Rim, spoke and Tire questions

[Artificer161]

Been reading a great deal on this forum and learned a great deal more. It has allowed me to decide on what kind of motorized bike I want to build. So I have started to collect some parts.

Got some used 26” wheels the other day. And as I was removing the mountain bike tires from the rims I noticed something. The rims have stamped on them 26X1.5. But the Mountain bike tires were 26X1.95.

So how big of a tire can you mount on 26X1.5 rims? I am new to working on bicycles and I have looked over the forum and can’t seem to find an answer. And if you can go bigger on these rims as was done before I got them can you go bigger on other rims? If so How much bigger? Is there a rule or guideline I can use?

My last question has to do with the spokes. I know what a spoke wrench is I have used motorcycle ones before. But they are bigger than these Bicycle ones. So I was wondering if someone makes a multi sized one for bicycles and if so can point me in the right direction?

 

[The_Aleman]

A general rule of thumb with MTB/cruiser wheels is you can run up to ~2x a rim's width in tire width. ie: 26x3.0 tire on 26x1.5 wheel. If you run too wide of a tire on a wheel, you can end up with a sloppy-handling tire and increase the chance of sidewall failure. But of course, this is a just a general rule, as not all tires are created equally. Some tires have a more robust (strong sidewalls/capable of high pressure) construction and thus can be run safely on narrow rims while some others (such as generic <40psi tires) will handle somewhat poorly on narrower wheels. There are also several different cross-sections of tires, some have a square-ish profile with high sidewalls (such as CST 1218 or Good Year-imitation cruiser tires) and some are much more round (like Kenda Kiniption or Maxxis Hookworm).

As for a multi-size spoke wrench, they are quite easy to find if you Google around. If you Google "multi size spoke wrench" the second result is this:
http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-94-27-001-Round-Spoke-Wrench/dp/B00165U0T4

I've had one like that for years, it does the job nicely.

 

[Artificer161]

Thanks for answering my questions Aleman. Thanks for the links. I never skimp on my motorcycle tires and I sure wont this time for a bicycle tire. Nice picture by the way they are very colorful.

So I have another question who makes an excellent cruiser tire with robust sidewalls in the 26X3.0 size? I googled the CST 1218 and got a ton of hits some made sense some didn’t. You also said good year imitation, so is a Goodyear in itself a good Bicycle tire? You also spoke a lot about shape. I know on motorcycles shape plays a part in what you are going to be doing. I just want a good tire as wide as I can go 3.0” that I can cruse on, no crazy stuff no racing just putting along.

As for the spoke wrench, I did google them and I got the same images you did those lil round things. I guess I’m old school I like my wrenches to look like wrenches. I have an old motorcycle one that looks like a wrench but each end is stepped down for a different size. I was looking for one in bicycle sizes like that if you can visualize what I’m saying.

 

[The_Aleman]

So I have another question who makes an excellent cruiser tire with robust sidewalls in the 26X3.0 size? I googled the CST 1218 and got a ton of hits some made sense some didn’t. You also said good year imitation, so is a Goodyear in itself a good Bicycle tire? You also spoke a lot about shape. I know on motorcycles shape plays a part in what you are going to be doing. I just want a good tire as wide as I can go 3.0” that I can cruse on, no crazy stuff no racing just putting along.

I don't think Good Year makes bicycle tires anymore. Those imitation GY-tread tires are a common generic cruiser tire that typically isn't rated for much pressure.
I posted them as an example for square-ish profile tires. My Nirve Knuckle came with tires like that and I found they have weak sidewalls and pick up small pebbles quite easily, randomly flinging them around. They're inexpensive and work for putting around tho I spose. If you want a square-ish profile tire, the CST 1218 is what I'd recommend.
They're known for their durability and not very expensive. I run a pair of red ones, myself. They don't get any wider than 2.125 tho.

I don't know of any reputable 26x3.0 street tires. The best fat 26" tire I know of is the Maxxis Hookworm, it's a 2.5 and has a round profile and durable tread.
It's the preferred tire for many guys that take their bikes to the race events. Hookworms aint cheap, a pair will set you back $80+ shipped.

Schwalbe makes several durable tires in the 2.35 range, like HS 420 and HS 430, but they aren't cheap. Expect to pay at least $30 per.

As for the spoke wrench, I did google them and I got the same images you did those lil round things. I guess I’m old school I like my wrenches to look like wrenches. I have an old motorcycle one that looks like a wrench but each end is stepped down for a different size. I was looking for one in bicycle sizes like that if you can visualize what I’m saying.

The one I linked to works fine, like I said I've had one like that for years. It works on just about every bicycle spoke size you'll encounter and it's very compact.

I have 4 bicycles: 2 with 14 gauge spokes, 1 with 13ga, and one with 12ga. That wrench works on any of em. Look around online if you want aesthetics!