2.5 or 2.6” Tyres on the e160

[MTB Hucker]

Is anyone running 2.5” or 2.6” tyres on their e160? I’ll be getting an Ebike in March and have recently tested a Thok MiG. I was sold on the ebike vibe from the first pedal stroke! I’m seriously looking at the e160 900. With my test ride I did find the 2.8 tyres to be huge and also have read others talk a lot about vagueness and vulnerability for flatting.

The recent Flow Mountain bike review of the 900 shows them using 2.6” tyres which they said made it much more playful and closer to a tradition bike. They talk about extending the forks to 170mm to cater for the lowering of the bottom bracket with the decrease in tyre volume. This would be a relatively cheap upgrade on the Lyrik fork with an airsping shaft for under $100 AUD. I like a relatively playful style of riding and feel that 2.5” or 2.6” tyres would aid with this. Some of the newer Ebikes such as the Commencal, Norco and Rocky Mountain come with 2.5” or 2.6” tyres so maybe this is a new trend as the e160 hasn’t really changed a lot since if was introduced in 2017?


Please share if you’ve had any experiments or experiences with the smaller tyres. (PS: I’m not looking at putting a 29” wheel on the front ).
On another note: I’m 186cm tall, so was thinking that I would be a large? March can’t come soon enough!

Link to Flow Mountain Bike Review.

 

[flash]

I am going to try a 2.6 on my 900, for sure. However at the moment I'm making other changes so I'm not in a rush as I want to ride the bike after each change to make sure I'm getting improvement in how the bike feels. I was playing with the cockpit again today.

My bars are currently down to 735mm and, for me, it's a huge improvement. Part of the "wallowing" feeling I had with the 2.8 front was that the bars were too wide for me and I was being pulled out of balance, just a bit, by the wide bar. Every time I've shortened the bars 10cm I've felt an improvement in how the bike feels in the front end. I think I'm at my goldilocks length now as I don't seem to be always hanging on to the inside of the grips. Between the bar width and the tyre pressures I've gotten the front a lot more precision from the steering already. Obviously more riding helps get used to the feel of the bike as well.

I've also gotten my tyre pressures where I like them for the hard pack and sand here. 18 up front and 24 rear. Tubeless. Haven't had a single flat yet. When I started at 25/30 the bike dug into sand and was all over the place. Much better now. I still intend to try a 2.6. Have ordered a 35mm riser bar though and want to try that first, compared to the standard 25 that ships with the bike. Then the front tyre. I actually really like the 2.8 at the rear. Heaps of grip. I'm not 20 anymore. I appreciate the grip and confidence the 2.8 is giving me on the rear.

I have shorter cranks on order. I worked out the 2.6 is only 5-6mm smaller than the 2.8. Changing just the front shouldn't make much difference to the BB height. I'm happy with the fork. Although 170 might be fun up front. I'm never going to be a downhill rider so I don't think I need it any more slack. I have 165 and 155 cranks coming. Will probably end up on the shorter ones. BB is OK but I do pedal strike a bit.

It is possible to get the stock dropper lever and e8000 shifter to work together. It's better with a e6000 or e6100 shifter. I have a e6100 shifter on mine and am going to try the e7000 shifter as that looks the goods. Not easy to find yet though in Oz.

It's taken me a couple of months to get my 900 set up. Small change. Ride. Repeat. It was a better bike than I am a rider out of the box and it's better again now.

I'm 178 and on a medium. I think that I'm at the limit and any taller would be in a large (I think I could have been happy in a large.) I ride with my seat pushed back as far as it should go. You might be an XL. Anywhere you can sit on a large before you buy?

Gordon

 

[knut7]

I will test 27.5x2.6 on the e160 800 in the spring. Based on previous experience with a bike with about the same BB height, I think it will be just fine. Going 2.6 on the other bike was an improvement when riding park and high speed rocky trails.

The 2019 e160 has 170mm crankarms according to merida-bikes.com, but the 2019 e160 800 I'm riding at the moment has got 165mm crank arms. The 900e might still have 170mm though.

 

[craig landau]

 

[MTB Hucker]

I will test 27.5x2.6 on the e160 800 in the spring. Based on previous experience with a bike with about the same BB height, I think it will be just fine. Going 2.6 on the other bike was an improvement when riding park and high speed rocky trails.

The 2019 e160 has 170mm crankarms according to merida-bikes.com, but the 2019 e160 800 I'm riding at the moment has got 165mm crank arms. The 900e might still have 170mm though.

Great! will be excellent to hear your thoughts on it. I'd still like to the stick with the 160mm travel fork up front so let me know how you go!

 

[MTB Hucker]

Hi Craig, thanks for that. I was a good view. I guess I'm more so looking at feel and playfulness as opposed to the pure speed side of things. Good to know though if I ever enter a race!

