Internal rim width and tire size

[Captain-Slow]

Hey Everyone,

I'm running a Canyon Spectral:ON and wanted to get some opinions on rim with/tire size.
My current setup is:

• Front wheel: 29er, 30 mm internal width, 2.5 in wide tire
• Rear wheel: 27.5, 30 mm internal width, 2.6 in wide tire

I'd like to run the tires as wide a tire as is safely possible to eliminate trail chatter and get as much squish.
What are your thoughts?
What do you all currently run for rim/tire combos?
Looking forward to hearing the responses.

Cheers!
Captain-Slow

 

[Tim29]

29x28 front wheel with 2.5 dhf or 2.6 hans dampf up front.
I also have a 30 internal wheel for front and run 2.6 hans D
Rear i have 27.5x 34 carbon with 2.5 aggressor on it. Or a 27x35 with 2.8 high roller
If it’s chunky and tech i run the narrower wheels, trails with high speed corners features, any place that has hard corner loads i go to wider rims.
I like the rigidity of wide rims. But in chunk i seem to damage them often.
I’m still looking for the best spike size. 2.0/1.8 step or 2.4-2.6 straight.
The wheels i have now the wider rims have 2.4 spikes and narrow have 2.0/1.8 step spokes.
The thinner spikes keep coming loose bad!

 

[Kernow]

I think my 34mm Int rim and 2.6 tyre is just right , I’ve tried a 2.5 , but the little extra volume of the 2.6 feels better , especially on Rocky ground . Rat bite inserts have allowed me run a lighter tyre without damage or tyre roll . The bike is so much livelier without heavy downhill carcass

 

[Captain-Slow]

Thanks for the reply both.

@Tim29, good points on the tailoring the wheels for the trail conditions. How often do you find yourself changing wheelsets? Or is it more like...you plan where you'll be riding so you'll know ahead of time what wheels to run?

@Kernow, yeah i'm thinking a little extra volume feels better too. I'm also thinking the extra contact patch will help with some grip, but I suppose that also comes down to the tread pattern, tubeless vs tubes, air pressures, etc...

 

[Kernow]

@Kernow, yeah i'm thinking a little extra volume feels better too. I'm also thinking the extra contact patch will help with some grip, but I suppose that also comes down to the tread pattern, tubeless vs tubes, air pressures, etc...[/QUOTE]

Having the ebike with a selection of 2.5 - 2.6 tyres and a few others around riding enduro bikes has given us a chance to experiment with different tyre and rim sizes . A few friends went out to ride an ews round in France , and they were amazed at how undertired they felt compared to the other riders there who knew what to expect , 2.5 was the norm and us brits were mostly using around 2.35 .
It didn’t take long to realise that the fatter tyre rolled faster over rough ground , as had always been the case if you look at how sizes have steadily increased over the last decade .
A 2.4 - 2.5 on a 30mm rim seemed to be the sweet spot for dry and rough conditions a 2.6 was beginning to roll and feel sketchy , A 2.6 on 35 mm rim felt right on the ebike with the extra wieght and a heavy rider .
Lighter riders like my daughter still feel happier on 2.3-2.4 , on a normal bike , less wieght allows lower pressures and lighter tyres too .
The rat bites have been an amazing addition to all our bikes , not just in terms of reduced tyre damage but the feel over rough ground is so much better without that feeling of tyre collapse when you hit things hard . The savings in tyre damage have covered the cost many times over compared to last season

 

[ccrdave]

I have been playing around a lot with wheels and tyres and my opinion is this
38mm rims which are standard spesh ebike wheels.. too wide
30mm seem to work for me 27.5 with 2.8 minion dhr2 (they come up as narrow as the 2.6s) for dry summer pressure around 26f 28r
when its wet but not too wet 30mm rims with 2.6 MM or Hillbilly same pressure
when its really muddy 29 x 30mm with maxxis shortys at 2.4 again same pressure
bear in mind I am a heavy rider and im not very fast but the above suits me, I have three sets of wheels and swop em out when I need

 

[Tim29]

Thanks for the reply both.

@Tim29, good points on the tailoring the wheels for the trail conditions. How often do you find yourself changing wheelsets? Or is it more like...you plan where you'll be riding so you'll know ahead of time what wheels to run?

@Kernow, yeah i'm thinking a little extra volume feels better too. I'm also thinking the extra contact patch will help with some grip, but I suppose that also comes down to the tread pattern, tubeless vs tubes, air pressures, etc...

quite often actually. I get enough use out of both sets that the tires all look about same wear.
And i have to say i don’t change them enough as i got lazy on superchunk Yesterday now have nice pinker.

 

[Captain-Slow]

View attachment 4861

Oh no! That doesn't look so nice. But the wheel is probably still usable yeah?


