Can I fit wider tyres on my hybrid?

rumbataz · November 2015

I've currently got 26" x 1.5" tyres on my hybrid. That size is fairly hard to come by so my options for new tyres are limited. I need to get new tyres soon as the old ones are very worn now. The old ones are Schwalbe Marathon Plus London tyres which aren't made anymore. They've served me really well for a couple of years with no punctures.

So, to widen my options, do I have to stick with the 1.5 inch tyre width or can I fit wider tyres onto my bike? Are there any issues that would prevent me from doing so or would make this a bad idea?

The reason I'm asking is that there's a lot more 26" MTB slick tyres out there that are slightly greater than 1.5 inch width, say 1.75 inches for example, or even 2 inches. Essentially I'm looking for puncture-proof tyres that are good for the Winter months.

The bike has disc brakes if that might be an issue.

t4tomo · November 2015

90% yes - As long as they fit without rubbing then fine. How much clearance do you have with the 1.5s. Disk brakes make it more likely you can fit wider tyres as no rim brake clearance issues. Just look at the points where tyre is closest to frame / forks and make a judgement call

I'd look at 1.75s, 2.0 might be pushing it and no advantage over the 1.75s given for you its just an availability of decent choices issue.

rumbataz · November 2015

Cheers for the advice. I'll go out and check the tyre clearance against the frame later. Having a range of 1.5 to 1.75 inches would give me a broader choice of tyres to choose from.

mcstumpy · November 2015

I'm not sure the 26x1.5 is so hard to come by - I changed my hybrid tyres in the spring from 1.75 knobblies to 1.5 road (schwalbe city jets). But there are a few others - Specialized Nimbus, Vittoria Randoneur, Kenda Kwest, Panaracer RibMo, Schwalbe Marathon, Maxxis Detonator

Can I fit wider tyres on my hybrid?

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