Whats your experience of 2.4 vs 3.0 front tyres

[FLV]

Sorry, this has probably been done before.... several times but I haven't found it searching.

Whats your experience of using a 3.0 (approx) front tyre versus a 2.4 (approx) front tyre. Specifically with a rigid fork.

Do you find one drags more on the road (there's nearly always road sections in my rides, just the way it is), do you find one is actually better off road? Do you think the benefits are marginal or massive one way or another?

I know I can just try it and make my own mind up, and I will. ( I even have a 2.3 on another bike, same size rotor I can just fit it and go for a ride)

Currently I find that to reduce the drag (or perception of) I tend to have a little too much pressure in the 3.0 to reap the benefits on the off road parts. This possibly answers the question but here I am in front of the computer asking for your experiences anyway

Cheers

[Bearbonesnorm]

Here we go ... I've found a wide rim and 3" tyre to be very different to a 2.4" mounted on a narrower rim. However, I've found a 2.4" (something with a decent volume such as an X-King) to be very similar if mounted to the wider rim. On a wide rim, the 3" tyre will always win in terms of outright comfort but if the tracks aren't overly rocky, that additional cushion may go largely unnoticed.

It's hard to compare drag as I've never used the same tyre in both sizes but I do think that generally, I can feel the additional weight of the 3" tyre ... it's certainly not a deal breaker though.

[FLV]

Cheers for that Stu,

yeah I should add for reference, 29er specifically.

My rims are 30mm internal so somewhere in between.

[FLV]

I've just found this

http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... e&start=50

which gives me lots of opinions, so... as you were

[lune ranger]

Much the same as Stu
What I will add is this. Riding a bike with a 3.0 tyre on an i49 wide rim I very rarely wish I had suss forks. Only in the rockiest rock gardens.
On 29x2.4 on an i22mm rim I often think about how I can afford to buy some Lauf's.
When I got my 29+ Krampus I began to go faster DH than my long term riding buddy who traditionally has held the whip hand in this arena.
All my rides have more or less road. If I have a known long road section at the start I usually run 20psi which feels ok (within reason) and let it out back to 13-15psi when the off road begins.
I guess you just need to decide which terrain you want optimal performance, for me it's off road when I'm on my MTB.

[benp1]

I've got a 25mm rim, how big could I reasonably go?

[lune ranger]

I was directed here when asking such a question

https://www.schwalbe.com/en/reifenmasse.html

[Bearbonesnorm]

I've got a 25mm rim, how big could I reasonably go?

I'm never convinced that there's any point in fitting anything above a 2.4" tyre unless you've got the rim to do it justice. Without the additional rim width, you're not getting the benefits of the tyre and are just carrying extra weight about ... others will think differently

[benp1]

I've got a 25mm rim, how big could I reasonably go?

I'm never convinced that there's any point in fitting anything above a 2.4" tyre unless you've got the rim to do it justice. Without the additional rim width, you're not getting the benefits of the tyre and are just carrying extra weight about ... others will think differently

25mm was a pretty wide rim when i got the bike (stans flow ex from 2014), how things change!

Will stick with what I have for now, although I think I'm on a 2.3 so maybe a high volume 2.4 next time

Will also keep an eye out for a 29+ front wheel, just to see what it's like

[Pirahna]

I run a 2.4 Ardent on the front of my Jones, wifey has just bought a second hand Jones with a Hugo rim on the front with a 3.0 Minion DHF on it. The tracks here take a lot of horse traffic and are mainly lots of small bumps and hoof prints. A suspension fork does very little to smooth things out, you just accept that you're going to get battered. I'm struggling to keep up with her on some of the rough stuff, where I have to slow down she just rolls across it. She reckons it's the most comfortable bike she's ever ridden, I'm going to borrow the front wheel later this week just to see what it's all about. I'll report back.

[Alpinum]

If you're looking for a fast running 29+ tyre suitable for a 30 mm rim and of similar character as a X-King, Racing Ralph etc. you may want to check out Vittoria Mezcal 29 x 2.6" (TNT G+ what not). Large volume for a 2.6", rolls on a elevated, near continous strip of treads on the straight and is just as or a little less crappy as any other similar tyre when pushing in corners.

Well... it rolls really, really fast... I got to try some 2.6" Nobby Nic, didn't like them but wanted to wear down anyhow on my everyday bike. Now on Mezcals I'm flying. Speed is really amazing. Will take it to Iceland if the sidewall holds up.
850 - 870 g.
Very bad for training though...

Just some 65 km in by now but... Wow. Like 7.5 % less grip than the Nobby Nic (Addix Speedgrip), but 15 % faster.

If you want to get strong, ride plus Magic Mary's at 1.2 - 1.5 bar.

This only goes for rigid bikes.
With suspension I prefer precision and stick with 2.4/2.35 etc.

horse traffic and are mainly lots of small bumps and hoof prints. A suspension fork does very little to smooth things out,

Something's wrong with your fork.
Instead of riding a dead (heavy) lumpy telething around for only bigger hits, make the best of it so you can carry speed over such surfaces. Well worth the little effort.

[BigdummySteve]

I ran 29+ tyres on my ECR for some time on 50mm rims, at the correct pressure ie low they are extremely comfortable are excel at finding grip, but when it gets sloppy are far worse than smaller tyres. They either float over the top while failing to find grip below or if they Clag up weigh the same as a tractor tyre.
Also they need a little body English to get turned, a proper 29+ tyre on a big rim is more like a small fat bike, the outside diameter is a fair bit larger than a normal 29er.
When a got the Fargo it came with 27.5 x 3 wheels which I found better than the bigger hoops but ultimately swapped for 29” 2.4 wtb trailboss on 31mm rims. While you loose the ability to just ride over any thing in the way they are MUCH faster on the road and over harder ground, with the 29+ set up road work was painful unless you stopped and put in a lot of air.

That said I’m curious to check out the Vittoria Mezcal,s 2.6” ,they look like they could be just as fast as my 2.4’s.

If it’s just comfort your looking for I’ve recently fitted carbon drops and an eesilk post which has made a big difference.

[whitestone]

+1 to the Mezcals. I fitted a front wheel (35mm rim) with one for the French Divide.

Certainly rolls very quickly. I've not used it on wet or greasy ground. The rubber feels a little harder than on tyres like the Bontrager XR series.

[BigdummySteve]

Could you do me a favour and measure them for me, I’m running a Fox 32 if the front and wondered what the clearance might be

[FLV]

Hi All,

I have 29+ tyre on my rigid bike at the moment, I dont think I am getting the benifit from it as I'm on a 30mm internal rim. So I guess I was coming from other direction, but the comments all stand and are relevant so thanks for that.

I tried a 2.3 Specialized ground control today. Thats not so good. deffinately more beat up but its not a volume tyre and the measurement is accross the treads.

Mezcal sounds interesting, I'll have a look. FWIW I agree Gian, with suspension I think 2.3 / 2.4 is the way.

[Alpinum]

Could you do me a favour and measure them for me, I’m running a Fox 32 if the front and wondered what the clearance might be

A quick measure (wheels in the bike) gave a distance of 38.5 cm from the center. Mind, it was only a rough measure.
Width was 6.6 cm right after mounting. After a couple of days it's at 6.8 cm with probably 1.6 - 1.8 bar on 30 mm rims, tubeless.

[RobLyon]

For me, rolling resistance mainly affects the rear tyre as that's carrying more weight and doing the driving. The front is all about grip, comfort & roll over so I prefer the 3" if its dry enough.