Tire size on 26" EBikeKit motor?

[BrandonB]

I recently purchased what I was told to be a 26" EBikeKit kit, and just now got it mounted. The sticker on the wheel says 26" 9 x 7. I couldn't find a tire this size at Wal Mart, so I bought an inner tube for a 26" 1 3/8" tire which I already had at home. When I tried to mount the tire, there is no way this tire will fit the rim. There is at least a 1/4" gap between the tire bead and the rim of the motor. Is there that much difference between a 9 x 7 tire and a 1 3/8" wheel, or did I get a 24" rim by mistake?

Thanks,
Brandon

 

[TPA]

I can help with half of your question.

The numbers 9x7 are a reference to the motor windings and has nothing to do with the rim or tire size.

I've not tried to fit a tire to a ebikekit wheel, but others here have, and might help with getting the correct size tire.

 

[maydaverave]

You got a road bike tire. Standard 26" tire size is from 1.5" to 2.5". The 2.5" being a balloon beach tire and the 1.5" more like a hybrid tire. You also want to get the 26" tube rated for 1.5"-2.5" tires. I have a 1.5" tire on my bike and the extra thick slime tubes both of which I bought at walmart. You can run a balloon tire at about 30 psi and a 1.5 at about fifty psi. Good luck.

 

[Russell]

There is, or can be, a difference between a 26" tire expressed in fractions and one expressed in decimals. The common size today are the decimal sizes like 26 x 1.9 which fit on a 559mm rim (about 22") from bead to bead. Your fractional size 26 x 1 3/8 is likely one of the other less common sizes of 26" tire (Yes bike tire sizes are full of incongruities :? )

see here for more details; http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html


-R

 

[BrandonB]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

Dave,
So you're saying that I can buy anywhere from a 1.5" to 2.5" tire bought at wal-mart? They will fit? I think I may buy a beach tire, since the bike it's going on originally has 27" wheels.

Thanks,
Brandon

 

[maydaverave]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

Dave,
So you're saying that I can buy anywhere from a 1.5" to 2.5" tire bought at wal-mart? They will fit? I think I may buy a beach tire, since the bike it's going on originally has 27" wheels.

Thanks,
Brandon

Yeah, the most popular sizes being 1.5" hybrid, 1.75" mountain bike, and the 2.5" beach cruiser. What kind of tire are you going to put on the other wheel? Is it a road bike? a beach cruiser tire on a road bike would look pretty funny. If it is a road bike I would get the 1.5" for the e-bike tire and then get a hybrid roadbike tire for the other wheel. Is it an old bike? Europeon? that seems like a weird size.

 

[Ypedal]

Check your brakes to make sure a wide tire will fit, and allow the brake pads to hit the rim . alot of different bikes out there.. I usually go with 26 x 1.75 mountain bike tires, if you can afford it get a good tire from a bicycle shop vs a cheapie at walmart, good tires improve ride quality ! and last longer., roll more efficiently.. aim for 40 ~ 50 psi imo.

Unless you ride alot in dirt, avoid knobies, kenda Holy rollers are nice ( almost like knobies but close pattern on stiff rubber ) .. tall knobs on pavement are gushy and slop the ride.

 

[maydaverave]

Check your brakes to make sure a wide tire will fit, and allow the brake pads to hit the rim . alot of different bikes out there.. I usually go with 26 x 1.75 mountain bike tires, if you can afford it get a good tire from a bicycle shop vs a cheapie at walmart, good tires improve ride quality ! and last longer., roll more efficiently.. aim for 40 ~ 50 psi imo.

My tires from walmart are kevlar bead and at $14.00 quite a bit cheaper than a bike shop. They seem like good tires to me much better than the cheap tires that come on a walmart bike

 

[Ypedal]

woops .. good point.. let me rephrase ..

" If at all possible, don't buy tires from Walmart in Moncton NB, they got nothing out here.. "

 

[BrandonB]

Thanks alot guys. The bike is a 1977 Raleigh Grand Prix:

http://www.evalbum.com/3118

It has 27" wheels with some really thin tires on it. What would you guys reccomend?

