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Widest tires to fit on my Specialized Epic

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LostZA

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hi,

I'm new to this forum, this is my 1st post Yeah!

I'm currently in NZ and riding the trails Auckland has to offer. Here are some sandy-ish trails and then wet muddy clay trails depending on where one would go. Mostly flowing DH which is awesome since I'm very unfit!

About 8 months ago I bought a new specialized epic fsr comp and now it's time replace the tires.

I want to fit the widest mud slingers I can find since I'm not really into racing but more into traction. I've order a set of 29x2.3 "Schwalbe Hans Dampf Super Gravity" tires.

Will they fit on the bike? (PS I know it's too late but I can still cancel the order...)

 
#2 ·
Yes, they will fit. I run 2.35 Purgatory tire on my front and a 2.35 Groundcontrol on rear. Internal rim is 21mm. 2016 epic.
You might want to put something with slightly less rolling resistance on the rear - fro tire iswhere you need the control. You can usually get a smoother roller for back.
Sounds like you need an enduro bike!
 
#3 ·
If you aren't into racing, why on earth did you buy an epic?

We have fit everything up to 2.35 in our epic. For Downhill mountain stuff, I have run a Magic mary, regular duty, it has a nobby nic 2.35 Snakeskin evo paired with a Racing Ralph in rear.

The HD is a great tire, but you don't want a super gravity on the rear. I would order a speed grip for the rear or run a Nobby nic speedgrip. The knobs on the HD are very wide and protect the sidewall quite a bit.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Maybe later....

FJSnoozer said:
If you aren't into racing, why on earth did you buy an epic?

We have fit everything up to 2.35 in our epic. For Downhill mountain stuff, I have run a Magic mary, regular duty, it has a nobby nic 2.35 Snakeskin evo paired with a Racing Ralph in rear.

The HD is a great tire, but you don't want a super gravity on the rear. I would order a speed grip for the rear or run a Nobby nic speedgrip. The knobs on the HD are very wide and protect the sidewall quite a bit.
Click to expand...
Yes you are right. I should have done better homework and bought a bike for trail riding... so I fitted a shorter steering stem, raised bars and dropper post. Bike is now much better but still not a real trail bike...

I've fitted Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.35" on the epic and it fits with some space to spare. I might even go for a 2.4" next time but the grip under muddy conditions is much better even though I could quickly tell the rolling resistance is more.




 
#5 ·
that 2.35 is all the tire you need. going to a 2.4 wont necessarily be as good or as big of a tire. A 2.4 Ardent for example would be a terrible tire compares to your Hans Dampf. I would just look to put something much faster on the rear and keep that other as a spare front tire. It will be a super fun bike non-the-less. I have no idea what your dirt is like, so it is hard to recommend a tire. I prefer a big grippy tire up front and one that will drift more in the rear. I like you do all of my riding on a 100/100 travel bike with big tires. At least you have a light bike that is flickable. Many people including guys who work for specialized will run a Fox 34 at 120mm up front, or you could even run a Pike 52 offset set at 120. This would really trailize your bike and give you more party and stability up front.

I run a 2.35 Ikon rear out back with a HD front as one of my Favorite all time combos.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
next upgrade!

FJSnoozer said:
that 2.35 is all the tire you need. going to a 2.4 wont necessarily be as good or as big of a tire. A 2.4 Ardent for example would be a terrible tire compares to your Hans Dampf. I would just look to put something much faster on the rear and keep that other as a spare front tire. It will be a super fun bike non-the-less. I have no idea what your dirt is like, so it is hard to recommend a tire. I prefer a big grippy tire up front and one that will drift more in the rear. I like you do all of my riding on a 100/100 travel bike with big tires. At least you have a light bike that is flickable. Many people including guys who work for specialized will run a Fox 34 at 120mm up front, or you could even run a Pike 52 offset set at 120. This would really trailize your bike and give you more party and stability up front.

I run a 2.35 Ikon rear out back with a HD front as one of my Favorite all time combos.
Click to expand...
Yes, thanks for the tip about the offset fork!

Our trails varies between soft muddy clay and compacted sand. There are not many rocks or hardpack/gravel, but I will give your proposal of swapping the tires at the back with a smoother less aggressive tread a go.

I was thinking of how to improve the steering for trail riding without having to replace the frame. Seems after looking into the options, I have 2: fork replacement like a Pike with 52 offset or +2 degree headset angle adjuster, but the headset angle adjuster seems like the cheaper option to go.
 
#7 ·
A couple of semi-random remarks. I have both the Specialized Enduro and the Epic. Our trails are either rocky, or rocky and loose. I've run a true 2.4 on my Enduro and found it unnecessary and thus do not see the reason to run one on an Epic. In my observation is that 29ers tend to washout the front more than the rear ...probably true regardless of wheelsize but perhaps a little more so on 29ers. On the Enduro, I run 2.3 in back and something bigger up front. On the Epic, 2.3 front and rear but more Xc oriented. I bet a 2.4 Ardent would fit though.
 
#8 ·
Lostza
Maybe you start looking for a frame that you can upgrade all your components too. Pink bike has a great used selection under Buysell. You could probably upgrade easily into a Camber or Stumpjumper.
 
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Discussion starter · #10 ·
GlazedHam said:
Contradicting myself, but the Bontrager XR4 29 x 2.4 fits just barely.
Click to expand...
I decided to fit schwalbe Hans dampf 29" x 2.35 tires and they fit with some room to spare, but I'm really happy their performance. I've done Enduro Cross racing with them in the mud, I use them for XC rides and also for DH but nothing extreme.

Since I fitted a dropper post, wider handlebars and a shorter stem the bike works really well as an all rounder, but my next bike would probably be the Specialized Epic EVO. It ticks all the boxes in my books!
 
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LostZA
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