Narrow 29er Tires?

39 replies · 4,729 views

chas
1,305 posts
#21Jul 23, 2018, 3:28 PM
Mine should come in today. I'm just using it as a front tire (running 40mm rear), and will probably use it with a tube until I get a dedicated wheel for it.

I did a bit of research before buying them. They look like old stock. This is what I found:

1 x Schwalbe Thunder Burt 29" Tire
2.1", Pacestar, Tl-Ready, Raceguard
29x2.1
490 g
RaceGuard TL-Ready
11600566

The Tubeless Ready tires aren't available anymore and appear to be replaced by LiteSkin tires. The SnakeSkin versions now have a new "Tubeless Easy" label. It seems like Schwalbe is recommending the SnakeSkin tires if you want to go tubeless because of much easier set up. You should still be able to run the LiteSkins tubeless but set up isn't as easy.
The SnakeSkin part means this Thunder Burt has reinforced sidewalls and a 67 TPI carcass instead of the 127 TPI carcass of the LiteSkin tires.
Edit: I assume this is for the lower price "performance line" which Jensen is now selling for $20 tire (and listing MSRP at $47 I think).

Snakeskin adds an additional reinforcement to the sidewalls.
Raceguard has a different composition, with added ply in the tread area. This gives a Raceguard tire better puncture protection but more rolling resistance.
Liteskin eschews either additional ply, so it has the lowest rolling resistance and least puncture protection.

From Schwalbe:
RaceGuard®
This belt was developed specially with racing in mind. A synthesis of special india rubber and several layers of nylon fabric offers very effective protection against penetration punctures. There is only a minimal increase in weight and rolling resistance of these tires.

SnakeSkin: A light and flexible carcass makes the tire highly resistant to scrubbing.
LiteSkin: Skin Tires have light, thin sidewalls. Advantages: Weight saving and reduced rolling resistance.
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DarKris
83 posts
#22Sep 7, 2018, 1:30 PM
So I wanted to update this thread as I continued my search for a 70/30 29er tire that was also somewhat durable and long-lasting. The main two tires that I found that were actually available to buy are the Terrene Honali 700x50, which is more so a touring tire, and the Kenda Kozmik Lite II 29x2.0.: https://bicycle.kendatire.com/en-us/find-a-tire/bicycle/cross-country-marathon/kozmik-lite-ii-pro/

I should be getting one soon to measure and see how wide it gets. Hopefully it will work out on my bike 😬
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chas
1,305 posts
#23Sep 7, 2018, 1:56 PMedited
looks like some good finds!

My Thunder Burt is working well on the front, although a 54mm tire is pushing it for a bike designed for 33mm tires, lol. It really makes the bike feel different - much more like a shockless drop bar mountain bike. Its a little odd having that much mass on the wheel, but it works well. interestingly I'm running real low pressures (24psi I think) to get a contact patch as wide as my 40mm tires. It certainly has more traction and the ability to handle much rougher and/or softer terrain.

Should be nice for Michigan's coast to coast. I'd run it at a relatively high pressure for the first 100+ miles, then drop the pressure down for the second half when we get to the sandy part of the state.

The tires you listed looked like they were in the 600-700g (or up to 900g) per tire. Wow! I try to keep my tires in the 300-400g range (although that obviously ain't gonna happen with a 50mm+ tire).
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imwjl
304 posts
#24Sep 8, 2018, 6:34 AM
DarKris wrote:I have a Giant Toughroad GX and it has a stated 50mm tire clearance, and I would say this is accurate. I am currently running Clement MSO 50mm on 23mm WTB rims, and at 40-45 PSI the tires at the tread measure around 53-54mm which, at the chainstays, leaves about 2-3mm of clearance.

I also have the WTB Nine Lines which have a narrower tread width, but has higher rolling resistance. I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for durable 29er tires measuring ~50mm or less that are tubeless compatible when mounted at similar pressures?

Now that I have time on those MSO 50s tubeless, road, gravel, single track, dirt paths, and wet conditions I wonder why you don't like or go with those?

