Meet Julia – the hero behind the scenes who sources all the parts and tires for your bikes.
Choosing the right tires makes a huge difference in how a bike rides, feels, and performs. Depending on your setup and riding style, you might prioritize speed, comfort, durability, traction, or load-bearing strength.
We’ve collected real-world feedback from riders across the Bike Friday community and organized it by riding style and compatible models. Below, you’ll find tire suggestions along with actual comments from riders, broken down into categories to help you choose what fits your needs.
Fast Road Tires
Well suited for: Pocket Rocket, New World Tourist
| Brand |
Tire Name |
Width |
Rider Comments |
| Schwalbe |
One |
28-451 |
“Readily available fast tyre, gives the feeling of riding a full-sized bike.” – Poul H. |
| Panaracer |
Minitis Lite |
7/8 – 451 |
“it’s a folding tire, not a wire bead. Durability and ride quality are outstanding. It’s available in 28-451 and 23-451.” – Mike K |
| Kenda |
Small Block Eight |
28-451 and 37-451 |
“There aren’t a lot of knobby tires in 451 but if you want to use your Pocket Rocket for light gravel or trails (lots of fun!) Kenda makes the Small Block Eight in 28-451 and 37-451. I’ve used the 28-451 size with good results.” – Mike K |
| Greenspeed |
Scorcher |
40-349 |
“Light, fast… superior road grip and acceleration.” – Greenspeed spec |
Touring Tires
Well suited for: New World Tourist, Pocket Llama, Diamond Llama, Tandem Two’sDay
| Brand |
Tire Name |
Width |
Rider Comments |
| Schwalbe |
Marathon / Marathon Plus |
1.5″ 406 / 1 ⅜ 406 / 1.35″ 349 |
“Mostly touring on all types of terrain-paved, gravel, dirt. On all my BF’s. A Pocket Tourist, a New World Tourist, an E-NWT, and a Tandem Tuesday.
Almost no flats. Maybe 5 flats in 15 cumulative years and easily 30k cumulative miles on these bikes, plus a Pocket Llama I used to have. I value reliability above weight, so I just keep rolling on the Schwalbe’s.” – Anonymous
Heinz Stücke who has travelled over six hundred thousand kilometers by bicycle asked for these by name. |
| Continental |
Tour Ride |
1.75″ 406 * |
“PSI to the max. All rounder riding styles. On my pocket companion model 2011.” – Kona Bros S. |
| Tioga |
Powerblock |
1.95″ 406 |
“I never liked the vaunted Schwalbe Marathon… I am trying and enjoying the traction, volume, and smoothness of Tioga Powerblocks. The 1.95″ wire bead tires mounted easily and DO fit the older version of NWT I ride. ” – Harry T. |
| Schwalbe |
Smart Sam |
47-406 |
“Rolls well, is a little softer for bumps, and gives me better steering ‘bite’ on gravel/dirt.” – Mike S. |
| Maxxis |
Detonator |
1.5″ 406 |
On a Silk for commuting at 60 psi.” – Kim F. |
| Tioga |
Fast’r X S |
1.6” 406 |
“Easier to pack for touring spare.” – Harry T. |
| Panaracer |
Pasela |
1.5” 406 |
“I like that they roll fairly efficiently and are comfortable/cushy.” – Torino-Nice Rally |
The Schwalbe G-One Allround 2.1” proves to be an excellent option for an all-around option in our testing.
Gravel and Mixed Surface
Well suited for: Diamond Llama, All-Packa, NWT
| Brand |
Tire Name |
Width |
Rider Comments |
| Schwalbe |
G-One |
1.5″ 406 |
“Comfortable on most surfaces.” – Enzo G. |
| Schwalbe |
365 GT |
2” 406 |
“Wanted fast rolling off road. Sandy tracks around here. Rolls well on bitumen” – Vinny B. |
| Kenda |
Booster Pro |
2.4” 406 |
“Perfect for mixed-surface riding: light, fast on pavement, good grip on gravel and dirt.” – Kevin M. |
| Odyssey |
Broc |
2.4” 406 |
Running between 45-65 psi.
Mostly urban streets and bike path. Though often some light single track or gravel.
I like the high volume for comfort. And they are wide enough to pretty much go anywhere. But they’re relatively slick for the paved surfaces I mostly ride. Good grippy compound but pretty tough. – Joe B |
| Schwalbe |
Billy Bonkers |
2” 406 |
“Light n fast.” – Chris W. |
Comfort & Utility
Well suited for: Haul-a-Day, Ever-E-Day, Family Tandem,
| Brand |
Tire Name |
Width |
Rider Comments |
| Schwalbe |
Big Ben |
2.15” 406 |
“High volume for comfort. Works well on a variety of surfaces.” – Steve V. |
| KHE |
MAC2 |
2.3” 406 |
“Very supple sidewall, rolls very fast. Thin tread is prone to flats.” – Mike T. |
| Continental |
Contact Urban |
1.25, 1.6, 2” 406 |
“Delightfully sticky. Prioritized grip since wanted confidence whilst having two people on the bike.” – Sylvan H. |
Big Volume Tires for the All-Packa
| Brand |
Tire Name |
Width |
Rider Comments |
| Kenda |
Booster Pro |
2.4” 406 |
“Perfect for mixed-surface riding: light, fast on pavement, good grip on gravel and dirt.” – Kevin M. |
| Vee |
Crown Gem |
2.8” 406 |
“Awesome grip and makes it feel even more like a ‘regular’ size bike.” – Kevin M. |
| KHE |
MAC2 |
2.3” 406 |
“Used on road and gravel. Very supple sidewall so has a great feel and rolls very fast. The negative is that the tread is thin and easy to get flats. I have no problems on gravel, I get flats when riding near shrubs and their thorns. This is a fast ride tire.” – Mike T. |
Staff Picks
Some riders want a shortcut to a solid choice. While there’s no one-size-fits-all tire, here are a few that come highly recommended by both
our team and the community:
- Walter highlights the Marathon Pluses saying they are bombproof but do compromise ride quality for their reliability.
