rim that is 23 inches across and 1 1/16 inches wide . What size tire do I need ?
I almost ordered a 700 x 23 until i googled it

WGB 

TNLRAT
It sounds like 584mm or 650b.

Perhaps you can post what bike it's going on??

davester

23 inches is a bit odd. What points on the rim are you measuring from/to? Read this article then ensure that you are measuring the BSD,
https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html
As WGB noted, its important to identify the bike.

WGB 

TNLRAT
davester

I just realized that even 584 is not exactly the measurement you've given though closest when I converted to metric.

Perhaps you can post a photo of bike and rim to a photo album under your name, then add update here and someone can move photos to this thread.
Also, do you still have the old tire? If so numbers on side are vital

Google "Sheldon Brown Tire Crib Sheet" and look at the different variations of 26 inches to see the issue facing us in answering your question.

Oops! Just saw davester added a link to it

T-Mar

23" rim diameter is equivalent to 584mm. The closest ISO tyre size is 571mm bead seat diameter, which has a rim diameter of 585mm. It also known as 650C or 26" x 1-3/4", depending on the era and country of origin. The rim itself should have the rim size stamped into it. Given that the OP is from the USA, it might be a Schwinn S-7 rim.

TNLRAT

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ThermionicScott 

So "use your words." Are there any labels or stampings on the rim? What bike were they on?

CliffordK

@TNLRAT's Album: (Empty).
https://www.bikeforums.net/g/user/544457

So, is your bike the Huffy Savannah?

Ok,
23" = 584.2mm
Which would be 650b... HOWEVER, as noted in the Sheldon Brown article mentioned above, it is very difficult to measure the bead seat. I thought that article suggested subtracting about 10mm from the flange diameter get the bead seat.

So, 584.2mm - 10mm = 574mm.

26" MTB style tires should have a BSD of 559mm, and you're a little less than 23".

Did your wheels have tires on them? What are the markings the tires?

Here are a couple of Savannah videos.

I didn't see where he mentioned the tire size, but seems to swap generic MTB tires over, so I'm leaning towards 26" MTB sizes (559 BSD).

dedhed

I dunno about that. I've had shops try to sell me 559 - 26" tires when I was looking for 590 - 26" tires even though I specifically stated EA-3 590.

CliffordK

Careful inspection of markings on the old tires, or careful measurement of the rim, adjusting for the flanges, and one should be able to figure out the size, and skip the bike shop. But, one still needs to buy the tires.

TNLRAT

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your rules , couldn’t answer yesterday

“”””You are allowed to post 5 posts in 24 hours. Please wait for this amount of time.”””
Ok let me get more specific .

A friend gave me a Huffy Savannah comfort Touring, only number I can find on it is 15108 . The tires are SO ROTTED I can not read sidewall . The rim measures 22 3/4” outside to outside ( diameter) the rim has a depth of 5/8th inch (x’s 2) the inside measurement is 1 1/16th inches not including bead . I can not see where 26” tires is going to work . Towards this end I ordered a 20”” diameter tire off Amazon and will see how this compares.
Because I am only allowed a couple of posts I will make the best of each one

I need extra long brake / shift cables ( 86” )
to reach the back before I start buying bulk to make them is there a company that can make special order cables ? After tires and cables I can be on the road

ThermionicScott 

Thanks for your patience. Those posting limits are to help keep out spammers.

Pretty much everything I can find for a Huffy Savannah Comfort Touring bike shows 26" wheels with a 559mm bead-seat diameter for the tires. Very common.

TNLRAT

I can NOT answer Thernionicscott’s post because it has pictures

my bike is a 2 up …… 2 seater….. 2 person bicycle

TNLRAT

Apples to apples …. Are you saying the OUTSIDE DIAMETER of the tire itself ate standard measurement**********!!!!!
that would be the ONLY way to get a 26” tire on a 23” rim **********

davester

I'd cancel that 20" tire order if I were you. Taking your 22 3/4" minus 2x5/8" gives you an estimated BSD of 22.5" = 546mm, which Sheldon's table shows is nowhere near the BSD of a 20" tire. If your measurements are correct, Sheldon's table indicates that you almost certainly need either a 24" or 26" tire. 26" is more likely for an adult bicycle. I'd suggest that you remove the tires, lay them on the ground and measure the actual BSD in several places then compare to Sheldon's table that I linked to in my first post. That's really the only accurate way to do this.

ThermionicScott 

You can always remove images from a quote.

Bicycle tires are often described by the outside diameter of the entire wheel. It goes back to the beginning, automobiles were once that way as well.

