The tire on my Schwinn 20" was pretty worn so I wen to a bike shop (not an authorized Schwinn dealer) to get it replaced. A kid took care of me and we ended up picking out a Primo “Wall”. Well I was pretty pleased after the fact when I saw the “Wall” on Unicycle.com and did a search here and saw that it was pretty well thought of.
However, I went in today to the same bike shop to get a new tire for my similarly worn 24" Schwinn and the MECHANIC who took care of me told me he’d have to order a tire specifically for the Schwinn because they were not standard.
So my question is, given that the Primo has been on the Schwinn 20"er for a couple of weeks with no ill affects, is it likely that any damage is being done to the unicycle? I can live with the idea that I’ll have to replace the tire sooner than is normal because it is not a proper fit. But I obviously don’t want an structural damage done to the unicycle and will deal with it now if that is going to be the case.
Please do not berate me for being so mechanically inept or simply not taking the time to learn these things. I’d like to but don’t have the time among all the things I want to be doing. I know I should make the time.
Check your old tire (the one you know fits) to see if it reads 24x1.75 or 24x1-3/4 on the side. Yes, the NUMBERS mean the same thing but the tire types are different. Some of the Schwinns use the much less common 24x1-3/4 tire. Make sure the one you buy is the same type. In cycle land 1.75 is not equal to 1-3/4. Cycle land is a lot like stupid world.
I do not have the old tire. The Primo “Wall” that was put on is 20 X 1.85. The tire on my 24" Schwinn which was bought from the same bike shop as the 20" Schwinn at about the same time is a 20 X 1.75. My best guess is that the 20" Schwinn’s tire was also a 20 X 1.75 but I can not be 100% certain. My hunch is also due to the fact that in filling the tire with air and looking at the side 20 X 1-3/4 does not ring any bells.
> So my question is, given that the Primo has been on the Schwinn 20"er
> for a couple of weeks with no ill affects, is it likely that any damage
> is being done to the unicycle? I can live with the idea that I’ll have
> to replace the tire sooner than is normal because it is not a proper
> fit. But I obviously don’t want an structural damage done to the
> unicycle and will deal with it now if that is going to be the case.
I believe the 20" Schwinns have always used a “standard” sized tire. The
24" wheels used to use an S7 rim which needed an S7 sized tire 24x1 3/4 (as
opposed to the numerically equal 24x1.75).
My opinion is that you have absolutely nothing to worry about on the 20". I
cannot imagine any “structural damage” that could be inflicted by the wrong
sized tire.