Can a 26 inch tube fit in a 29er tire?

If you’re out riding your 29er, you get a flat and don’t have a spare tube, but one of your buddies who rides a 26er hands you a his spare tube. Take it!

I tested this out since I’ve been asked about this subject quite a bit.

Basically it will work as long as you get the tube into the tire and rim. As you can see a 26er tube doesn’t quite go all the way in.

As long as you work it into the tire and rim, you should be able to at least inflate it enough to get you back home.

What I was impressed about was that I got the tire pressure up to 30. I probably could have gone higher but the rim I was using didn’t have a rim-strip.

So there you go, it is possible to use a 26 inch tube on a 29er tire….only for temporary and in emergency purposes!