Could I use a 700c inner tube in a 26" tyre?

rodgers73
rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
edited April 2015 in Road general
I'm not assuming perfect results if I do!

I'd expect it would end up running at lower pressure than is otherwise ideal but would it fail completely?

Comments

  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    It'll work fine.
    Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/
  • JayKosta
    JayKosta Posts: 635
    It 'could' work if the 700c tube diameter is similar to the 26 inch. Some 700c are quite small, and some 26 are very large.
    Another concern is the size of the hole for the valve stem.

    It would be worth a try in a 'need to get home' situation, but I wouldn't do it more any longer than necessary.

    Jay Kosta
    Endwell NY USA
  • iron-clover
    iron-clover Posts: 737
    Just thinking about it seems to be a bad idea as 26" wheels are so much smaller than 700C (i.e. not like 28" and 700C) and I often find my 700C innertubes are a little larger than the wheels as they are, so I would imagine you'd have the inner tube bunch up inside the tyre which could then burst under pressure.

    If you have some exceptionally small 700C tubes then you can try it, but check very carefully when inflating for bulges etc.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    There's a 60mm difference in diameter plus what width is the tyre? You'd have little hope of putting a 700x20 inner tube in my 26x5" fat bike tyres - matching the tyre section is more important IMO
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    I'd be putting a 25-32mm 700C tube into a 1.5" wide 26" MTB tyre
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,238
    rodgers73 wrote:
    I'd be putting a 25-32mm 700C tube into a 1.5" wide 26" MTB tyre
    Why?
  • dj58
    dj58 Posts: 2,223
    Does seem a strange thing to do, unless as eluded to above you mean in an emergency situation to get you home. Why don't you just do a trial fit, I would imagine there would be a fair bit of overlap, if you left one side of the tyre bead off and partially inflate the tube, you should be able to see how it fits.

    I use 26 x 1.5" MTB road tyres with specialized 26 x 1.2/1.5" presta valve inner tubes, other makes are available, £4.99 IIRC, so why would you want to use a 700C tube?
  • diplodicus
    diplodicus Posts: 722
    My daughter had a puncture on a family canal ride. The only tubes I had with me were 18 23 road tubes. Tried two, both exploded before the 26" tyre was any use.
  • k-dog
    k-dog Posts: 1,652
    Yes, it works but it's not perfect.

    I saw it in a few kids bikes I was working on - they had the valves at a weird angle so I took the tyres off and found a 26" tube folded to fit 20" wheels. Quite neatly done and if the valves had been straight it wouldn't have caused any problems.

    All the bikes were fairly new from a a well know car parts store! One had sloppy shifting that I tracked down to brake outer on the gear cables too.
    I'm left handed, if that matters.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    I'm just a bit broke right now and don't have any spare tubes for my MTB, but plenty of 700c tubes!
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,238
    Well, the outer diameter of a 26" mtb tyre isn't that much smaller than a 700x23c. I'd try carefully installing it with some air in the tube, to try to avoid folding it back on itself. I think it is going to get too stretched near the valve though. Or get a 99p patch kit and repair your old tube....

Categories