@Kernow mentioned some inserts for his tires.
Now I'm thinking about running those too, cushcore or the like.
I get away with just tubeless for my Spectral:OFF--never had a flat and never had any problems.
But I'm thinking for the Spectral:ON, being nearly double the weight of the :OFF, maybe some extra protection for the wheels might be good.
Although the trails I ride aren't soooo gnarly, so maybe it's not worth the trouble.

 

[Tim29]

Yea wheel still holding air So it’s still usable.
I have huck Norris in mine, i jut put them in. One of the other members here turned me on to them.
So far no flats but didn’t help that new wheel at all

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Yea wheel still holding air So it’s still usable.
I have huck Norris in mine, i jut put them in. One of the other members here turned me on to them.
So far no flats but didn’t help that new wheel at all

So you had a Huck Norris in and you still got the dent in the photo?

 

[Slowroller]

Yea wheel still holding air So it’s still usable.
I have huck Norris in mine, i jut put them in. One of the other members here turned me on to them.
So far no flats but didn’t help that new wheel at all

Pound it back out, no problemo

 

[Kernow]

Would have cost

So you had a Huck Norris in and you still got dent in the photo?

the tyre isn’t damaged so the insert has helped , that sort of damage often damages the tyre wall too

 

[Tim29]

I think my 34mm Int rim and 2.6 tyre is just right , I’ve tried a 2.5 , but the little extra volume of the 2.6 feels better , especially on Rocky ground . Rat bite inserts have allowed me run a lighter tyre without damage or tyre roll . The bike is so much livelier without heavy downhill carcass

I’m not so sure about the inference from a 2.5 to 2.6.
I have a 2.5 dhf and it’s wider then my hans Dampf 2.6 on some wheel.
What 2.6 tires you running that actually measure 2.6 ??

 

[Tim29]

So you had a Huck Norris in and you still got the dent in the photo?

Yes still got the dent it’s huck Norris, but there no scuff on the tire or the rim. I also didn’t feel when it happened.
Usually you have that oh crap do i dare look when u catch square edge.
In this case i felt clean. Was shocked to find it when i washed the bike.
Yes i can take the rim edge bend out but the internal dent is there for good.

 

[drjarvis2003]

As I have said in other threads, I have done the same with huck Norris and ratbites, just not strong enough. So far the strongest for me has been vittoria air liners. Worth the money in my book.

 

[Kernow]

I’m not so sure about the inference from a 2.5 to 2.6.
I have a 2.5 dhf and it’s wider then my hans Dampf 2.6 on some wheel.
What 2.6 tires you running that actually measure 2.6 ??

My bike came with 2.6 high roller , they were true to size
I’ve since fitted a specialised pergatory front which is also true to size .
A slaughter grid on the rear is smaller , more like 2.5 and lower profile .
Butcher seems to be similar to pergatory .

2.6 tyres have been quite hard to find , and specialised had a deal so that’s why I have a few of them .
I have Mary and Hans Damph in smaller sizes on my other bike and the Hans damph and nobby nick are both narrower and Less volume than the heavier duty stuff like Mary’s . Maxis seem to be most consistent for size

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Yes still got the dent it’s huck Norris, but there no scuff on the tire or the rim. I also didn’t feel when it happened.
Usually you have that oh crap do i dare look when u catch square edge.
In this case i felt clean. Was shocked to find it when i washed the bike.
Yes i can take the rim edge bend out but the internal dent is there for good.

View attachment 4916

Guys, I thought these inserts were supposed to protect your tyre AND rim?

It clearly does not.

Am I missing something here?

Okay, you did not get a puncture but......

I really can’t see the logic in using these inserts now, sorry.

Please feel free to try to convince otherwise ?

 

[drjarvis2003]

Guys, I thought these inserts were supposed to protect your tyre AND rim?

It clearly does not.

Am I missing something here?

Okay, you did not get a puncture but......

I really can’t see the logic in using these inserts now, sorry.

Please feel free to try to convince otherwise ?

Vittoria air liners will protect everything, except tyre slashes.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

So for me and the terrain I ride here in Wales they are out as well

 

[drjarvis2003]

So for me and the terrain I ride here in Wales they are out as well

View attachment 4935

View attachment 4936

View attachment 4937

Thats the reason im now running Magic mary 2.6 dh with air liners.

 

[Kernow]

Guys, I thought these inserts were supposed to protect your tyre AND rim?

It clearly does not.

Am I missing something here?

Okay, you did not get a puncture but......

I really can’t see the logic in using these inserts now, sorry.

Please feel free to try to convince otherwise ?

