[33red]

Last year about 6 times i used a bus to reach a nice trails network.
My 29x2.4 were OK.
Now my 27.5 x 3.0 are just too big and by a lot.
I guess the max that fits is 2.4 or 2.5
Do you let air out and pump up when you arrive?
My rims are 40 mm.
Thanks.

 

[Rob_E]

I love this question. I hope there’s some input. I felt like my 26 x 2.5 ETs would not go on the bus rack. My 26 x 2.15 tires are fine, but I’m afraid to go wider. Well, afraid, but, not unwilling. I just ordered a 26 x 2.3 to see if it’ll fit. I like to have one plus wheel set and one bus-friendly set for if I need to use the bus on my commute.

However, I did have a situation recently where my 26 x 2.8 tire on a 40mm rim went flat. With a flat, the bike went in the rack. Can’t remember if the 2.5 rear fit or if it just sat on top. But I’m thinking that one tire fitting, preferably the rear, would work, because the front is held in place by the hook.

 

[Redlands R&C]

In Boulder/Denver area when I was using the bus more a 26x2.5" hookworm fit diameter wise, but was a little squeeze on the width. My 29x2.4" Continentals were a squeeze both directions. The fat bike and the 29+ are definite no-go's on the front of the bus, but depending on the bus driver (and where in the route you try to get on the bus) they will open up the bay doors, but those buses are also the bigger/more major routes.
Any time I would use the bus, especially when I was underneath in the cargo bays, I would make sure that I stayed on until the end, which sometimes meant passing my initial destination by a bit, but I was trying to be courteous to the bus driver.

 

[Rob_E]

The other day I rode my Plus wheelset to work: 26 x 3.0 in the front, 26 x 2.8 in the rear, both on 40mm(internal) rims. The front tire went flat, and I was forced to bus it home. I let the air out of the rear tire as well and both tires were able to fit, with a little coaxing, into the bus rack. Rear tire was tubeless and aired right back up afterwards. Not ideal to have to deflate your tires to use the bus, but, in a pinch, it works.

I'm thinking I should just get to the bus stop early some day with my calipers and measure width of the slot your tire drops into, since the bus usually idles at my stop for about 5 minutes before moving on.

I just realized that on an upcoming trip I will either have to bus my bike out of the airport to downtown or ride about 30 miles. If I were arriving earlier in the day, riding would be fun, but now I'm thinking that bussing will be part of the plan, and I'd better choose my tires accordingly. Or I could just wait until I get off the bus to inflate them, I guess.

 

[Rob_E]

Today I put my 26 x 2.4 tire on my 29 mm rim. It fit in the bus rack, but not cleanly. It had to squeeze in, and at a higher pressure, it might not have worked, but running at a low pressure is one of the benefits of wider tires, so I guess that’s okay. If I can get these tires to play nice tubeless, the. I think they’ll work for my upcoming trip. And based on today’s experiment, I feel like the 26 x 2.3 I have on order will be fine on the bus rack.

 

[Frs1661]

Biggest that fits my local buses (with some squeezing and forcing) is 27.5x2.6 on i30. I can do 27.5x2.8 if I bring my own Velcro strap for the rear wheel. 29x3 is not possible.

 

[overmyhead]

This thread is great, glad to see fellow bike riders using buses/public transportation. I bike every day in the city; has been a while since I've brought a bike on a bus/train.

It's ironic that the most miles I put on my car is when going MTB riding.

 

[Rob_E]

This weekend I doubled down on the Panaracer Swoops, 26 x 2.4, by changing out the rear tire to a Swoop as well, and this morning I gave up a chunk of my morning bike ride For Science and put that bike on the bus. Also it meant I got to stop by the biscuit place on the way to work, but, you know, mostly For Science.

I had to push to get both front and rear down into the rack, and if you can't tell, the tires are not actually connecting with the bottom of the rack. They could have, if I had pushed harder, but then I would have had to pull harder to remove them, which was already a chore. But it works, which means I should be able to take these wheels to Pittsburgh and bus out of the airport. Assuming there's not a lot of variety in the spacing of these racks.

 

[Frs1661]

My buses have a very similar rack, I don’t find the front tire actually needs to go down in between the metal, as long as it’s captured by that arm it’s not going anywhere. The back tire either needs to go in, or I bring a velcro strap and put that on quickly.

