[sean salach]

Just did some measuring out in the garage. On a black speedway Uma rim, undrilled.

Make Model(previous use)= width on Uma @20psi

Maxxis Ardent 2.25(less than 50 miles at 40psi) = 2.50"
WTB WWLT (less than 200 miles at various pressures)= 2.45"
WTB Prowler(less than 100 miles at 50psi) = 2.40"
WTB Exiwolf(old, well worn) = 2.32"
Kenda Klaw xt rear(unused) = 2.16"
Continental Vapor (less than 50 miles at 50psi)= 1.9"

I have a stout and a rampage that I didn't bother measuring. The stout gets hard and slippery at cold temps making it unsuitable for winter riding up here. I don't want to experience the slow rolling tread of the rampage when ALL of the knobs are contacting the ground. I imagine it would feel like dragging a truck tire behind the bike.

As far as I know, Weirwolves, Exiwolves, XR's and Klaws have all been to McGrath(but not under me).

The Prowler and Ardent were the biggest surprises of the bunch. I would love to see some numbers on an Ardent 2.4 mounted on one of these rims.

 

[canyonrat]

Sean, c'mon, where is the Racing Ralph? I hope you got these for Christmas, congratulations and enjoy!

I got my Ralph's to measure 68mm at 55 psi on my Umas, well, one of them as an experiment anyway. At real snow riding pressure for me ( about 12 or 13 psi ) it is more like a hair over 64mm casing, and 60mm at tread. Ralph and Uma is a match made in heaven for me so far though. Incredible traction and cush. 15psi is the most I would run on varied conditions, 1-2 psi difference is a noticable change to riding characteristics.

I have an Ardent 2.4 on a Gordo right now that I can throw on if you really want to know...but it is cold in my garage and I can assure you the casing is smaller than the Ralph. And Ralph is a completely different tire on Uma than it is on Gordo. And yes, I have saved all my potential fatbike money and now squandered it on 29er rims and tires.

Merry Christmas! :thumbsup:

 

[EndoRando]

I would love to see some numbers on an Ardent 2.4 mounted on one of these rims.

Hey Sean, I just got some of the 2.4's a few weeks ago, but haven't tried them out yet. So far conditions dictate Endomorphs around here. I did mount them up on some drilled Uma's though, pumped up hard to give them a chance to stretch.

The casing is a touch wider than the outer knobs. I don't have any digital calipers, but my cruder slide type measures the casing at a smidge over 63mm, right at a 2.5. I weighed them but can't find where I wrote it down at the moment. Seems like they were in the 800gm range. Here they are on my Waltworks, front and rear wheels first.

And a couple of views of them mounted up, entire bike. As soon as conditions firm up I'll give them a whirl. They show a lot of promise both in their size and their tread pattern, plus there's a more substantial casing vs. the Racing Ralph, which should hold up better to lower pressures and wrinkling.

 

[sean salach]

Cool! Good stuff Rando. Keep us updated. Interesting that it didn't increase much in casing width over the 2.25" on the Umas. I would think there would be more volume there though, I guess in height.

Canyon, I'm a certified flimsycasingphobe. I grew up riding sharp, square edged granite, and the nice light weight of the Ralphs is a result of a nice, light casing. I have almost no risk of tearing tires up here, so it really doesn't apply to my current situation, but I still haven't shaken my need for beefier casings.

 

[FredBMOC]

EndoRando,
What reflective tape are you using on those rims?
Thanks,

 

[EndoRando]

What reflective tape are you using on those rims?

That's a material I got from a local business, Warning Lights of Alaska. They sell cones, strobe lights, lath, aluminum signs, and other high visibility needs for any road construction project. This is one of three colors I got, the others red and blue. It's a DOT approved, super durable product that comes in 3 in x 12 in self adhesive panels. It appears to have a backing that's made of an aluminum weave, which leads me to believe it'll last forever. Between this material and some layers of strapping tape I have a worry free rim strip that I've used now to cover the holes on Umas, SnoCats, and Fat Shebas.

I'm not sure if they have a website, but can be contacted at (907) 562-2124. Ask for Wes, he'll know just what you're talking about. If you need to jog his memory, mention it's the material I used for trail markers on the new Singletrack Advocates trail network on the Anchorage hillside. It's not cheap, I paid $2 per panel, but it's the good stuff and well worth it.

 

[FredBMOC]

EndoRando,
Thanks for the tip!
I think I found the same stuff at Northern Tool today; they use it for trailer visibility and it comes in different colors so I got a pack; if it doesn't last I'll give Wes a buzz.

 

[sean salach]

Finally got out for a ride on the Ardent 2.25 and Prowler today. They worked fairly well, though I was alone, so there was no opportunity for comparing float, traction or speed to any other tire/rim combo. Compared to 26 x 3" tires, they felt sooooooo much better, especially in a 29" frame. The bike was made to ride well with 29" wheels, and it does. It's still good with 26 x 3", but just a lot more comfortable and natural feeling with the wheels it's meant to have, duh. Maybe later this week I'll get out for a couple of laps with the 29" wheels immediately followed by a couple with my 26" wheels and see how they feel on that day...



