chas wrote:I find that going over 2" gets a tire that handles really wierd on pavement, but great on dirt. That may be an over generalization, but if you are riding a lot of pavement and hard pack it may be difficult to find a more road oriented tire.
The widest tire I've ridden is a 48 mm Shikoro which is a slick, round tire. On 30 mm (inside) rims at 35/40 psi they handle fine on pavement and on easy dirt or gravel.
BTW I have clearance for a 70 mm tire on the front but for my rides I see no benefits beyond 42 or 44 mm. Might try it one day just to see.
imwjl wrote:The Race Kings are different tread pattern than they were for several years. Now a more dirt and on edge friendly pattern but not as smooth overall.
Not quite as wide - 50 mm - are Donneley was Clement X'plor MSO. They've never ceased to amaze me for the versatility, how good tubeless, and how good for both road and single track. They get snow and ice grip when the Race Kings go stupid. You can rail when Race Kings will hurt you.
FWIW, I'm about to replace a bald Race Kings with Fleecer Ridge to keep that 50+ mm size on our Fargo. It nearly killed me to spend money on tan wall tires. Tan walls have to be one of the dumbest current trends. They look craptacular with age, and they remind me of all the craptacular products we had in the 1970s.
The revised Race King tread is slightly more open than the original. I doubt it changes the rolling resistance much. Reduces cornering grip on pavement, but should improve on the original’s dicey wet conditions performance. I love natural skinwall (tan) tires.
chas wrote:I find that going over 2" gets a tire that handles really wierd on pavement, but great on dirt. That may be an over generalization, but if you are riding a lot of pavement and hard pack it may be difficult to find a more road oriented tire. for example I find the Furious fred (with its rounded profile) handles a LOT different on the road/hard-pack than a Thunder Burt (which is a bit more squared off)
Has more to do with tread profile and inflation pressures than tire width. Any squared off tire is going to feel edgy on hard surfaces.
krovikan wrote:Have you tried wider rims? I think for 2" at least 24 mm rim width should work better, on narrower rim the tire shape can get out of hand.
For road use I'd want a rim between 50% and 75% of the tire width, e.g. a 25 mm rim for 32 to 50 mm tires. I have had issues (annoying, not disastrous) going under 50%.
Yep, there are round profile tires out there above 2" (Furious Fred for example), it just that the vast majority are going to be designed with shoulders that dig in when cornering - and that makes for wierd road handling.
Thunder Burt is an example. Its fast in a straight line, does great on rolling resistance tests (again, straight line), is a ball to take on fast single track, but on a gravel bike - the tread profile makes for some wonky handling on the road connectors. Its not bad, it just makes my bike handle like a monster truck, and corner slow. But on a 100% dirt ride, its perfect. The rounded furious fred on the other hand, can do both with ease.
I reinstalled mine today and noticed they're not stiff at all. Mine are the current HS603 version, available only in the last year, and are quite different from the HS453 tested by BRR in 2016. The 40-622 V-guard version is 490 g and the 40-622 Microskin (tubeless) version is 625 g. That's heavier than some gravel tires but the puncture protection and tread life should be good. BTW the section is round and the tread blocks are about 2 mm high.
Except for the hideous tan wall look, my initial impressions of the Fleecer Ridge are really good. They replaced 55 mm original pattern Race Kings. They are smaller, quieter and roll better.
Yesterday we did a 25 mi loop that was urban rough streets, country roads and a few miles of wet, sloppy, snow & ice with the Fleecer Ridge on Fargo and 50 mm MSOs (Donnelley) on the Sutra. Now the Fargo might even roll better.
One thing I could not test in the early season ride is how much you can get them on their side on dirt - a scenario where the MSO is impressive.
FWIW, they sealed and inflated with ease on the Stans rims.
Other than wishing for all black, they are impressive tires. They (and MSOs) don't get all scary and stupid in mud and are super impressive with general rolling. To Rene Herse, please make them in all black.
I run a set of 650bx2.1Teravail Rutlands on my Rondo Ruut. Great tires out on the trail, but also roll fast on the way there. https://teravail.com/tires/rutland#TR2669
I have tried most all tires and have a collection of Teravail Sparwoods(skin wall) Schwalbe Thunderburts, Specialized Fastracks(skinwalll), Continental terraspeed, and I have settled on WTB Nano as my favorite for my rides. But you can’t ask what is the best tire without knowing your surface, what characteristics you’re looking for and your preference when asking about tires. Everything works well for specific segments.
stu wrote:I reinstalled mine today and noticed they're not stiff at all. Mine are the current HS603 version, available only in the last year, and are quite different from the HS453 tested by BRR in 2016. The 40-622 V-guard version is 490 g and the 40-622 Microskin (tubeless) version is 625 g. That's heavier than some gravel tires but the puncture protection and tread life should be good. BTW the section is round and the tread blocks are about 2 mm high.
I have the 26" version on my big dummy. Combined weight of me, the bike, and cargo is often around 400 lbs. It is my best coasting bike.
I can second the 700x50 MSOs. They came stock on my Stuntman and I just went back to them. Great all-rounder and I leave them on all year (until I need to switch out to my winter spikes...).
I just wore out a set of Thunderburts, which I really liked, but wanted to find something with a bit more volume (and a little more durable). I just mounted up some Maxxis Ikons 27.5 x 2.2. They measured out to ~55mm, so not much bigger than the Thunderburts. They are a bit heavier, but still not bad for a big knobby at ~625 grams. Haven't had a chance to take them for a spin yet...
JWB475 wrote:I just mounted up some Maxxis Ikons 27.5 x 2.2. They measured out to ~55mm, so not much bigger than the Thunderburts. They are a bit heavier, but still not bad for a big knobby at ~625 grams. Haven't had a chance to take them for a spin yet...
GRVLYNP wrote:I have tried most all tires and have a collection of Teravail Sparwoods(skin wall) Schwalbe Thunderburts, Specialized Fastracks(skinwalll), Continental terraspeed, and I have settled on WTB Nano as my favorite for my rides. But you can’t ask what is the best tire without knowing your surface, what characteristics you’re looking for and your preference when asking about tires. Everything works well for specific segments.
What specifically do you like about the Nano's? Would you mind listing the pro/con of each?
I just installed these Maxxis maxxlite 27.5x1.95 on my bike and really like the overall performance. Only 380grams each, and setup tubeless easily on the first try. The center knobs interlock so they feel smooth on pavement and fast on dirt but have decent dig for climbing. The side knobs are aggressive but low profile, so cornering is still predictable. Still too early to comment on durability, but they roll well on the chipseal pavement we have here in Michiana, and climbing loose gravel is no issue. I'm around 188 lbs ready to ride, and run them inflated 28-30 psi.
