Folding Bike Tyre Guide
Folding bike tyres are tyres that are designed specifically to fit the wheels of folding bikes. Most folding bikes have smaller wheels than urban road and hybrid bikes, so we’ve placed them all in a category of their own. If you can’t find the exact same tyre as you have on your bike, then another tyre of the same size will be fine.
Please note: the term ‘folding tyre’ refers to the bead of the tyre rather than the type of bike that the tyre is to be fitted to. Both ‘wired’ and ‘folding’ bead tyres are suitable for folding bikes as long as they are the right size.
What size tyre do I need for my folding bike?
You will need a tyre that is the same size as the wheel on your folding bike. If you aren’t sure what size you need have a look at the side walls of your existing tyre, the size will be written there.
Brompton folding bikes all have 16” wheels with a 349 ETRTO number. Tern folding bikes have 20” wheels or larger.
See the table opposite for typical folding bike tyre sizes
|
ETRTO Number |
Tyre Dimension |
|
32 - 349 |
16 x 1 ¼ |
|
35 - 349 |
16 x 1.35 |
|
32 - 355 |
18 x 1.25 |
|
40 - 406 |
20 x 1.5 |
Can I fit a different size tyre to my folding bike?
You can fit a tyre with a different width as long as the diameter of the tyre is the same. A slightly narrower tyre of the same diameter will fit perfectly. You will need to make sure that you have enough clearance in the frame if the tyre is wider than your existing tyre.
For example: if you have a 16 x 1 1/4 (32–349) tyre fitted then a 16 x 1.35 (35–349) will fit as long as you have a little bit of extra clearance between the tyre and the frame as this tyre is about 3mm wider.
