[Rob_E]

I've worn out the ETs, and it's time to get fatter. Or plusser, as the case may be be. I pull out the plus wheelset when there's gravel and/or dirt in my future, but there's always a lot of pavement before I get to that point. The dirt is always dry, because otherwise I leave the trails alone, but the gravel and pavement may not be. And sometimes it's fun just to leave the chunky tires on even for my all-pavement commute. So anything too aggressive will likely have me buzzing down the pavement.

Been running a 2.8 Vee Speedster in the front. No tread to speak of, but it's been keeping me upright. I want to move that to the back and put something up front with a little more bite. The ETs were great in that department, but I want to go wider, and also they wore out way too fast.

Thinking about the Knard. Not sure how it will be with so much pavement. Might just forget about tread and get another Speedster, but I feel like I can do better for a front tire. Open to suggestions. Bigger than 2.5, maxing out at 3.0 because that's all the clearance I have.

What should I be checking out?

 

[x3speed]

Been using the wtb ranger. It rolls well and has side knobs. How do you like the speedster

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[Rob_E]

Been using the wtb ranger. It rolls well and has side knobs. How do you like the speedster

I will put that on the list. The nobs look a little wider and maybe more tightly spaced than the Knard, which might make for better contact on the pavement.

Speedster is okay. I probably need to play with the pressure more. Also I had one tubeless fail. I don't think it's technically tubeless ready, but I did it anyway, and it's been okay, but I may have been a little too stingy with the sealant. Once I put some more in, I was back up and running. I feel like its honeycomb tread style gives it a lot of contact, but at the same time that makes it not want to steer very quickly on flat surfaces. That's why I want to move it to the rear where steering won't be an issue. Also that same tread pattern picks up all the tiniest pieces of dirt/dust/sand/tiny rocks and sprays them back out as the tire rolls up. I don't actually think that creates a real issue other than making my dirty bike dirtier, but I'll be happier when I'm leaving a cloud of dust behind the bike, rather than dusting my feet and downtube.

 

[x3speed]

Thought about getting a set for pavement. They are not light

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[Rob_E]

Thought about getting a set for pavement. They are not light

Yeah, although that describes pretty much every aspect of my bike. On the one hand, I sometimes wonder if it's worth having a pavement-specific plus tire given that I can roll on smooth pavement just fine on my 2.15" wheels, but then some recent riding has reminded me that just because it's paved, it doesn't mean it's smooth. I would have liked to have had my Speedster wheel on some of the cracked, rooty MUPs I was riding on the other day. That's why I figure it's worth looking for a good-rolling, plus tire that'll also handle some light, off-roading.

 

[Rob_E]

Been using the wtb ranger. It rolls well and has side knobs.

I picked up a Tough/Fast 26 x 3.0. Have not yet succeeded in setting it up tubeless without an air compressor, so last night I put a tube in and figured I'd ride on it to work and back and try again.

I'm running relatively high pressure because my commute is mostly paved and because I want to push those beads into place (around 20psi), but this thing rolls great on pavement. It doesn't make sense to me as knobby as it is, but I feel like it was quieter than my ETs when they were new (as opposed to now when they're bald). Within the first mile, I nearly hit a woodchuck because I was staring down at the wheel (trying to see if I had remembered to plug the dynamo light back in) when I saw the fat, furry guy about an inch from getting run over by my new, fat tire. It should have heard me coming but between the Ranger up front and the Speedster in the rear, I seem to be in stealth mode. Anyhow, I detoured on to some dirt and grass for short stretches here and there, just because I could, but the real test will be when I get that tube out, drop the pressure, and take it to the gravel roads and dirt trails in the woods, but after 8 miles of mostly pavement, all my concerns about this tire on the road are gone. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[x3speed]

I picked up a Tough/Fast 26 x 3.0. Have not yet succeeded in setting it up tubeless without an air compressor, so last night I put a tube in and figured I'd ride on it to work and back and try again.

I'm running relatively high pressure because my commute is mostly paved and because I want to push those beads into place (around 20psi), but this thing rolls great on pavement. It doesn't make sense to me as knobby as it is, but I feel like it was quieter than my ETs when they were new (as opposed to now when they're bald). Within the first mile, I nearly hit a woodchuck because I was staring down at the wheel (trying to see if I had remembered to plug the dynamo light back in) when I saw the fat, furry guy about an inch from getting run over by my new, fat tire. It should have heard me coming but between the Ranger up front and the Speedster in the rear, I seem to be in stealth mode. Anyhow, I detoured on to some dirt and grass for short stretches here and there, just because I could, but the real test will be when I get that tube out, drop the pressure, and take it to the gravel roads and dirt trails in the woods, but after 8 miles of mostly pavement, all my concerns about this tire on the road are gone. Thanks for the recommendation.

I had the same issue with setup, but they are great tires

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[leeboh]

Looked at a the 2.6 rekon?

 

[Rob_E]

Looked at a the 2.6 rekon?

I did not. Was trying to focus on getting as close to 3" as possible for this wheelset, but I'll look at that the next time I need to replace one. I'm also thinking about a 650b set in the 2.5 range, so maybe I'll look into it then.

 

[Rob_E]

Looked at a the 2.6 rekon?

And now that I've looked at it, could be a 27.5 option. Could not be a 26 option because they don't seem to make it in that size.