Modern cruiser bikes typically have 26" MTB wheels and use tires similar to Slick MTB tires or 26" commuter tires. Older bikes, especially old Schwinn or department store bikes can use obscure tire sizes that can make it difficult to find the correct tire size.
Cruiser bike tires are typically wide, durable and inexpensive. They are not intended to be high mileage, every day tires.
Older cruiser bikes often have tire sizes of 26" followed by a fractional number such as 1 3/8. These 26" tires are NOT compatible with a modern 26" MTB rim. Companies such as Schwinn whatever wheels were available to them when building the bikes, resulting in similar bikes with similar, but not identical wheel sizes. These tires are not cross compatible.
The most reliable way to size an old 26" tire is with the ISO, the universal tire measurement system which looks something like this: 35-590. The 35 is the tire's width, and you have some leeway with that number. The 590 is the rim size, which must be matched exactly. The most common rim sizes for older 26" tires are 584, 590 and 597. Without this ISO measurement, sizing old tires is a bit of a guessing game.
Questions with tire selection? Contact us at (800)479-9350 or sales@bicycletires.com.
