26" Bike Rims

Selecting the Right 26-Inch Bike Rims for Your Needs

Whether you're buying rims for a mountain bike, a BMX, a road racing bicycle, or a cruiser style, you'll want a high level of quality to keep your ride smooth. There are options for different spoke hole amounts, types, materials, and brands as well as compatibility with brakes. When you're ready to upgrade your bicycle's aluminum, carbon, alloy, or steel rims, there are a wide variety of options on eBay to choose from in conditions such as new, used, and pre-owned.

How do you determine the proper number of spoke holes?

Your ideal number of spoke holes will depend on a few factors, such as:

  • Weight of the rider - Heavier riders will want to lean toward wheels with more support and heavier materials. Carbon and alloy bicycle rims with 36 to 48 spoke holes provide more support than aluminum rims with lower numbers of spokes.
  • Holes in the hub - If you already have the hub, the simple solution is to match the number of holes in the rim to the holes in the hub.
  • Efficiency - The more holes and spokes you have, the more resistance you'll notice.
  • Durability - If you use your bicycle for commuting on a daily basis, you'll want rims that will hold up as long as possible. You'll want as many holes as possible in the bike's hubs and rims.
How can you select good bike rims?

The most essential category you'll need to look at when selecting new or used 26-inch bike rims is what kind of bike you'll need them for. Here are some additional categories eBay offers to help with your choice:

  • Bike type - Options include mountain bikes, cruisers, road bikes, cyclocross bikes, hybrid/comfort bikes, or BMX bikes.
  • Spoke holes - You can select 20 holes, 24 holes, 28 holes, 32 holes, or 36 holes.
  • Color - Different colors are available, too. Color options include black, blue, red, silver, or white.
What types of parts for wheels are available?

If you use your bike on a regular basis, you'll want a rim style that will allow you to change a flat efficiently. Options include:

  • Clincher - Wheels with the clincher style use an inner tube with the tire. When necessary, simply change out the tube and ride on.
  • Rim tape - This is a protective accessory designed to prevent the inner tube from being damaged by holes in the spoke. Mountain bikes as well as bikes used on hard terrain will greatly benefit from this protection.
  • Tubeless - This wheel's style does not have an inner tube but instead has integrated ribs in the tire's bead, creating the pressure that seals the air inside of the tire.
  • Tubular - Also known as a sew-up, a tubular wheel is specially designed to handle specific bike tires. These parts are sewn together with the inner tube.
What brands are available for racing road bikes?

Bicycle rim brands that are specially designed for road races include MTB, Sun Ringle, Shimano, and Mavic. Make sure you have enough spokes to keep the rim strong but not so many that you slow down.