--- title: "What Are The Best 20-Inch Bike Tires for Commuting, Touring & More" url: https://bikefriday.com/best-20-inch-tires-for-folding-bikes/ type: post date: 2025-07-17 modified: 2026-08-06 markdown_url: https://bikefriday.com/best-20-inch-tires-for-folding-bikes.md author: "Oscar Hearnden" --- # What Are The Best 20-Inch Bike Tires for Commuting, Touring & More ***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" 406On 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” 406Running 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” 406Currently Out of Stock (Check Back in October) **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.