I am so confused about tyre sizing - please help.

Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
So I want to swap out my current Schwalbe Range Cruiser Tyres for some Marathon Plus Tourers.

The plan is to get better grip on any muddy paths I come across and (most importantly) to get better puncture protection.

So far, so easy.
But this is where the tyre sizing fun starts.

I have a Cube Hybrid One Iridium 2019 bike.

Rim spec is given as CUBE ZX20, 36H, Disc. When I go to the Cube techical pages to try to find out what that means in terms of rim width I get nowhere.

Current tyres are Schwalbe Range Cruiser, Active, K-Guard, 47x622.

The seond number I'm assuming is a reference to the bead width of 700/28" rims) so that seems OK.

Is the 47 their width in mm? They don't seem very 'fat' on the bike, but doesn't that mean they are already 'oversized' tyres?
They looks a bit thin to me coming from my Marin MTB.

Then it looks like the widest Marathon Plus Tourers I can find online are described as 700x40C. OK so the what's the 40C mean? Are they only 40mm wide or does it mean something else? Would I be getting narrower tyres if I bought these?

I managed to find this chart on the Schwalbe webpages, that may or may not help.
https://www.schwalbe.com/en/reifenmasse.html

I'm pretty sure that the increased tread and puncture protection means Marathon Plus Tourers would be good replacement for my Range Cruisers, but why is all the numbering so opaque?

At a minimum I'd be happy enough with the same size tyre although would prefer a slightly wider one if that is available.
What's the narrowest and widest tyres that the Cube ZX20 rim can handle and if I want a wider tyre should I be looking at moving up to a Big Ben or similar?

I'd like to order then in so my LBS can fit them when the Cube gets it's post-sale service next month.

I thought this would be really simple, but it appears Im have fallen down a rabbit hole...
 
Last edited:

Jon Matthews

Pedelecer
Aug 22, 2018
122
40
Hi,
I have the same rims on my Cube Cross Hybrid Pro - I installed Scwalbe Marathon GT365 MTB 29x2.10. I've ridden 2000 miles on and off road mainly in the past year. I have got slime in the tyres and have had no punctures. The 2.10 width looks like the maximum width the for the rear, but you could fit wider on the front. They are an absolute pig to fit as they are tight fitting and wired. I used washing up liquid mixed with water and used a tywrap (zip tie if you are in the USA) as a third hand to stop it popping off the rim as I worked it on. They are quite heavy but hey, you have an ebike so no problem. They've been a game changer for me and I'm just about to convert them to tubeless. They're great on the road as well with low rolling resistance. I still carry a repair kit and spare tube but haven't had to use them. They are only £23 at Chain Reaction, you won't be disappointed.