Buying bicycle tires? Choose from over 1200 inner tubes and tires

Which size tire do I need?

What does the bicycle tire size mean?

The inner and outer diameter of the bicycle tire need to match for a tire to fit, and finding the right tire can be challenging since tire sizes can be expressed in different ways. These days tire sizes are described using the European Tire and Rim Technical Organization, or ETRTO. The ETRTO is a lot clearer than the potentially more confusing British and French sizes, although these are also often used.

The ETRTO size is the most uniform size indicator, helping you find the best bicycle tire size. You can recognize ETRTO sizes by their composition: two digits, a hyphen, and then another three digits, like 37-622. The first two digits stand for the tire width of the inflated tire in millimeters, while the three last digits stand for its inner diameter and the rim size. The latter set of digits is most important: if your new tire doesn't have the exact same diameter as your old bicycle tire, it isn't going to fit. 
As long as the inner diameter is right, it isn't a big deal to select a tire with a slightly larger outer diameter.
Below is an overview of the most common tire sizes for various bicycle types:

 

Tire size overview
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
12"	Scooter/Kick scooter	62-203	12 ½ x 2 ¼	12 ½ x 2 ¼
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
14"	Children's bike	37-298	14 x 1 3/8	350 x 35A
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
16"	Children's bike/BMX Cross	47-305	16 x 2 x 1 ¾	16 x 1.75
	Children's bike	54-305	16 x 2	16 x 2
	Children's bike	37-340	16 x 1 3/8	400 A Confort
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
17"	Children's bike	32-357	17 x 1 ¼
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
18"	Children's bike	47-355	18 x 2 x 1 ¾	18 x 1.75
	Children's bike	37-387	18 x 1 3/8
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
20"	Children's bike/folding bike	47-406	20 x 2 x 1 ¾	20 x 1.75
	Children's bike/BMX Cross	57-406	20 x 2.125
	Children's bike	40-432	20 x 1 ½
	Children's bike	37-438	20 x 1 3/8
	Children's bike	37-440	20 x 1 3/8	500 A Confort
	Children's bike	37-451	20 x 1 3/8 BSR
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
22"	Children's bike	37-489	22 x 1 3/8
	Children's bike	37-498	22 x 1 3/8 x 1 ¼
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
24"	Children's/youth bike	47-507	24 x 2 x 1¾	24 x 1.75
	Children's/youth bike	40-534	24 x 1 ½
	Children's/youth bike	37-540	24 x 1 3/8	600 A Confort
	Children's/youth bike	32-541	24 x 1 3/8 x 1 ¼	600 x 32 A
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
26"	MTB	37-559	26 x 1.35
	MTB	40-559	26 x 1.5
	MTB	44-559	26 x 1.75
	MTB	47-559	26 x 1.9
	MTB	47-559	26 x 2 x 1 ¾	26 x 1.75
	MTB	54-559	26 x 2.1	650 x 50
	MTB	57-559	26 x 2.125	26 x 2.125
	German touring/trekking bike	40-571	26 x 1 5/8 x 1 ½	650 x 38/40 C
	German touring/trekking bike	54-571	26 x 1 ¾ x 2	650 x 50C
	French touring/city bike	37-584	26 x 1 ½ x 1 3/8	650 x 35 B
	French touring/city bike	40-584	26 x 1 ½	650 B Standard
	French touring/city bike	44-584	26 x 1 ½ x 1 5/8	650 B                 Semi Confort ½ Ballon
	City bike	32-590	26 x 1 3/8 x 1 ¼	650 x 32 A
	City bike	37-590	26 x 1 3/8	650 x 35 A
	English city bike (like Raleigh)	32-597	26 x 1 ¼ 2	26 x 1 ¼
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
27"	Road bike (export size)	25-630	27 x 1	27 x 1
	Touring/sports bike (export size)	26-630	27 x 1 ¼ x 1 1/16	27 x 1 ¼ x 1 1/16
	Touring/sports bike (export size)	28-630	27 x 1 ¼ Fifty	27 x 1 ¼ Fifty
	Touring/sports bike (export size)	32-630	27 x 1 ¼	27 x 1 ¼
	Bicycle type	ETRTO	Inch size	French
28"	Road bike	20-622	28 x ¾	700 x 20 C
	Road bike	23-622	28 x 1	700 x 23 C
	Road bike	25-622	28 x 1 5/8 x 1 (1/16)	700 x 25 C
	Road (touring) bike	26-622		700 x 26 C
	Touring/sports bike	28-622	28 x 1 5/8 x 1 1/8	700 x 28 C - 700 C
	Touring/sports bike	32-622	28 x 1 5/8 x 1 ¼	700 x 32 C 700 C Course
	Hybrid/city bike	37-622	28 x 1 5/8 x 1 3/8	700 x 35 C
	Hybrid	40-622	28 x 1 5/8 x 1 ½	700 x 38/40 C
	Hybrid	47-622	28 x 1 5/8	700 x 40/42 C
	Transport/cargo bike	47-622 T	28 x 1 ¾	700 x 45 C
	Classic (Dutch) bike	40-635	28 x 1 ½	700 B Standard
	Transport/cargo bike	44-635	28 x 1 ½ x 1 5/8	700 x 40/42 B

 

Which size tire or inner tube fits my bike?