We have Race King 2.2s on the Fargo. MSO 50s are on Sutra Ltd. Those Race Kings are rated well like Thunderburt on rolling resistance site. They work well. The MSOs feel faster, keep you on that ridge if you're on pavement, and they have tread to hold you if you lean over off road.

Unless you're quite heavy I wonder if you're using too much air pressure??? The big Contis and MSO 50 don't really feel much faster at higher pressure but they sure offer more control and comfort no more than 40 PSI.

All that ever seems wrong with the bigger tires is just weight related on pavement but if you want speed and quick on pavement it seems like you have to have a considerably smaller and lighter tire. That weight and size don't bother me if I don't push it for a terminal velocity feel. In most cases it's a benefit in terms of control and comfort.

I do get it if you're having a lot of fun just trying stuff.
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DarKris
83 posts
#25Sep 8, 2018, 8:26 AM
chas wrote:The tires you listed looked like they were in the 600-700g (or up to 900g) per tire. Wow! I try to keep my tires in the 300-400g range (although that obviously ain't gonna happen with a 50mm+ tire).

Actually I wanted tires in the 600-700g range for a few reasons, mainly being that I’m a heavy rider and I didn’t want something that was too light that it would lack durability and longevity after a couple hundred miles. I also didn’t want a repeat of my NineLines and Thunder Burt’s with air leaking out of the sidewalls. That has to be the most discouraging thing to see worrying if the sidewalls will actually hold up under pressure running tubeless.

imwjl wrote:

Now that I have time on those MSO 50s tubeless, road, gravel, single track, dirt paths, and wet conditions I wonder why you don't like or go with those?

We have Race King 2.2s on the Fargo. MSO 50s are on Sutra Ltd. Those Race Kings are rated well like Thunderburt on rolling resistance site. They work well. The MSOs feel faster, keep you on that ridge if you're on pavement, and they have tread to hold you if you lean over off road.

Unless you're quite heavy I wonder if you're using too much air pressure???

That’s exactly what’s happening. Like I said before my bike in the rear is rated up to 50mm tires and even though the MSO are stated 50mm on my i23 WTB rims and at around 40-50 psi, my tires measure between 54-55 mm at the widest point at the sideknobs. This gives me 2-3 mm tire clearance bewteen the tire and chain stay, which for me isn’t very comfortable.

And yes I am a heavy rider ~375lbs so if I run anything under 40psi in the rear the tire starts to squirm and feel overall less secure. What I wanted to get out of this was finding a good tire that would work well for on road/off road that under the conditions I described measure as close to 50-51mm as possible.
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imwjl
304 posts
#26Sep 9, 2018, 8:13 AM
DarKris wrote:And yes I am a heavy rider ~375lbs so if I run anything under 40psi in the rear the tire starts to squirm and feel overall less secure. What I wanted to get out of this was finding a good tire that would work well for on road/off road that under the conditions I described measure as close to 50-51mm as possible.

I'm quite sure the Race King family we have in 29 x 2.2 on our Fargo come in 29 x 2, and 700 x 45. For so big (what we have) it rolls very well. The rolling resistance site tests confirm what we feel. On group rides I find I make it through stuff that has others hit the brakes or make a plan B.

My only hesitation for not buying them in other sizes is not sure if they're all tubeless compatible but most importantly having the new MSO 50s and those 2.2s to wear out. For the 700 x 45 this says durable layer but doesn't tell me tubeless compatible or the "chili" rubber compound I know is very good.

https://conti-tyres.co.uk/cyclocross/race-king-cx

Goodyear has a tire that looks a bit like the narrower MSOs but I have no experience with them. The Goodyears seem to be a bike industry firm or person using a well known name as the Clements were.

https://www.goodyearbike.com/product-page/connector

The Michelin Power Gravel has some tread a bit like Contis.

https://bike.michelin.com/en/products/michelin-power-gravel

I don't have any experience with either nor do I find many reviews. Over decades I've had some Michelin bike tires that were great or top of class in their day. I'm surprised I don't find more on the Michelins gravel tires.

