Kirk Williams is a photographer, filmmaker, athlete, travel junkie, entrepreneur and public speaker. In the 12 years since he sustained a C6-7 SCI, he has ventured all over North and South America in his custom-built Campervan. He is the founder of Impact Overland, a travel blog that is raising funds to help supply wheelchairs to those in need. Follow him and see his work on Instagram @kirkscamera and
@impact.overland.
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I am often asked why I use knobby tires on my wheelchair. Since most manual chair users roll on a skinnier tire, my knobbies stand out. It&#;s a style thing, sure, but they&#;re not just for style points. &#;I spend a lot of time off the pavement, and the knobbies are easier to use on that type of terrain,&#; I usually answer.
Wheelchair users also sometimes ask where they can get a set, but that question requires a much more involved answer. Wheel size, chair geometry and rolling resistance are just a few things to consider when selecting tires, and the simple act of putting wider tires on your chair can have a big impact on its fit and performance.
My attempts to fully answer that question have become something bigger &#; a guide to everything you didn&#;t know you needed to know about selecting the right wheelchair tires for your life. I hope that after reading this, you will be able to better understand the nuances of the various options for wheelchair tires and make an informed decision about which setup best suits your needs.
My activities tend to waver from urban wheeling to off-road, and living in California I frequently go from the temperate foothills to the snowy Sierra mountains. In my quest for maximum efficiency, I strive to always have the right tires on my chair.
I use 1-inch high-pressure for urban wheeling and 2.1-inch knobby tires for off-road or snowy conditions. The problem is, I use the same rim for both, and the diameter of a 2.1-inch knobby tire is significantly larger than a 1-inch tire. This means one set of tires or the other causes the back of my chair to be too high or too low, which throws off both seating position and the front caster angle.
However, there is a hack to work around this.
A 2.1-inch knobby tire mounted on a 24-inch 540 rim has a nearly identical diameter to a 1-inch tire mounted on a 25-inch 559 rim. Hence, I set my chair up for my 25-inch 559 rims and keep my 24-inch rims with knobby tires in the back seat of my car for easy switching to match the conditions of the day.
This same hack should work on a 25-inch 559 rim and 2.1-inch mountain bike tire matching up with a 26-inch 590 rim and 1-inch tire. I&#;m currently using 2.4-inch knobby tires I got at a local bike shop, and they work fine.
The one size I&#;m not sure this hack works on is 24-inch 540 rims with a 1-inch tire as I haven&#;t had a chance to compare it with the diameter of a 2.1-inch mountain bike tire on the next smaller rim, 22-inch 501. If any readers have, please let me know at .
&#; Bob Vogel
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Let me start by saying that tire size is confusing. Until recently, there were no agreed-upon standards on how to measure a tire, so we were left with a mishmash of measurement systems from different countries. Here in the U.S., we follow the imperial system, which uses inches. What is flawed with this system is that it measures the outside diameter of a tire, and the outside diameter changes based on the width of the inflated tire. That&#;s one of the reasons we&#;ve reached a nothing-makes-sense world where a 25-inch wheelchair rim fits a 26-inch mountain bike tire.
Fortunately, tire and wheel manufacturers across the world have finally gotten on the same page and use a two-number system that does a much better job of keeping your head from exploding. Both numbers are in millimeters and the first refers to the tire width &#; the bigger the number, the wider the tire. The second refers to the inner diameter of the tire. In this system, a 1-inch wide tire that fits a 25-inch wheelchair rim is designated a 23-559, while a 2-inch-wide tire that fits the same rim would be labeled a 54-559 (see below for a list of conversions for common wheelchair sizes).
Common wheel size conversions are as follows:
22-inch = 501
24-inch = 540
25-inch = 559
26-inch = 590
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The good thing about this system is that you know the tire will fit as long as the second number matches your wheel size. But. That doesn&#;t mean it&#;s always a simple swap. Remember how I said different widths change the outer diameter of a tire? That&#;s important for wheelchair seating.
Simply put, a wider tire is a taller tire. These days, most manual wheelchair frames are measured and built to fit narrow tires, so if you put a wider, mountain-bike-style tire on your chair, it will raise your rear seat height.
Take a look at the side-by-side photos below where I show the same 559-rim-size wheels with both a Schwalbe Marathon Plus (25-559) and a Kenda Small Block Eight (54-559). Do you see how much taller the Marathon is on the same size rim? If you look closely, you&#;ll notice the center of gravity changes along with the angle that the casters meet the ground. By putting on a wider tire, I have raised my seat almost an inch &#; a huge change when it comes to chair setup.
Many people opt for two sets of wheels: one setup for indoors and pavement, the other for off-road wheeling. That way, you can pop the off-road wheels on if you&#;re going camping, on a hike or to your kid&#;s soccer game, without having to deal with the width and rolling resistance of off-road tires when you don&#;t need them (see Rim-Tire Size Hack above for more info).
It is common to use a size smaller rim with a knobby off-road tire to match the original-sized skinny tire/wheel diameter. Note that when you put on wider tires, you may have to space them farther out so they don&#;t rub on your side guards or clothes. Similarly, you may need to make minor brake adjustments depending on the tire/wheel combo.
For example, if you&#;re currently using a 559 (25-inch) wheel with a skinny tire and you want to switch to the Kobra, you need to buy a 540 (24-inch) wheel to put the Kobra on to keep the chair angles close to the same.
Clearly, there are a lot of factors to consider when selecting tires and every decision comes with trade-offs, but taking the time to consider your tire width, weight and rolling resistance can have a huge impact on your ability to navigate your environment.
Check out these four common wheelchair tires &#; all of which I have used &#; and the pros and cons of each. There are many other options out there, but hopefully this comparison will help you decide which style works best for you and your lifestyle.
