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        CUSTOM RECUMBENTS

 AND

QUALITY CYCLING COMPONENTS AND ACCESSORIES!

TIRES AND TUBES

TIRE AND TUBE PAGES:

16" TIRES AND TUBES:  305 AND 349

20" TIRES AND TUBES: 406 AND 451

26" TIRES AND TUBES: 559 AND 650

700C TIRES AND TUBES

 Shopping for recumbent tires is an interesting and sometime eye opening experience! 

There are a myriad of sizes, treads, and shapes.  Not to mention how everyone has an opinion on what's the best way to go:  Fat or skinny, high pressure or low pressure, etc.

This is kinda like the chain lubricant arguement, after a few basic facts about say synthetic versus natural, it really doesn't matter.  It's up to you the rider and what feels right to you and your riding style.  You may not want to go fast, maybe, you're interested in comfort and longevity. 

That being said, we can give you those few basic facts and then after that, it's really up to you!

Some advice for the new recumbent rider.  Be very careful when going into bike shops that don't normally handle recumbents.  Remember, there are different sizes of 16", 20", 24", and 26" tires and tubes.  And I don't mean just the width.  You need to know the tire diameter you're dealing with here.  Many shops will hand you any 20" tube and not know the difference between a 406 or 451 size 20" tire.  Don't let a bike tech tell you to "S" fold the tube or "telescope" the tube to make it fit.  What he's really saying is, "I sold you the wrong size and we don't have the right size, and I wish you'd go away so I can go back to listening to Creed on my Walkman!"

For instance:

                                                        This is not a picture of just one tire.  The picture on the left is a 305 16" tire sittinginside a 349 16" tire.  The one one on the right is a 406 20" tire sitting inside a 451 20" tire.  

There's a basic rule of thumb for 16" and 20" tires that holds true except for a few exceptions:  If your tire size ends in a fraction (16 x 1 3/8 or 20 x 1 3/8) it's usually the larger size tire (349 or 451).  However, in the 20" tires, Continental and Schwalbe have chosen to label their 20" Gran Prix and Stelvio 406 tires as 20 X 1 1/8".  Even though the label looks like a 451, they are 406.