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DarKris
83 posts
#27Sep 9, 2018, 7:29 PM
So my first of the Kenda Kozmik Lite II tires came in today and after letting the tire settle on my rim with an inner tube for two hours or so I was able to set them up tubeless with sealent. I'm happy to report that unlike my Thunder Burts and Ninelines, the SCT version of the Kozmik tires held air with no leaking (from the sidewalls). I will check to make sure the seal between the beads is a-OK.

Now for the measurements: After a few months of setting in my Clement MSOs on my i23 rims at around 50psi measure around 54mm at the casing and 55mm at the widest part of the tread. The Kozmik tire measures initially 52mm at the casing and 48mm at the widest part of the tread.

From the pictures you can see the difference in clearance between the MSO and the Kozmik tires. This clearance as well as the tread pattern is exactly what I was looking for in a sort of "monster-cross" tire so as it stands I'm pretty satisfied and can't wait for the other tire to come in to do some riding. I'm also glad I got the SCT version of these tires because even thought the weight may be more than what some people want, I feel like this will be a durable tire that will last more than a couple hundred miles.
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squak
51 posts
#28Sep 10, 2018, 7:28 PM
DarKris wrote:I have a Giant Toughroad GX and it has a stated 50mm tire clearance, and I would say this is accurate. I am currently running Clement MSO 50mm on 23mm WTB rims, and at 40-45 PSI the tires at the tread measure around 53-54mm which, at the chainstays, leaves about 2-3mm of clearance.

I also have the WTB Nine Lines which have a narrower tread width, but has higher rolling resistance. I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for durable 29er tires measuring ~50mm or less that are tubeless compatible when mounted at similar pressures?

When you say "Narrow 29er Tires" I think skinny mountain bike tires, not fat gravel tires. Kenda makes the Slant Six in a 29x1.8 that I'd like to try as a winter/mud tire on my Roker.
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DarKris
83 posts
#29Sep 10, 2018, 9:33 PMedited
squak wrote:

When you say "Narrow 29er Tires" I think skinny mountain bike tires, not fat gravel tires. Kenda makes the Slant Six in a 29x1.8 that I'd like to try as a winter/mud tire on my Roker.

Well the tires I found fall in the "skinny mountain bike tires" field, so there's that.

I know there are only a handful of “gravel” specific tires that are in the 50 mm range so that why I wanted to look at more mob tires that were narrow and could work well as a multi surface tire.
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chas
1,305 posts
#30Sep 11, 2018, 12:12 PM
squak wrote:

When you say "Narrow 29er Tires" I think skinny mountain bike tires, not fat gravel tires. Kenda makes the Slant Six in a 29x1.8 that I'd like to try as a winter/mud tire on my Roker.

THat is an option. I bought a bunch of these in 26" size when stores were clearing out all of their 26" tires. I liked them because they were fatter than anything I had (56mm???), but they are not particularly fast. The rollingresistancereview web site has the small block 8 as one of their slowest MTB tires!

I use them on a mountain bike, and I'm not sure the rolling resistance measurements are worth anything on pure dirt. They do feel slightly slower on pavement than my schwalbes. Not a bad tire though. Could work good as a winter tire. I don't think the lugs will dig deep into mud though.
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DarKris
83 posts
#31Sep 11, 2018, 1:27 PM
chas wrote:

THat is an option. I bought a bunch of these in 26" size when stores were clearing out all of their 26" tires. I liked them because they were fatter than anything I had (56mm???), but they are not particularly fast. The rollingresistancereview web site has the small block 8 as one of their slowest MTB tires!

I use them on a mountain bike, and I'm not sure the rolling resistance measurements are worth anything on pure dirt. They do feel slightly slower on pavement than my schwalbes. Not a bad tire though. Could work good as a winter tire. I don't think the lugs will dig deep into mud though.

I think squak was referring to the slant six and not the small block eight, though the SM8s are available in 1.95 as far as I know.

