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I have tires that are fitted to my bike and are 2.1, because of this my rim is quite thin. Will I be able to change to 2.4 tires or will my rim be too thin. If so can you suggest a good rim size?

IconDaemon
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Sean Corcoran
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    The most important question is whether the wider tire will fit within the frame, without rubbing. – Daniel R Hicks Feb 03 '20 at 01:24
  • @icondaemon generally speaking, changing spelling between regional, international and US spellings is not really a great edit. The edit adds nothing to the question and should be avoided. – Criggie Feb 05 '20 at 22:12
  • Do not assume my intent, @Criggie, without a little forethought. My edit was not to change the regional spelling at all. The OP used the single word "tyres" in the title, yet used the word "tires" in the body of the question twice. Since the body of the question had numerical superiority, I changed the title. :-) Had the title contained the word "tires", and the body "tyres" I would have changed the title to "tyres". As an American of British ancestry, I frequently use the British spelling of words whenever possible, as they are the correct way to spell them! My behaviour is impeccable. – IconDaemon Feb 06 '20 at 01:55
  • @IconDaemon ... and we all know what OP means by both "tyre" and "tire". Still doesn't advance or improve the question. BTW editing a closed question also submits it to the reopen queue for voting. – Criggie Feb 06 '20 at 02:35

2 Answers2

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Generally you can fit a range of tire sizes on a given rim.

You might be able to put a 2.4" tire on your rim, but you should research the rim manufacturer's recommendations for tire sizes that will fit your specific rim.

This compatibility chart from WTB suggests that a rim with internal width of 25 mm (measured across the inside of the rim sidewalls) is the only one that can be used with both a 54-mm tire (2.1") and a 60-mm tire (2.4"). Again, this might not agree with your rim's manufacturer.

Adam Rice
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Back in the early days of mountain biking many of the high end rims were literally 26" versions of a 700c race rim. This also coincided with a time when road biking was moving to narrower rims (15mm internal and smaller) and tires as narrow as 18mm. One of my vintage mountain bikes (mid 80's) has rims which are 17mm internal and 2.1" tires. This works just fine for my uses of that bike on gravel roads and mild single track.

My point is that your intended use of the bike is going to have a lot to do with whether or not the rim is too narrow. This (IMO anyway) is how to use the WTB Compatibility Chart rating of "Compatible" versus "Optimal Performance".

Moving to a wider tire will cause the sidewalls to bulge out and become more round. This is great if you want a more comfy ride as the rounded sidewalls will flex more. This isn't so good if you're wanting precise steering and handling as the flex will take away from this. The rounded shape also makes the sidewalls more vulnerable to cuts and the tube more vulnerable to pinch flats.

A wider rim will result in a straighter sidewall which will have a more harsh ride but more precise steering.

Note: The tire's shape is affected by the rim width and tire design. So two different tires with identical bead-to-bead width may have different shapes when installed (i.e. different width and height where one is wider and shorter, the other taller and narrower). The point is to make sure you have clearance vertically as well as on the sides. Having a local bike shop to work with is great when trying to maximize tire width.

BTW, my experience is that the internal rim width is approximately 5mm less than the external rim width. It's a lot quicker and easier to measure the outside, and IMO an inaccuracy of a mm isn't going to matter.

NoCo Rider
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