Tire tube shopping help

[OnTore]

Hey,

I just recently started cycling and purchased a mountain bike and road bicycle. I am shopping for tubes online to have a spare when I go cycling just in case I get a flat. I am confused by the choices of tubes and have some newb questions. Here are the details that I have for my two bikes:

MtB
Tire says 26 X 47 / 52 on it. 35-60 PSI.
The website with the bicycle specs says 26 X 2.10".
So I know that 26 is the tire size in inches and 2.10 is the width. What do the 47 and 52 mean?

Road
Tire says:
23-622
700-23c
100-145 PSI.
So 23 is the tire size and I think 700 is the circumference? What is 622?

Both are presta valves.

My main confusion right now is whether to purchase threadless or not. What's the difference? Also, when looking at tubes online there is a choice between different mm sizes for the valve (48mm, 52mm etc.) How do I know which size valve?

Also, do all pumps work on both presta and shraeder? When purchasing a pump, how do I know if it will work on prestas?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[dabac]

Originally Posted by OnTore .

Hey,

I just recently started cycling and purchased a mountain bike and road bicycle. I am shopping for tubes online to have a spare when I go cycling just in case I get a flat. I am confused by the choices of tubes and have some newb questions. Here are the details that I have for my two bikes:

MtB
Tire says 26 X 47 / 52 on it. 35-60 PSI.
The website with the bicycle specs says 26 X 2.10".
So I know that 26 is the tire size in inches and 2.10 is the width. What do the 47 and 52 mean?

Road
Tire says:
23-622
700-23c
100-145 PSI.
So 23 is the tire size and I think 700 is the circumference? What is 622?

Both are presta valves.

My main confusion right now is whether to purchase threadless or not. What's the difference? Also, when looking at tubes online there is a choice between different mm sizes for the valve (48mm, 52mm etc.) How do I know which size valve?

Also, do all pumps work on both presta and shraeder? When purchasing a pump, how do I know if it will work on prestas?

Thanks so much for your help!

26" is a tricky size. There's something like half a dozen incompatible tire sizes all sharing that denomination.
ETRTO, or millimeter-size is a much safer bet. Most common 26" these days is 559 mm.

Bicycle tires due to their design will be basically round-ish in cross section, but sometimes they're listed in width and height. This could be your 47/52.

The fact that the spec says something else doesn't mean much. For one reason or other, your bike have tires that are a tad narrower than what's in the spec.
Unless you're riding soft surfaces, or want as big air chamber as possible to cusion the ride, it's a non-issue.

23 is the approximate width/height of the tire, but don't put too much trust in it. Actual tire width can vary a lot from one make to another despite the listed size is the same.

700 is an old measurement, which used to refer to outside diameter of the inflated tire. Its current connection to reality is tenouous at best.
What you need to know is that a 700 tire has a Bead Seat Diameter (where tire meets rim) of 622 mm, which is another of your questions. In short, 700 and 622 tires will fit the same rim.

Threadless vs threaded valves is mostly a matter of preference. With threadless, the valve stem can be pushed into the rim when it's not inflated. If you have a wide/high tire, this can make getting hold of the valve for inflation a bit difficult.
Threaded valves can always take a valve nut, which eliminates this potential source of annoyance.

The sizes you see listed is the valve stem height. Too much valve stem protruding is a bit kludgy looking, but functionally unimportant. Too little valve stem(which can happen) on high profile rims, will make inflation awkward or even impossible.

Pumps, well every pump I've bought have come with a small accessory pack containing a part or two that you'd have to replace to convert from Presta to Schraeder, or the other way around.
Some (floor) pumps have dual heads that can deal with both.

 

[oldbobcat]

700c is the nominal size and 622mm is the bead seat diameter. If you think that's confusing, this standard is also referred to as 28", and 622mm is the same diameter as 29" mountain bike tires. And all of this is smaller than the old 27" 10-speed standard that became popular during the 1970s.

Tubes stretch, though, so after you locate the approximate size the more important question is Presta or Schraeder.