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imwjl
304 posts
#32Sep 11, 2018, 2:02 PM
I didn't like Slant Six as much as Small Block 8 where I only liked it as a 26r dirt jumper tire.

The more I ride the MSO 50s and Race Kings the more I wonder about chasing after something else in stuff sold as 1.75 - 2.2 or 45 - 50 mm. They have different widths, they roll well, they have traction, they're not a junk show set up tubeless.
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chas
1,305 posts
#33Sep 11, 2018, 2:11 PM
Yeah, I was referring to the slant6 above that squak was talking about. The rolling resistance review was for the small block 8, but I don't see the slant 6 being any better - i.e. they are slow on pavement for a fairly high end tire.

I like 700c 40mm the best on gravel (~35psi), but swapping out to a wider tire (and going down to the low 20's psi) certainly changes the personality of the bike.
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DarKris
83 posts
#34Sep 16, 2018, 11:31 AM
So just a quick update: I got my 2nd Kenda Kozmik tire earlier in the week and was able to set it up tubeless and today I had the chance to give the tires a quick run on a local gravel loop.

All I can say is despite slightly more audible rolling resistance compared to the MSO tires I think these were a good choice for my intended riding. IO'm honestly just happy I was able to find these tires and that the clearance that I get with them is perfect for the type of riding I do.

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chas
1,305 posts
#35Oct 11, 2018, 12:25 PM
I’m still playing with this.

The Thunder burts make my light weight flyer feel like a mountain bike. Its great on single track, but feels like a monster truck on the road (compared to what I am used to). They are great for really soft or rugged riding, but overkill. That and a 700x54mm knobby on the front of a bike designed for 33c tires is pushing the limit, lol. They seem to roll fairly fast in a straight line, but the weigh accelerating, climbing, and turning can be felt.
Next up – Furious Fred. I think JOM got this right when he said these are a cheater tire for a Gravel event. At 400gr, they are super light for what they are (about the same as many 33mm CX tires). They really feel more like 40mm tires than 50mm tires. I did take out the calipers, and low and behold – they measure 45mm. This is good in that they will fit a lot more bikes than you think they would, and I have plenty of clearance on my front fort. They are as light & fast as my 40c tires, great rolling resistance, and add more cush and flotation than 40mm tires. They are pretty nice if you need light and fast over strong, durable, long lasting.
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DarKris
83 posts
#36Feb 20, 2019, 6:36 PMedited
So It's been a while and I thought I'd give an update to how I'm rolling along with my tires. The Kenda Kozmiks that I got a while back have been retired, and I am currently using Specialized Ground Control 1.9s. They measure just shy of 50mm at around 40PSI on my WTB i23 rims, and they don't seem to be as tall as some of the 2.0in tires that I've tried. This is great because the tread pattern gives me grip in loose conditions while the narrower profile allows for better mud clearance at the chainstays.
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owly
328 posts
#37Feb 21, 2019, 5:15 PM
Looks like you have it sorted.

I was going to suggest the Terrene Elwood which is about 48mm. I was running a Light in the back for a while with a Thunderburt on the front. On pavement it feels more sticky (slower) than the TB; probably due to tread pattern I think. Offroad its fine. Not a mud-shedding tyre though.
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Skldmark
164 posts
#38Feb 21, 2019, 10:06 PM
@DarKris, how did the Kenda Kozmiks hold up durability-wise?
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DarKris
83 posts
#39Feb 21, 2019, 10:34 PM
Skldmark wrote:@DarKris, how did the Kenda Kozmiks hold up durability-wise?

i only rode them for about under 100 miles so I can’t give an extensive durability report, however the center tread seem pretty tough and so are the sidewalls. Only thing I didn’t like was how hard it was setting up tubeless on my rims
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bcgravel
26 posts
#40Feb 22, 2019, 1:26 PM
Ive got a pair of maxxis maxxlites on a 29er. Theyre the 2.0" ones. They roll VERY fast but ive only had them on gravel. They are the lightest 29er tires ive ever held. Not sure of durability. They also look like they would be tough to tame taking a fast corner on single track.
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