 

[MTB Hucker]

I am going to try a 2.6 on my 900, for sure. However at the moment I'm making other changes so I'm not in a rush as I want to ride the bike after each change to make sure I'm getting improvement in how the bike feels. I was playing with the cockpit again today.

My bars are currently down to 735mm and, for me, it's a huge improvement. Part of the "wallowing" feeling I had with the 2.8 front was that the bars were too wide for me and I was being pulled out of balance, just a bit, by the wide bar. Every time I've shortened the bars 10cm I've felt an improvement in how the bike feels in the front end. I think I'm at my goldilocks length now as I don't seem to be always hanging on to the inside of the grips. Between the bar width and the tyre pressures I've gotten the front a lot more precision from the steering already. Obviously more riding helps get used to the feel of the bike as well.

I've also gotten my tyre pressures where I like them for the hard pack and sand here. 18 up front and 24 rear. Tubeless. Haven't had a single flat yet. When I started at 25/30 the bike dug into sand and was all over the place. Much better now. I still intend to try a 2.6. Have ordered a 35mm riser bar though and want to try that first, compared to the standard 25 that ships with the bike. Then the front tyre. I actually really like the 2.8 at the rear. Heaps of grip. I'm not 20 anymore. I appreciate the grip and confidence the 2.8 is giving me on the rear.

I have shorter cranks on order. I worked out the 2.6 is only 5-6mm smaller than the 2.8. Changing just the front shouldn't make much difference to the BB height. I'm happy with the fork. Although 170 might be fun up front. I'm never going to be a downhill rider so I don't think I need it any more slack. I have 165 and 155 cranks coming. Will probably end up on the shorter ones. BB is OK but I do pedal strike a bit.

It is possible to get the stock dropper lever and e8000 shifter to work together. It's better with a e6000 or e6100 shifter. I have a e6100 shifter on mine and am going to try the e7000 shifter as that looks the goods. Not easy to find yet though in Oz.

It's taken me a couple of months to get my 900 set up. Small change. Ride. Repeat. It was a better bike than I am a rider out of the box and it's better again now.

I'm 178 and on a medium. I think that I'm at the limit and any taller would be in a large (I think I could have been happy in a large.) I ride with my seat pushed back as far as it should go. You might be an XL. Anywhere you can sit on a large before you buy?

Gordon

Thanks for all of the info. Good to know about the tyre pressure and like you, I would be more than happy with the 160mm fork upfront. I did some test riding and will be going with the large as it'll be less longer for my back to reach and also had more of that nimble type of feel that I like. Thanks also for the heads up with the e7000 shifter. Definitely something I'll look at when I get it in March!

 

[Muzzabike]

I've been running a Minion DHR 2.6 in the rear for a while now and to be honest I have not noticed any downside. The 2.6 tyres are only around 5mm narrower and in NZ cost just over half the cost of its 2.8 brethren. I'm also using a DHF 2.5 29 in the front which I do like. The biggest difference in putting a narrower tyre up front is that the steering is not as sluggish, which I like. I even switch back to the original front wheel occasionally which currently has a DHF 2.5 max grip. I'm only 70kg so narrower tyres work well.

 

[melonhead]

Before turning a tyre on my 900e I swapped the 2.8 Minions for Specialized Eliminators in 2.6 width Blck Dmnd casing. I followed "Flows" reports on their 900 as well, and this was the main reason I went with the heavier sidewall and narrower tyre, as well as having ridden on Specialized tyres for the last 7 years. Once mounted, the Eliminators looked barely narrower than the Minions. I didn't spend much time on the 2.8s on my test ride, but can say that the bike with 2.6s feels just like riding my analogue bike, and the tougher construction has already saved my rims

 

[flash]

Been on the 2.6 DHRII and 2.5 DHF up front for a month now. *I* much prefer this. put the 2.8 on for one ride to see the difference. Won't be doing that again soon.

Gordon

 

[OlaGB]

I love the 2.8, but with cushcore in it.

 

[RRebikes]

I am runnning 27.5 2.8 on the rear, and 29 2,5 minion dhf in the front. Just love the felling

 

[JChristo]

Hi All, my first post! Had the E160 for 5 months now, done about 1000km with the stock tyres running tubeless. Read a lot of articles including Flows saying how a narrower front tyre improves handling so decided to put a 30mm internal 29er wheel on the front with one of the new Schwalbe Eddy Current eMTB tyres in a 2.6 width. Was loving the bike before but this has definitely improved performance particularly in cornering. Have done around 120km with the new set up.