 

[maydaverave]

woops .. good point.. let me rephrase ..

" If at all possible, don't buy tires from Walmart in Moncton NB, they got nothing out here.. "

Good tires are important, cheap soft rubber with no bead means wet noodle handling and lots of blowouts and we all should support the little guys. Walmart evil empire but so cheap :lol:

 

[maydaverave]

Thanks alot guys. The bike is a 1977 Raleigh Grand Prix:

http://www.evalbum.com/3118

It has 27" wheels with some really thin tires on it. What would you guys reccomend?

Road bike. Thats why I was saying hybrid tires. There are two types those that make fat tired bikes more like a road bike and those that make a road bike more like a fat tired bike. There would still be a size difference between the two types but not so bad.

 

[torker]

My lbs sold me some Kenda K-Rad tires for 11 dollars each. I think they are 2.3 inches wide. You may not be able to go quite that much on that frame. They are similar to the Holy rollers Ypedal mentioned. I have one of those on my recumbent and like it too. Tread is in between a street tire and a mtn tire.

 

[FeralDog]

In general see this>>> http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html

Then see this >>>> http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/tire_dimensions

Then take a good measuring device (caliper, or ruler) and measure your bikes parts.
Write down the measurements and save them.
It will help you in the future.

 

[dogman dan]

Yeah, an old roadbike for sure. I bet your tire that didn't fit is actually a 700centimeter or 27 inch not a 26"

I like and run the bell brand comfort bike tire. It's about 2" wide on a wide rim, but about 1.75 wide and a bit taller on a narrowish rim such as the ebike kit has. I get em at wallmart or k mart, whoever has em in stock. If it rubs the rim, take it back for a refund. They'll last about 2000 miles minimum and have kevlar. Eventualy, you might look into having the motor re spoked to the original rim on the bike. That way you get your front brakes back.

This tire fits my ebikekit rim just fine. If you need a narrower 26" tire, it will be hard to find, but you could put a 26" fork on the bike, and then have brakes and fit anything. A suspension corrected fork, would be a bit longer, and eliminate any nose down from the shorter 26" fork.

 

[PeteCress]

...26" EBikeKit kit, and just now got it mounted. ... 26" 1 3/8" tire which I already had at home.... there is no way this tire will fit the rim. There is at least a 1/4" gap between the tire bead and the rim of the motor

If the rim on your wheel says "Champion/Sampson", I have the same rim and had similar experience with my Muntano Raptor 55/55 tire - but I was too dumb to realize what was up and mounted it anyhow, with the predictable outcome...

FWIW, the tire I have on there now is a Hutchinson "CrossComp" 35-559 at about 60 psi and it seems tb 100% solid. Good traction, enough cushion...

There are undoubtedly dozens if not hundreds of other tires that will fit a-ok, but this one is for sure.

My takeaway is that if a tire goes on to the rim too easily, there's danger of it coming off in use.

 

[Little-Acorn]

we all should support the little guys.

Who do you think works at Walmart?

 

[Little-Acorn]

I recently purchased what I was told to be a 26" EBikeKit kit, and just now got it mounted. The sticker on the wheel says 26" 9 x 7. I couldn't find a tire this size at Wal Mart, so I bought an inner tube for a 26" 1 3/8" tire which I already had at home. When I tried to mount the tire, there is no way this tire will fit the rim. There is at least a 1/4" gap between the tire bead and the rim of the motor.

Take your rim, motor and all, to your local bike shop (or Walmart), put it flat on the floor, and lay a tire from the rack, on it. Repeat until you find one that looks like it fits.

Might help if you first lay the tire you already tried, on it, to see what it looks like (tire lying on a rim but not mounted) when a tire DOESN'T fit.

 

[vanilla ice]

Its easier to go by metric size, ie 50-559. That is also on most tire sidewalls these days along with the dumb size names. Fractional 26" tires and decimal 26" tires are different in diameter.