You can find the perfect tire size using the ETRTO size. The ETRTO size is the standard size indicator found on nearly any modern tire, though the English size is still often found on road bike tires too.
Always check the size marked on the outer tire when you're getting a new inner tube. The size of the inner tube and tire always match and an inner tube can be suitable for several outer tire sizes.
 

How do you measure a bicycle tire?

All you need to do to determine your tire size, is check the tire itself or its packaging (if you still have it). If you're using a bike computer, knowing the exact circumference of the tire is also convenient, for you to set up the bike computer as accurately as possible.
To measure the tire circumference, all you need is a piece of marking chalk (you can often find this in your tire repair kit) and a tape measure. Make sure the wheel is positioned with the valve as centered and close to the ground as possible, and mark this spot on the ground or floor. Then walk your bicycle forward enough for it to complete one rotation. You should find the valve at the exact same location once again, centered and close to the ground. Mark this spot too and use the tape measure to measure the distance between both markings. Now you can use the distance measured to set up your bike computer.
 

Which tire should I get?

Buying bicycle tires isn't just a matter of preference (like enjoying a smooth or coarse tire profile), it's also a matter of selecting the tire size that's right for your bicycle. We've listed a few of the possibilities below.
 

Which tires fit your rims?

The wheel and rim size are usually established for your bicycle and easy to find, having been printed on the rim. If you check the rim, you should be able to find a set of three digits, another two digits and then a letter, like 622-19C. The first string of numbers represents the rim's outer tire size in millimeters and so in case of the above example, a 622 millimeter tire would fit the rim.
 

Which tire for a road bike?

Road bike tires are selected based on qualities like low resistance, good grip/skid resistance and puncture resistance. After all racing is all about speed, and that's what road bike tires are designed for. You can tell just from looking at the tire profile; a smoother tire profile means more speed. For the production of road bike tires, manufacturers are always looking for the perfect combination of different materials that will make the tires both light and resistant to wear, robust and durable. Aside from speed and weight, the comfort factor has also become quite important in recent years, which is why an increasing number of road bikes has 25 mm tires instead of the standard 23 mm.
 

Which tire for cyclo-cross?

You choose cyclo-cross tires based on  their rolling resistance, durability and use. In other words, based on the type of surface they’ll be used on and the expected weather conditions. Are these dry, wet, muddy conditions? Cyclo-cross tires are narrow and light, and with the right tire profile they offer sufficient grip under several different circumstances. Tires known as File Treads are ideal for dry, hard courses. They have a relatively smooth central tread pattern for low rolling resistance and high speeds, but also often feature shoulder knobs for a little extra traction while cornering. Wet and muddy cross courses demand mud-specific tires; tires with larger knobs that are spaced and angled in a specific way along the central tread and shoulder of the tire to give them superior mud-shedding abilities. The maximum width of a cyclo-cross tire is 33 mm, so most of them are 32 or 33 mm wide. Reliable top brands for cyclo-cross tires are Hutchinson, Vittoria, Continental and Schwalbe.
 

Which BMX tire?

Which tires are right for your BMX bike strongly depends on your BMX discipline of choice. There's BMX Racing, Freestyle BMX, Dirt Jumping, Pump Track, Flatland and Street BMX, and each discipline has a specific tire type.
Having the right tires can make a world of difference in terms of grip, maneuverability and speed. It's good to know that BMX tires with a coarse profile offer better grip, while smoother profiles offer lower rolling resistance for more speed, but also consider the width of your BMX bike's rims, to make sure they fit the rim and fork.
Schwalbe, Maxxis, Tioga and Haro produce highly reliable, robust bicycle tires for BMX riding.
 

How do I fix a tire?

Fixing a tire is easy peasy and can be done in about fifteen minutes if you're handy (and well prepared). Make sure you have a complete tire repair kit (with tire patches, vulcanizing solution, three tire levers, sanding paper, sometimes also marking chalk and a valve tube) and a bike pump at the ready. To patch up a tire with a Schrader valve or Presta valve, you will also need a valve adapter.
 

