# 559-19 vs 559-16? What does it mean?



## tbbmtb (Sep 17, 2020)

I need to replace the rear wheel on my mountain bike. It says ETRTO 559-16 on it but most of the wheels i've found online are 559-19. Can anyone explain the difference? Would 559-19 fit?


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## Battery (May 7, 2016)

559 (26" rim) is the diameter of the bead seat and 16mm is the inner width of the rim. I believe I got that right. Anyone correct me if I got something wrong! 

559-19 would probably work fine, if not better due to the extra width.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

16 & 19 are the inner width of the rim where the tire goes. that's quite narrow for a mountain bike! what size tires are you using? if you're using conventional 2.1" or wider tires, I'd look for a wider rim in the 23-25mm range.

559 is the diameter in millimeters of the rim where the tire hooks onto it. that's the size of most modern 26" wheels and tires. there are a few other rim/tire sizes that are nominally 26" that are archaic at this point and unlikely to be found on any bike made in the past few decades. you need the actual 559 size to match up for your rims and tires.


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## tbbmtb (Sep 17, 2020)

Thanks, thats helpful. Yeah i'm using 26x2.1 tyres. Will look for some wider rims!


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## eb1888 (Jan 27, 2012)

Is 2.1" the widest tire your frame can fit? 
If it can take a 2.35 you can go 30mm inner width. It would be good to replace the front too if it's 16.
The new setup will let you run lower pressure too. More controlled traction.


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## fredcook (Apr 2, 2009)

I was going to ask the same thing *eb1888* asked... what can your frame handle? If it's tight, a wider rim, even with the same 2.1 tire, might not fit (worst case). Some time ago I ran into this... added a 3mm wider rim on an old XC bike, and the same 2.35 that was on it was nearly a 1/4" too wide OA at the knobs. Could only fit 2.2's post new wheel. Lessons learned...


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## redsailsinthesunset (Jul 2, 2020)

mack_turtle said:


> 16 & 19 are the inner width of the rim where the tire goes. that's quite narrow for a mountain bike! what size tires are you using? if you're using conventional 2.1" or wider tires, I'd look for a wider rim in the 23-25mm range.


It is narrow, for these days, but it was very common back in the day.

Failing to adapt to the wider rim trend until very late is one of the factors driving Mavic's imminent demise. But that is a story for another thread.

19 should be OK, but 23-25mm may lead to tyre clearance issues depending on the frame's age.


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