Why do you base your decision on the odd failure when most claims are of a high success rate , nothing is indestructible . I look at a comparison of how many damaged tyres etc I had last season without inserts compared to this season with inserts . Just me , not others , I’ve had mates riding the same trails with me sustain damage , but I don’t decide thier tyres were no good because they punctured them . If someone falls off on a trail you don’t suddenly decide that trail is no good to ride any more do you ?

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Why do you base your decision on the odd failure when most claims are of a high success rate , nothing is indestructible . I look at a comparison of how many damaged tyres etc I had last season without inserts compared to this season with inserts . Just me , not others , I’ve had mates riding the same trails with me sustain damage , but I don’t decide thier tyres were no good because they punctured them . If someone falls off on a trail you don’t suddenly decide that trail is no good to ride any more do you ?

Sorry, I think you are completely missing the point I am making here.

I do not care about the tyre, it will cost me £30-40 to replace it.

It is the WHEELS I care about. In all my years of riding I have destroyed many tyres and dented many rims, I have learnt the hard and expensive way of what works for ME and MY riding style not yours or others.

You say I am basing my comments on the odd failure. Sorry, the odd failure to me is too many in my book. Especially when I am running very expensive carbon rims. To be honest even if I was running alloy rims the odd failure is still too much.

Correct nothing is indestructible. However, I will stick to my Heavy DH tyres thank you very much running at 25psi in the front and 27psi in the back 71kgs fully kitted up and be comfortable that I will not see my rims looking anything like the above posted photo.

How do I know this? Because with my set up I have not suffered a rim dent like the above in at least 10 years. In fact, I have not suffered any rim dents in the last 10 years. Why is this? I have learnt the hard and expensive way but I am finally running a set up that works for me. This set up ‘may’ work for others. It ‘may’ not. But at least the ‘others’ have another option to try.

For ME and MY riding style and the terrain I ride, inserts are off my list.

 

[Kernow]

Well you asked to be convinced otherwise , I tried , all I know is if I had carbon rims and had to run high pressures and heavy tyres to protect them , I think I would at least try spending £18 on an insert , whatever protection you receive for those expensive wheels would be better than just air .

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Well you asked to be convinced otherwise , I tried , all I know is if I had carbon rims and had to run high pressures and heavy tyres to protect them , I think I would at least try spending £18 on an insert , whatever protection you receive for those expensive wheels would be better than just air .

Not sure how you have tried to convince me. All you have said is the following

the tyre isn’t damaged so the insert has helped , that sort of damage often damages the tyre wall too

Correct, the tyre isnt damaged but you seemed to have missed what the rim looks like....

Have I missed something? I looked through this post again and saw nothing from you trying to convince me. I saw plenty of rim damage though.

All I know is you are trying to convince me to pay out £18 and play Russian roulette with my rims.

No thanks, I will stick to my heavy tyres and suffer the hill climbs because I only have 680 Watts of extra assistance from my motor and no KOMs on Strava.

 

[khorn]

Not sure how you have tried to convince me. All you have said is the following

the tyre isn’t damaged so the insert has helped , that sort of damage often damages the tyre wall too

Correct, the tyre isnt damaged but you seemed to have missed what the rim looks like....

Have I missed something? I looked through this post again and saw nothing from you trying to convince me. I saw plenty of rim damage though.

View attachment 4963


All I know is you are trying to convince me to pay out £18 and play Russian roulette with my rims.

No thanks, I stick to my heavy tyres and suffer the hill climbs because I only have 680 Watts of extra assistance from my motor and no KOMs on Strava.

I love sarcasm and I totally agree, why not run 5 extra Psi and save the rim?

Karsten

 

[Kernow]

Hi

Not sure how you have tried to convince me. All you have said is the following

the tyre isn’t damaged so the insert has helped , that sort of damage often damages the tyre wall too

Correct, the tyre isnt damaged but you seemed to have missed what the rim looks like....

Have I missed something? I looked through this post again and saw nothing from you trying to convince me. I saw plenty of rim damage though.

View attachment 4963

Yes I think you have missed something here

All I know is you are trying to convince me to pay out £18 and play Russian roulette with my rims.

Whatever makes you think that ?

No thanks, I will stick to my heavy tyres and suffer the hill climbs because I only have 680 Watts of extra assistance from my motor and no KOMs on Strava.

Fair enough it’s your choice , I was only trying to answer your request

 

[Mabman]

i35 ChiBon rims, 700c front with a 2.3 and 650b rear with a 2.8.

I have never been a fan of the fatter tire in the front as I like a more Ginsu type steering and more contact patch in the back via the 2.8.

Regardless I run 1 bar on both ends with no flats or rim damage. Knock on wood.

 

[thebarber]

I thought the major pros of carbon rims was firstly weight.
second they're practically indestructible

 

[Gary]

Far from.
Especially if you're in the low as possible tyre pressure club

 

[thebarber]