JC Higgins Tire Advice

[ShadyDealins]

I'm working on an early 60s JC Higgins Cruiser and I'm to the point where I need to start thinking about some tires. I couldn't find anything on the wheels to indicate their size so I figured I'd just get a set that matched the size of the old tires. Looking at the old, rotten tires, I see two sizes and I'm a little unsure as to which I should use.

The first size (also the largest "print" on the tire) shows "26 x 1.75".
The second size (smaller text) shows "Fits 26 x 2.25 Wheels"

My guess is I need to go with the 26 x 1.75 size but, before I bought/ordered anything, I wanted to run it by the experts here. Any thoughts?

 

[KickBackCycles]

Both tires would work. I comes down to what you want the bike to look like. Personally I would put 2.125" tires on it but if you want more of an original look I would go with the 1.75".

 

[udallcustombikes]

The 2.125 tires may have some clearance issues if your bike has fenders. The largest I have been able to squeeze inside middleweight fenders without a bunch of trouble is 26x1.95.

 

[ShadyDealins]

I'd like to go a little wider but I do plan on keeping the fenders. I experimented with a set of 2.25 tires and it didn't look like it would fit. Granted, they were knobbies off my mountain bike so it might not be a valid comparison.

I've since picked up a set of 1.95 slicks for the MTB. Perhaps I'll see if they'll fit. I don't plan to use them on the cruiser but it would make a decent test.