Just purchased a bicycle that has 26 X 2.0 tires and I want to replace them with 26 X 2.2 road tires. Is that possible and would I need to replace the tubes with larger ones.
Thanks
You need to check the clearance of the tires from the frame and fork (at the top of the fork, chainstays and seatstays primarily), and at the brakes if you are using rim brakes. Depending on the tires features (studs/knobs), they may have different clearance even if they are marketed as the same size, so you need to check it on a per tire basis. I'd recommend at a minimum 3-4 mm clearance at all parts of the tire to the frame for road riding, more for off road. If the bike was originally spec'd by the manufacturer with 26x2.0 tires or larger, it is probably the case that 26x2.2 will work fine.
As for tubes, tubes are marketed for a range of sizes (normally 26x1.75-2.2 or whatever). If your tube is marked within that range, you're fine. If its out of that range, chances are you can probably use it anyway, but it may not be as reliable (Ideally, you'd put a properly sized tube in, anyway -- they're cheap, and saves you the trouble of removing a tire again).
It is possible without replacing the tubes, if you have clearance for the tire. If you do have clearance, they should work just fine.
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Its not necessarily the case that a bike has 26x2.0 tires will even fit a 26x2.2 tire without rubbing on the frame. – Batman May 17 '16 at 17:48
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@Batman that's true. I read the question as "is it possible without replacing the tubes..." Answer was edited to reflect this. – ebrohman May 17 '16 at 18:11
