Tire size imdumbnification...

[H8PVMNT]

OK so my boy (age 7) picked up this fairly old herculese/hawthorn made in england and we can't seem to get the right size tires for it. The sidewalls say 26x1 3/8 but when we tried to put a fresh set of 26x1 3/8 tires on the rims they are just slightly to big on the inside diameter and the tube bulges out between the rim and tire. The guy at the bike shop sent us home with tires that were "an older schwinn style" that say for schwinn and english on the sidewall and an "S-6" rim size. Is this the problem? What can we buy that will fit these rims?

We were considering just baging it and putting on some rims off a more modern bike with some fatter tires as he wants to rat rod it out anyway. I am open to suggestions there as well.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[user 135]

There are 2 sizes of 26 x 1 3/8" Read this article by Sheldon Brown. Schwinn had some other funny sizes too.
http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

 

[H8PVMNT]

Thanks that explains it perfectly. Looks like we have the 26x1 3/8 E.A.3 with the 590mm bead seat. What we bought was 7mm too big on the bead seat.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

it's a real hassle isn't it? I recently went through a similar situation looking for 24x1-3/8 tires.

glad you got it figured out.

and God bless Sheldon for posting up his seemingly infinite knowledge for all of us before passing.

 

[deorman]

EA3 tires are not hard to find, I got some at Walmart last year, saw some at K-Mart the other day. If you want to order nicer ones from a bike shop, they're often labeled 650A.

 

[Bendix]

EA3 tires are not hard to find....

yeah, they're actually the MORE common ones!

the guys at your shop out-thunk themselves :mrgreen:

 

[jackdaw]

it's a real hassle isn't it? I recently went through a similar situation looking for 24x1-3/8 tires.

glad you got it figured out.

and God bless Sheldon for posting up his seemingly infinite knowledge for all of us before passing.

+1 for Sheldon Brown and those who are keeping his info out there.