Intended for city streets, asphalt and sidewalks, this tire offers decent flat protection.
Pros:
&#; Low rolling resistance
on hard surfaces
&#; Flat protection
&#; Lightweight
&#; Narrow chair
Cons:
&#; Sink into soft ground
&#; Slip in snow
&#; Harsh ride quality
Recommended for off-road conditions where traction is critical, including snow, mud and sand.
Pros:
&#; Superior off-road traction
&#; Float over soft ground
&#; Rugged look
Cons:
&#; Higher rolling resistance
&#; Heavy weight
&#; Knobs can catch on clothing
&#; Wide chair
Recommended for on- and off-road use where you want off road capabilities without sacrificing a lightweight feel.
Pros
&#; Low rolling-resistance for a knobby
&#; Light weight for a wide tire
&#; Black sidewalls
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Cons
&#; Mark floor and hands with black
&#; Only available in select sizes
&#; Not thorn resistant
&#; Wide
Recommended for a mix of street and off-road pushing, including gravel, grass and dirt.
Pros
&#; Low rolling resistance for a wide tire
&#; Fast on road and still functional off-road
&#; High-pressure
Cons:
&#; Heavier weight
&#; Gray color and colored sidewalls
&#; Wide chair
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It is important that you understand the kind of wheels you will need for your wheelchair. The options you have when selecting better wheelchair wheels will depend upon where you will use them, the terrain you will ride them on, as well as the activities you will be involved in, inside or outside the house. Therefore, determining the right wheelchair tires or casters is always dependent on certain factors.
Keep in mind that people who suffer from spinal injuries or motor neuron disorders should restrain from being in situations where their spines receive excessive vibrations. We will discuss a couple of critical points about wheelchair wheels and some factors that will assist you in decision making. We hope this short manual will guide you in making the right choice about your wheelchair wheels.
Things like how smooth a ride is, or the speed you&#;re cruising at, are all dependent on the type of wheelchair wheels, tires, and casters you choose. This is why choosing them are not as easy a task as it might appear to be. It is always smart to approach an expert or do a bit of research before selecting your ideal wheels. Affordability and performance are also crucial factors, and this mini user manual will function as a healthcare assistant in helping you make an informed decision about the right wheelchair wheels.
Manual or standard wheelchair wheels have two pairs of wheels. These are:
Electric wheelchairs come with three pairs depending on the technology involved.
The back wheels of a wheelchair are made up of a hub, spokes, a rim and tires. The hub, which is the center of rotation, is connected to the rim with spokes or mags, with the tire mounted to the rim. On standard wheelchairs hand rims are used to push the wheelchair.
Wheels with spokes, also called spoke wheels, are like bicycle wheels with metal spokes. The spokes are either radial or crossed and are either 24 or 36 in total. Mag wheels have no more than ten spokes and are made of synthetic material.
The back wheels of standard wheelchairs have quick release axles to make handling easier when transporting. They also have extra caster wheels, which are mounted onto the chair.
Something to consider when selecting your wheels is their weight and the area where you will use them. Spoke wheels are much lighter than mag wheels but are generally more expensive to maintain. They are also not very suitable for moist environments. Whereas on the other hand mag wheels require little to no maintenance but could be subject to extreme temperatures.
Wheelchair wheels come in different sizes:
The diameter of the wheel and the tire affects how comfortable your ride will be and also affects the effort you need to put in to move the wheelchair. Thus, you want to choose a wheel that allows for the best output on these options.
Electric wheelchairs on the other hand, have a smaller wheel made out of thicker and stronger material. In order to enjoy the benefits that standard wheelchairs offer in regard to thicker wheels, electric wheelchairs are adorned with an extra set of wheels.
The alignment of the wheelchair wheels is vital, as it affect its stability, how it rides, how difficult it is to propel and how quickly the tyres can wear out. When aligning you must consider the following:
Camber &#; camber of the back wheels occurs when the wheels tilt inward or outward on their vertical plane. With camber the wheelchair propels easier as the hands are positioned nearer to the body. This applies more to people who propel self and has superior lateral stability. It also helps protect the fingers when passing doors.
Toe-in and toe-out &#; this is a critical alignment issue and has to do with the fact that the rear wheels do not run in parallel anymore. Avoiding toe-in and toe-out is important as it increases rolling resistance, and inadvertently leads to wear on the tires.
Truing &#; aligning the wheels is necessary, especially when it is wobbly as it spins on its axis. Mag wheels are the easiest when it comes to truing, as they are trued at manufacturing and remain that way unless they are exposed to harsh conditions. Spoke wheels are less stable, as different factors can distort the spokes.
Wheelchair tires come in different sizes. Some are pneumatic, meaning that they are filled with air, while others are solid, making them flat free. The flat free type are filled with rubber or foam. Depending on where they will be used, they are made with a different profile. Some have a deeper profile, like those used on Mountain bikes, while others have a flatter profile.
What you need to know is that a particular type of tire affects how a wheelchair will roll over a certain surface. Harder tires are easy to propel, whereas softer tires are not.
We hope you liked our article on tips to choose better wheelchair wheels, and that it was helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions or if you would like to see more of these types of articles to our site.
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If you are more interested and looking for other related articles, our staff compiled a great list of articles like Top 5 Mobility Scooter Issues And How to Fix Them and our Top 9 Best Mobility Scooter for Outdoors and have had some great feedback on those articles as well.
Feel free to write me anytime at if you have any questions or comments. At Electric Wheelchairs USA, we truly love helping our customers make the best choice for their needs whether it is a power chair, mobility scooter, or lift chair.