- Mark recommends the Tioga Fast’r X 451 – A folding bead tire that works great on the Pocket Rocket. 28-451
- Mark also recommends the IRC Siren Pro 1.9 – Excellent for tubeless setups, offering superb ride quality and traction.
Tire Pressure & Tubeless Considerations
Most riders run tire pressures between 35 and 110 psi, depending on volume, surface, and load. Heavier riders often increase rear pressure for durability, while off-road riders lower pressure for traction.
A few riders are experimenting with tubeless-ready rims, particularly for higher volume setups. While not standard on most Bike Friday models, this is something to consider if you prioritize comfort, grip, and fewer flats on rugged terrain. What’s more, it gives you the unique ability to reduce the pressure in your tires as low as you like to give you a more comfortable ride when the road gets rougher.
Always check your rim and tire compatibility before attempting a tubeless conversion. For most riders, high-quality tubes and careful inflation are still the most reliable option.
Conclusion
While tire choice often comes down to personal preference, we hope this overview gives you a clearer picture of what other Bike Friday riders are using and why. Each tire listed here has been tested on real trips, real roads, and under real loads.
Let us know if you’ve found a 20-inch tire that works well on your Bike Friday, share it in the comment section – we’re always happy to hear from riders and keep this list up to date.
9 Responses
Lots of tires listed, but given the variety of “20 inch” tire sizes, I would like to have seen them broken down into 406/451 variations and not just width variations. I saw only one mention of the 406 variety but no further differentiation. I’m always on the lookout for suitable tires for our tandem. The Primo Comets were original equipment but I’ve had numerous carcass failures with them. I’m now using VEE Tire Co. SPEEDSTER and SPEED BOOSTER in 1 3/8 width (451) both of which are higher pressure tires (=> 100psi) and, so far, seem to be holding up well with the tandem loads. I liked the MAXXIS Detonator (1 3/8) which provided pretty good durability and performance and seemed to have above average volume, but they were limited to 80psi so they had to be operated right at max with the tandem and one ultimately had a carcass failures on a very hot day (90+f). They seemed to have disappeared from the market as well. We’ll see how the VEE tires perform over time.
Hi Jim, thanks for your input. Good call, I have added the differentiation between 406/451 to make it easier to distinguish. Not many 451 options listed so I will ask around and update the list accordingly.
Thank you for your contribution!
You have the Schwalbe One listed as a “fast road tire” for the Pocket Rocket but I suggest adding the Panaracer Minits Lite. That’s a better choice for the Pocket Rocket in my experience plus it’s a folding tire, not a wire bead. Durability and ride quality are outstanding. It’s available in 28-451 and 23-451.
There aren’t a lot of knobby tires in 451 but if you want to use your Pocket Rocket for light gravel or trails (lots of fun!) Kenda makes the Small Block Eight in 28-451 and 37-451. I’ve used the 28-451 size with good results.
Hi Mike, thanks for your input and great suggestions, we will add those in!
The Schwalbe Smart Sam is not only available in 47-406, but also in 60-406. That provides extra cushioning, and is the maximum width the 1st gen all packa frame fits.
In the “Comfort & Utility” category, I would add the “Schwalbe Pick-Up” (20×2.15). It is a heavy duty and long lasting tire. We use it on our Tandem Two’sDay Folding Travel Bike. It works well on road and light gravel (it lacks some grip on sand and steep gravel roads though).
Question about ease of getting 451 tires off and back on. My bike came with what Mark recommended, the Tioga Fast’r X 451″. Everyone had difficulty with that tire on my bike. I couldn’t fix a flat by myself, which I find is essential when traveling. Had anyone else had similar problems with the Tioga Fast’r X 451?
Don’t forget to add studded tires! Schwalbe make a 42mm Marathon Winter studded tire for 406, for example. It’s what I use for my 30mi commute all winter….and it is the only option as far as I know.
I’ll second Carrie’s suggestion: the only time in 30+ years of cycling (and many many maaaany flats) that i was almost not able to replace a punctured tube was on my old Pocket Rocket with Schwalbe Marathons. After breaking 2 tire levers, it took a trip to the closest LBS to buy beefier levers and a wonderful tire bead jack to finally be able to take off the tire and put it back on. And I then carried the jack on that bike all the time, and gave it to the guy who bought it from me. 🙂
So: some insight on tire/rims combinations that work or don’t work so well would be a great topic for a users survey and a future blog.