The narrower tyre is easier to lean over and go from edge to edge in tight corners. The overall height of the new combo is roughly 20mm more than the original adding about 5mm to the BB height and 0.5 degrees slackness to the head angle making lifting the front that tiny bit easier. Haven't noticed any detrimental effect to climbing, infact my times on a couple of tech climbs are significantly lower. The new Eddie Current tyres are awesome btw, really thick side walls and massive lugs, have ordered a 2.8 for the rear to replace the DHR which I find pretty useless if you don't run a reasonably high PSI. Here's a pic:

 

[MTB Hucker]

UPDATE: so I got the e160 900e and love it! Excited after getting it I just rode with the DHR2 stock tyres (Front 19, Rear 23 with Huck Norris insert). I got a sidewall tear on the rear on the first ride in 20mins. I was keen to get more eMTBing in so ordered a set of the Eddy Currents. Big strong tyres and I could see them lasting through pretty much all terrain. I used them for about 5 months. I did find them very heavy and slow rolling. The 2.8’s were also great for the charge and barge approach, but I prefer a more playful style of riding and finding features in the trails.

For the past month, I’ve been running Michelin E-wild rear and Wild Enduro front. both 2.6. The 2.6’s are way more playful and responsive. They are also much faster rolling and combined are over 1/2 a kilogram lighter. I’m running Front 22 and Rear 27 (with Huck Norris insert). They definitely make the bike handle more nimbly and I can get much more feedback from the trail.

In the end, I can say that I can definitely recommend going with 2.6’s on your e160!

 

[Pinned]

I'm running 2.5 minion DHF on front 26psi and a 2.4 Dissector on rear at 28psi and its so much faster to change direction. Means you have to be a bit pickier on line choice, rather than monster trucking it with the 2.8s. But i prefer that.
I also swapped the dropper remote to LHS and use e7000 controls which is easier to operate.
Crazy bike, love it.

 

[brash]

29 x 2.5 Assegai up front and 27.5 x 2.4 Dissector up back best combo I've tried. The dissector is fantastic for dry Aussie conditions but wears incredibly fast. Also get's the BB down to a nice height after the 29 conversion.

 

[MTB Hucker]

The 2.4 on the back sounds like a great idea. I'm really happy with the Michelin tyres at the moment and will try the 2.4 Wild Enduro Rear when my 2.6 is worn out.

 

[HORSPWR]

View attachment 13106 I am runnning 27.5 2.8 on the rear, and 29 2,5 minion dhf in the front. Just love the felling

I hate you for that view!

 

[noob2gnarly]

Do you need narrower rims to go with a 2.6” tyre?My stock rims are 38mm inner width...

 

[Beatn1K]

Do you need narrower rims to go with a 2.6” tyre?My stock rims are 38mm inner width...

This is a good question...
With so many people quoting numbers like IBM computers, and swapping their rims for 29: et al...its anybody's guess.
And rim width will alter the tread width, sidewall height ( so circumference yada yada ...etc) It makes alot of the info hard to fathom...
Excellent review above...Post@4
Proper convincing data right there- who knew !?!!
Gonna stick with 2.8s 'til they're done and think again....

 

[GrahamPaul]

Do you need narrower rims to go with a 2.6” tyre?My stock rims are 38mm inner width...

There's loads of tables on the web. Schwalbe have one for their tyres which shows just about anything to anything!

The following table is pretty useful - just make sure you look at Mountain Bike and not Gravel Bike!

The WTB Tire & Rim Compatibility Chart

 

[steve_sordy]

@GrahamPaul I have the Schwalbe link, been using it for years, but I like the WTB one you provided because it allows for wider rims and tyres. Many thanks!

 

[RichardGB]

Evening folks!
Just fitted 2.5 Shorty's to my ride and the step up in grip is phenomenal. Bike looks a little weird. The 2.5s look positively skinny on the bike ?.

I have a technical question I haven't been able to find elsewhere.

How much did you change your wheel circumference by?
I found the total circumferences online and worked out that the 2.5s are 2.1% smaller than the 2.8s. The speed on the display is pretty close to my GPS tracker but it seems to cut out early so I haven't got it bang on.

Any advice?

 

[GrahamPaul]

Pressures in the tyres set to what you use.
Wear your usual kit, backpack, water bottles, whatever.
Chalk mark on the floor and tyre. (Rear tyre, 'cos that's where your sensor is).
Get someone to mark the floor again when your chalk mark hits the floor (preferably two or three wheel revolutions to reduce inaccuracy).
Anything else is just guessing the wheel circumference.

 

[RichardGB]

Pressures in the tyres set to what you use.
Wear your usual kit, backpack, water bottles, whatever.
Chalk mark on the floor and tyre. (Rear tyre, 'cos that's where your sensor is).
Get someone to mark the floor again when your chalk mark hits the floor (preferably two or three wheel revolutions to reduce inaccuracy).
Anything else is just guessing the wheel circumference.

I have accurate measurements. It's that the software only let's me reduce the circumference by percentage rather than entering the new measurement. I've tried STUnlocker and the ETube app.