I was hoping for a little bit more climbing traction than I got out of the ardent, but it wasn't bad by any means.


The Prowler was a sidehilling champ, and had exceptional steering traction.

 

[green mt. boy]

KM modifcation

Sean -

Side note - Did you take the brake bosses off your KM? How did you do this?

On topic - Given the tire selection you posted, what tread have you found works best in the snow? I have the Exis but a buddy is riding WW and they look bigger and more aggressive.

Thanks for any info.

 

[sean salach]

I used a dremmel to remove the brake bosses so that I could run 26 x 3" tires on Speedway's 70mm rims. 26" rims end up sitting right where the brake bosses are, and there's only about 62-63mm of clearance between KM bosses.

So far, of the tires I've used, this is the best setup for float and traction. WW's are good for float, but do pack up a little and don't grip as well. YMMV

 

[coastkid71]

good post sean...i have 2.25 ardents on 37mm halos on my KM and going to order some 50mm una`s soon...the KM is alot lighter than the pugsley and i hope/predict it will make the perfect (all day 40mile+) bike...somewhere between a regular mtb and a fatbike...

 

[green mt. boy]

bigger and better

Sean -

Do you think the Ardent in 2.4 would still fit in your KM with the wide rims?

I have SnowCats (44?) with Exis and think I still have room in the back.

Would you run the Ardent front and back?

Thanks for the pictures.

 

[sean salach]

Endo's measurement on the Ardent 2.4" is the same as my measurement on the Ardent 2.25". Wide rims do unexpected things to some tires. Tires you would expect to be huge don't get much bigger at all, and tires you would expect to be smaller become huge. The Ardent 2.4" should fit the back of the KM just fine.

With tires that don't get the float of Endos, you're going to experience more front wheel washout in some conditions, so I would go with something with bigger knobs up front. Bonty ACX, WTB Prowler, etc. They'll keep the front wheel tracking straight better than something like an Ardent will.

I'm still relatively new at this though, and there are plenty of people with ALOT more experience riding 29" tires on snow than I, so don't go taking my word as absolute truth.

 

[green mt. boy]

new front tire

I like the Exis in the summer for the bump but find they tend to pack up in the slush. Maybe the Prowler is the next tire.

Of course, Salsa could arrive with the Enabler and I am back to a 26" rime with Endos.

Too many choices, but good practical advise here.

 

[sean salach]

Update on the Weirwolves:

I've been running them front and back for the last couple of weeks to save my Ardent/prowler combo for a special day, and just remeasured them today.

Consistently 64-65mm @ 12-15psi! That's a hair OVER 2.5". The measurements were mostly 64mm, with the occasional 65mm bulge. So, everyone out there that's whined about undersized WW2.55's was just running them on the wrong rim. I still feel the tread pattern is lacking a little compared to the ardent, but for volume and width..... Now if only they would put the prowler tread pattern on the same casing.

 

[sean salach]

Oh, and while I was at it, I measured the following:

Panaracer Rampage(more than 100 miles at various pressures)= 2.40"
CST Caballero(brand new, out of box)= 2.26"

I put the Caballero on my summer front wheel and pumped it up to 60psi. I'll let it sit for a week then remount it on the UMA and see what I get.

 

[coastkid71]

thats good new!,i just bought a pair from chain reaction in ireland reduced from £25 to £10 each..bargin at £20 pair!, they have a few other 29er tyres on sale, WWlt 2.55s cheapest..just need the uma rims now..

 

[maxus]

how do the weight ? I mean the umas.

 

[sean salach]

I don't know how much the rims weigh. They're single walled, so I would imagine not that much. They're a few millimeters wider than the closest wide competition(KH unicycle, Snowcat), and definitely lighter than the KH rims. If you're going to ride a 29er on snow, they're the most effective option.

 

[canyonrat]

I don't know how much the rims weigh. They're single walled, so I would imagine not that much. They're a few millimeters wider than the closest wide competition(KH unicycle, Snowcat), and definitely lighter than the KH rims. If you're going to ride a 29er on snow, they're the most effective option.

I called Speedway before ordering mine and the dude there weighed one as I was on the phone and told me 730g. Actually not bad for 15mm wider than a Gordo. That is for the non-drilled version, which is what I had built through Mikesee. Great setup, I ran mine at about 10psi in some fresh powder yesterday with the Racing Ralphs. This was on very smooth trails, and I did bottom once on a clumsy curb-hop but no flat. 12-13psi is safer, and 15 is quite firm. Tire width about the same as Sean is seeing with the WW's.

Sean, did you try your rear WW tread-backwards? I found that made a slight improvement when I used them on KH rims. I am still liking running these flimsy-kleenex schwalbe tires in the snow, helps compensate for the weight of the wheels. :thumbsup: Lotso Fun!