Look for a 26"x1.75" tire or one that says "559" -- that's the magic number for the size of your rim where the tire seats.

Good article on the topic: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

TNLRAT

I just got the tire and figured this out WITHOUT. Knowing what a BSD is …. But knowing about outside diameter explains a lot . ( I have restored 4 Model T’s and A’s and always ordered RIM sized tires )
Now I need both a 86” brake cable and shifter cable … are these measured differently?
is there a place /person that does this ?
Is there a place I can buy ALL. the ingredients to make my own ? Already bought a 25’ roll of chain

CliffordK

Yep.. bicycle tires are different than car tires.

The size you see... 20", 24", 26", 27", 29", etc... is all the rough outer diameter of the bike tire.
This also makes a mess that before rims were standardized, each tire width got a different rim size.

See the Sheldon Brown Tire Size Page linked by @davester
It is a bit of a mess as you see how many different sizes there actually are.

However, the most common "Modern" sizes are 26" Metric (MTB) which is a 559 mm bead seat. And, 700c which is a 622 mm bead seat. Vintage opens a whole different can of worms, if one goes back 30+ years.

I'm pretty sure your bike has the 26", 559 bsd tires.

Look for "Tandem Shift Cables" and "Tandem Brake Cables".

You'll probably need 2 Tandem shift cables, and 1 tandem brake cable (and a standard short front brake cable).

I HAVE COME TO LIKE STAINLESS STEEL CABLES IF POSSIBLE

Shift cables are all similar. Campagnolo makes slightly smaller cables which I've modified the standard Shimano cables to work.

Brake cables come with 2 different types of ends. Most flat bar bikes use a disc shaped end. "Road" bike with drop bars use a pear shaped end. Anyway, look at the cable ends carefully.

Cable Housing is sold in bulk (cut to length). Modern housing is lined. Vintage isn't. The lined housing is nice. Any LBS worth its salt should at least have cable housing.

Some bikes use short pieces of cable housing and "cable stops". Others use full length housing.

Stainless Tandem Shift Cables:
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...ble-sram-shima

Stainless Tandem Brake Cable (NOTE ONLY MTB/Flat Bar style in stock).
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...e-shimano-sram

Edit:

Are there more vintage cable styles? Perhaps shift cables with a small disc on the the end?
A picture is worth 1000 words!!!
Upload to your album listed in my post above.

CliffordK

You're getting ahead of yourself a bit. Make sure you do the research.

Bicycle chains come in a few different sizes.

One normally counts the rear sprocket cluster size (probably a "Freewheel" in your case).

Single Speed: 1/2" pitch, 1/8" width.

5-speed, 6-speed, & 7-speed rear: 1/2" pitch, 3/32" internal width.

You could probably use the 3/32" chain front and rear, although you could also use the 1/8" chain on the front of the Tandem.

Once you start getting more rear sprockets, you get narrower chains. But those are the sizes for your older Huffy.

TNLRAT

I have already bought and made the chain I needed …..getting ready to chuck this thing in the scrap pile . If anyone bothered to read the profile this site made me post you would know I restore cars/trucks …. I have NEVER had the problems I have had with finding parts as I have had finding parts for this bike ..
40 years and maybe 400 cars/trucks + maybe 15 pre 30’s Indian and Harley’s

CliffordK

Bikes are very simple. If you can work on vintage cars and motorcycles, you can work on bicycles.

Parts are easy to find. Bike shops, Department Stores, E-Bay, Amazon, various online bike specialty shops, etc.

Then thing is that quite a few parts have been optimized for bicycles. Perhaps using a slightly different language (as you found with bike tires).

And, just like in the car world, there has been a little over a century of evolution of bicycles

So, while 1/2 x 1/8" chain may be standard in the industrial world, the use of multi speed rear clusters, and a demand for more and more sprockets has led to the evolution of bike specific chains that have been growing narrower over the years.

ThermionicScott 

New hobby, new things to learn. Getting angry won't help anything.

repechage

Scrap a bunch of the info and strategies learned from years of cars and motorcycle restoration experience.

it is not terribly difficult, but attempting to directly translate stuff will cause unneeded suffering.

a two person bike is a Tandem. Full stop.
Huffy for decades made low cost stuff, a tandem from them could be pretty easy to sort out with an overall image or two.

“26” wheels” can refer to a bunch of actual fitment sizes. The Sheldon brown pages are worthwhile to read. Just how it is regarding nomenclature.

brake and shift cables that work on a tandem are around, the lever end shapes vary. You need to match those. Google tandem shift cables then tandem brake cables and solutions should pop up without buying huge quantities.