Motorcycle tyres on 20" rim bike?

[cwah]

Hello,

I have a 20" folding bike (dahln jetstream) and my tyres get worn out really quickly. I need to change my rear tyre every few monthsand although I tried all sort of tyres (marathon plus, hookworm, big apple, etc) they all die fast.

Changing tyre is really a pain, and I had a flat today it was really terrible to have to walk home for 4 miles! 1 hour walking! Can't take the tube because it was rush hour!

Is it possible to get a motorbike tyre on my bike? If so, how do I do that?

Thanks

 

[efMX Trials Electric Freeride]

a 20" bicycle rim actualy measures 16".. (add a 2" tire and then it gets to ~20" wheel..)
so therefore you may fit a 16" moped tire on your 20" bike rim..
but the tire can not be much wider than stock or it may not clear inside the frame..
here is a good thread for reference and ideas: "19" Motorcycle Wheels vs 26" Bicycle Wheels (rim and tires)"
(but in your case 16" moto vs 20" bicycle..)

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=55458

 

[cwah]

Thanks I've look at the thread, but there are more than 40 pages. Any help to guide on which tyres to get and where?

And does my bike has enough clearance?

Thank you

 

[Sean9002]

Hello,

I have a 20" folding bike (dahln jetstream) and my tyres get worn out really quickly. I need to change my rear tyre every few monthsand although I tried all sort of tyres (marathon plus, hookworm, big apple, etc) they all die fast.

Changing tyre is really a pain, and I had a flat today it was really terrible to have to walk home for 4 miles! 1 hour walking! Can't take the tube because it was rush hour!

Is it possible to get a motorbike tyre on my bike? If so, how do I do that?

Thanks

A moped tire would be a good compromise. Remember that there are actually a few different standard rim sizing's for BMX or 20inch wheels. 406mm is the ISO standard and is what you'll likely come across and is the only size ive fitted them to. Trials tires go on easily but may be too soft for your purposes. Also consider that you will be levering on a heavy gauge wire bead onto a very lightweight rim. I've seen very strong BMX rims bend with levering.

 

[cwah]

could you share link to tyre and rim to buy for what I need?

I think I have limited clearance, here is what it looks like with Big Apple 2.15" wide tyre:

 

[efMX Trials Electric Freeride]

does not look like you have space for much wider tire..
better stick with a narrow moped tire..

http://www.treatland.tv/moped-wheels-brakes-s/56.htm?searching=Y&sort=5&cat=56&show=50&page=1&search=%2016%22%20tires

http://www.shinkotireusa.com/tire/moped-tires

could you share link to tyre and rim to buy for what I need?

I think I have limited clearance, here is what it looks like with Big Apple 2.15" wide tyre:

 

[cwah]

I don't need thick tyre. I just need something puncture proof and with long service life.

My 1.75" rim is unlikely to fit any moped tyre I suppose... do I need another rim? And what would be best?

 

[efMX Trials Electric Freeride]

fitting a narrow 16" moped tire on your rim should work fine..
but fitting the tire width into the frame may be close..
i would go to your local moped / scooter shop to insure fit before purchase..
but if you must order online then look for the narrowest 16" moped tires available..
such as on the treatland.tv or shinko site i linked..
shinko 16 x 2.25 (87-4550) moped tire measures ~2.32" wide according to the shinko site specs..
or various other 16 x 2.25 moped tires available from treatland.tv..
but question is will it fit the frame width.. may be close..

I don't need thick tyre. I just need something puncture proof and with long service life.

My 1.75" rim is unlikely to fit any moped tyre I suppose... do I need another rim? And what would be best?

 

[cwah]

Thank you a lot for your help. I've been digging around to find out how to get the tyre in the UK.

I found this site:
http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=110&cart_id=4115897.110.10824&Breite=2.25&Quer=&Felge=16&Speed=&Load=&kategorie=&Marke=&tyre_for=&x_tyre_for=&rsmFahrzeugart=MO&filter_preis_bis=&filter_preis_von=&homologation=&details=Ordern&typ=R-130870

Is it ok to buy this one? I know the website propose to find tyre by size, but they do not make any sense to me. I am wondering why not get a newer tyre? But if that's a good one I'm happy to get this one.

Also, do you have any idea on which inner tube to get?
http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/MySchlauch.pl

Thank you,

 

[Chalo]

I have seen some cheap, crappy Chinese 20 inch "e-bike" tires that have a lot of rubber on them and seem like they'd last a long time (and ride terribly).

The latest 2.3-2.5" freestyle tires are often quite thick and should endure lots of miles. Here's one example.

Make sure you're not skidding your tires or overinflating them. Those are the things that wear them out fastest. The marked sidewalk pressure is often much higher than optimum.

 

[cwah]

I bought previously some cheap tyre with lot of rubber on it... and the tyre disintegrated under a month with my bike. My bike is quite heavy, go quite fast, and I do lots and lots of acceleration/braking.

So my lesson learnt is that thickness is not guarantee of good life expectancy. I think it depend on the rubber quality and hardness too. Soft grippy rubber just die fast.

would this on (uk) last long?
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cult-dehart-bmx-tyre/rp-prod74222#

otherwise i'd better get moped tyres as i don't have weight requirement bmx user have

 

[Bluefang]

Get your self a Sava tire, go down to your local motorbike shop and ask them to order a set of them in for you, Should be about $35usd each. Very good performance tire used alot in 17" size for bucket racing in Australia atleast. Most motorbike or scooter shops will mount it free of charge and balance it for you. You can use a normal fat bicycle tube or get the bike shop to fit one which is about 5x as stong lol.

 

[Chalo]

It sounds like your riding habits could use upgrading maybe more than your tires. Remember that a folding bike is not exactly a model of robustness and durability. If you swap the tires to accommodate abusive riding, you'll find out what the next weakest link is.

16" moped tires are hypothetically compatible with 20" BMX rims. They might be very difficult to mount and dismount.

 

[cwah]

yes a bit of abusive riding, but my complain is more about how fast the tyres all wear out quickly and puncture more than anything else.

I do lots of mileage, much more than normal cyclist and bmx's, with about 250 miles per weeks! All at decent speed (over 30 mph) so the tyres all die un-usually fast!

I'd like to have a very low maintenance bike and changing tyres every couple of months is annoying!

would this one last longer than a couple of months?
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cult-dehart-bmx-tyre/rp-prod74222#

maybe this one is a better fit for the requirement:
http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=110&cart_id=4115897.110.10824&Breite=2.25&Quer=&Felge=16&Speed=&kategorie=&Marke=Shinko&ranzahl=&tyre_for=&x_tyre_for=&Herst=Shinko&rsmFahrzeugart=MO&details=Ordern&typ=R-130870