How to fix your tire

Always check the valve before you begin, just to make sure that the suspected leak isn't simply a case of an unscrewed valve. Then (carefully) place your bicycle upside down on the ground, so you can easily reach the tires.
Check the surface of the tire for sharp objects that don't belong there and remove them, before using the tire levers to carefully pop the outer tire from the rim (use at least three tire levers, inserting them between the rim and tire and leaving a few centimeters of space between each one). Pull out the inner tube so you can inspect the inside of the outer tire and remove anything that doesn't belong there, especially if it's something sharp,
then proceed to inflate the tire in order to track down the leak. The easiest way to do this is by filling a small tub with water, then carefully submerging the inflated tire in the water, section by section. When you notice small air bubbles making their way to the surface, that means you've found the leak.
Mark the location of the leak and lightly sand the area around it using your sanding paper. Then apply the solution over an area the same size as the patch you’ll be using to close the leak and let the solution dry for around two minutes before applying the patch (a self-adhesive patch can be applied directly). Make sure to press down well.
Now you can proceed to put the tire back in place. Do not use tire levers for this process, as it's easy to cause damage to your freshly patched-up tire. Loosely place the outer tire over the rim, then take the inner tube and set the valve stem inside the hole in the wheel, before replacing the valve and pumping a little air into the tube to make it round. Once the inner tube is in place, you can deflate the tube and press it into the rim bed.
Finally, reinflate the tire.

A punctured tire can be fixed without tools by using sealant. This “breakdown spray” can be used for emergency tire repairs, depending on the type of spray, to seal a hole of up to two millimeters across without having to remove the tire. All you need to do is shake properly before use and then seal the leak you’ve found. Make sure to read the instructions on the product packaging. They describe exactly what kind of leak the spray can be used on and what you need to do to make the best use of it. Don't forget that mounting fluid is only intended for emergency repairs on the road and is always a temporary solution.
 

How do you inflate a bicycle tire?

Bicycle tires can be inflated in the blink of an eye. Since the invention of the bike pump, the choice in bicycle pumps has grown considerably and become increasingly diverse. You can now choose a pump by your favorite brand from a large selection of regular pumps (operated by hand or foot), compressors, mini pumps and CO2 pumps, with or without a pressure gauge, suitable for one valve type or several, and so on.

Before you choose, check whether the bicycle pump matches with your tire valve. Dunlop valves are generally found on city bikes, while Schrader valves are usually found on mountain bikes and BMX bikes, and Presta valves are more often found on road bikes.

Presta valve                     Dunlop valve                  Schrader valve

There's no need to unscrew the tire valve before inflation if your tires have a Dunlop valve. Simply turn the wheel until the valve is closest to the ground, twist off the plastic cap, place the pump over the valve, and start pumping. Keep the bicycle tire's maximum pressure in mind when you do (and don't forget to put back the valve cap after!).
The Presta valve is also fairly easy; all you need to do is twist off the valve cap before using the pump, though it's important to remember that this valve type is more vulnerable, given that it's longer and thinner. A bicycle pump with a hose is preferable, since it puts less pressure on the valve while you work.
With a Schrader valve, you need to remove the cap and unscrew the valve before you can start pumping.
 

How to change a tire

Changing a tire yourself? If your bicycle tires are really worn or too damaged from use, you may need to replace the inner tube and the outer tire. How?

When you're mounting bicycle tires, you need a bicycle pump, a combination wrench and tire levers. Release the air from your tires by unscrewing the valve all the way, then remove the axle nuts from both sides of the wheel and remove the wheel from the fork. Tip: Pay close attention to the order in which you remove each individual part, so you can put everything back together the right way.
Then place a tire lever between the tire and rim, near the valve, and another tire lever a few centimeters away from the first. This will help you to remove the tire and, eventually, the rim. You can then begin to replace the inner tube and outer tire, with the help of the steps described above.
Once you've done this, you can check whether you've done everything right by grabbing the wheel by its axle and giving it a spin (if you can see the reflective ribbon running in a straight line, you're all good). Then you can mount the wheel back in the fork ends.
 

Where can I buy bicycle tires?

What do bicycle tires typically cost? They're available in various price ranges from €5.95 up to €134.95, depending on the brand, bicycle type (MTB, road bike, e-bike, cyclo-cross), ETRTO size or inch size, the type of tire (folding tire, Tubeless Ready tire, tube tire or winter tire), profile (Slick, Semi Slick, smooth profile, coarse profile) and whether the tire has reflective elements.
At Hollandbikeshop.com you’ll find tires from €6 to €119 (folding tires are €17 to €95, clincher tires €6 to €119, Tubeless Ready tires €16 to €80 and winter tires €30 to €80). You can also purchase tires here with a Dunlop valve, Schrader valve or Presta valve, starting from €2.50. The most you’ll pay for an inner tube is €44.95. If you're an avid cyclist, you might consider getting a box of inner tubes, like 50 tubes for €49.95. We also offer boxes with 100 tubes, for €234.95.

Great bicycle tires are made by top brands like Continental, Schwalbe, Vredestein, Cordo, CST and Maxxis. You’ll find them in our web shop, and we also often have them on sale. Hollandbikeshop.com is the number 1 bike shop for all your tires and inner tubes. We have the largest range of bicycle parts (over 100,000) available from stock.