Wide Rims

[djh66]

What are the advantages / disadvantages of wide rims? Presumably they're only for the rear?
cheers
Dave

[vespanic]

If used with the correct tyre they should give better grip and handling. If used on the front it apparently effects in a negative way but having never tried it can't comment from experience. A mate has had wide rims on the front of his Lammie for years and thinks it handles ok.

[djh66]

So they'll be no benefit, having a standard 3.50 x 10 tyre on a wide rim, as I would think ther'd be no more tyre on the road than a standard rim?

[Mel K]

Apart from looking good from the behind there's no advantage at all.

[camel]

Apart from looking good from the behind there's no advantage at all.

so why do sports bikes run fat tyres then?
i disagree..i run wide rims front and back...with 110/90/10 tyres
i love the road holding it gives and the look
the clearance between the casing can be pretty close on the rear so you can either use an mb 2mm shim behind the rear cone or two std shims as i do
also carrying a spare is a problem as they are wide as feck,but i dont anyhow
its all personal choice.....but im a fan

[mawso]

Just bought a pair of 350x10 Conti Navigators which look lean across the middle. I was wondering whether they'd stretch out alright on a wide rim. Used to use Metzeler ME7 which had a boxier middle section before even fitting, once on looked ace on a wide rim.

Rode a friends cutdown with front and rear wides on, it didn't feel odd. Maxi scooters have wide section front tyres on 12" rims and are capable of high speed handling.

[RICSPEED]

although it is not recommended by many a lot do fit them to the front though its worth noting that they will not fit some outboard disc set ups

[fairspares]

i use to run mich s1 350x10 on wide rim on rear for years , i now use schwalbe 350 x 10 still on wide rim, it spreads out the tyre and i liked the way it feels , i have also tried as a test half a wide rim on the front with scootrs disc brake , opposite side to disc as the caliper to close to rim , i didnt like the way it felt because the wheel is way out of centre , i use standard rim on front . heres a photo of a mich s1 on a standard rim and a conti twist sport on a wide rim just to give you an idea of how the tyre looks. i dont use 100x90 tyres because they are already lower profile than 350x10 and on a wide rim i find them to flatten out to much., both tyres have 28psi.

[bigmuff]

I thought that 100/90 tyres were slightly taller (only about 1mm) than 3.50 tyres. 100/90 is 100mm wide, the 90 profile is a percentage of the width (90%) making the tyre 90mm tall. A 3.50 tyre is 88.9mm tall. i use 100/90 and 100/80 on wide rims on the back of my GP. Use the 100/80 when want to drop the gearing as the tyre is only 80mm tall. Hope this makes sense. A 110/80 tyre is 88mm tall. 80% of 110mm.

[fairspares]

I thought that 100/90 tyres were slightly taller (only about 1mm) than 3.50 tyres. 100/90 is 100mm wide, the 90 profile is a percentage of the width (90%) making the tyre 90mm tall. A 3.50 tyre is 88.9mm tall. i use 100/90 and 100/80 on wide rims on the back of my GP. Use the 100/80 when want to drop the gearing as the tyre is only 80mm tall. Hope this makes sense. A 110/80 tyre is 88mm tall. 80% of 110mm.

yes i think your right about the height but when i tried a 100x90 on a wide rim it spread out and was to flat for my liking , it was a while ago and maybe it was 100x80 , il see if i got one to compare.