Using these methods I think you can run up to 27.5x3 on this type of rack.

 

[Rob_E]

My buses have a very similar rack, I don't find the front tire actually needs to go down in between the metal, as long as it's captured by that arm it's not going anywhere. The back tire either needs to go in, or I bring a velcro strap and put that on quickly.

Using these methods I think you can run up to 27.5x3 on this type of rack.

Yeah, I feel like the arm will hold the front tire, too. I've considered the idea of strapping the rear in place. But once or twice I've had a bus driver take issue with some non-standard practices I've used to put my 20" tire bike on the rack, so I try not to be in a position where I'm counting on being able to do that. At least with my folding bike, if they don't like what I'm doing, I can offer to fold it up and bring it on the bus.

But knowing the 2.4s fit makes me feel better about the 2.3 tires I was wanting to use an my commuting tires. I'll just have to wait until I have one on the bike to confirm that it actually fits, since it seems like some of those width measurements can be a little soft.

 

[33red]

All my bikes are OK on the train. I will do like Rob_E, test when the driver has waiting time with less air and if it works i will simply need to pump up. I do not want to maybe be accepted by a driver and refused by an other. I can also use my other bike.

 

[Rob_E]

All my bikes are OK on the train. I will do like Rob_E, test when the driver has waiting time with less air and if it works i will simply need to pump up. I do not want to maybe be accepted by a driver and refused by an other. I can also use my other bike.

Is it a local train, or are you talking distance, passenger train, like Amtrak?

I never know what Amtrak is going to do. I think the website says 2" tires max for their racks, but I self-loaded my 2.125" tires with absolutely no issues, so there's definitely room for wider than 2". But then I handed the bike, with the exact same wheels, to a guy in the baggage car, and he looked at it and said it would have to lay on the floor of the baggage car rather than go in the rack. No idea what the issue was. They used to say the same thing about my Long Haul Trucker because of either the front fender or the front rack. On the plus side, they never said that they couldn't take it, only that it wouldn't go in their rack.

 

[33red]

Is it a local train, or are you talking distance, passenger train, like Amtrak?

I never know what Amtrak is going to do. I think the website says 2" tires max for their racks, but I self-loaded my 2.125" tires with absolutely no issues, so there's definitely room for wider than 2". But then I handed the bike, with the exact same wheels, to a guy in the baggage car, and he looked at it and said it would have to lay on the floor of the baggage car rather than go in the rack. No idea what the issue was. They used to say the same thing about my Long Haul Trucker because of either the front fender or the front rack. On the plus side, they never said that they couldn't take it, only that it wouldn't go in their rack.

I am in Montreal, Quebec so not Amtrak. There are 5 lines to cover around Montreal and there is no fee for bikes, we roll them in but the steps are a challenge the first time. Since we tie them with lastics any tire size is OK. We have a few exceptions for workers hours when only a folded bike in a bag is allowed.

 

[mactweek]

My Krampus will not fit on the rack on the front of our busses. Fortunately the drivers let me bring it inside. We use the busses to "shuttle" to the trails on the upper side of town and then usually ride back to the house, generally downhill. Some of the newer busses have a different rack that can take about a 2.6 but I doubt that a 3" tire can fit.

 

[Rob_E]

My Krampus will not fit on the rack on the front of our busses. Fortunately the drivers let me bring it inside. We use the busses to "shuttle" to the trails on the upper side of town and then usually ride back to the house, generally downhill. Some of the newer busses have a different rack that can take about a 2.6 but I doubt that a 3" tire can fit.

What tire size are you running on the Krampus?

 

[Rob_E]

Well, I successfully put my bike on a couple of buses using my 26 x 2.4" Panaracer Swoops. With them aired up to a reasonable riding pressure, it can take same extra effort to push the bike into the rack and pull it back out.

Switched to some smooth, 2.3" Compass tires this weekend and, predictably, they go on the rack just fine. No pushing needed. So I think for me 2.3" is the maximum, comfortable width tire. Going a little wider is possible, but it works better if you drop some air out of the tire first.

 

[Mooree]

It's an easy and efficient way to get your bike on the bus. For those doing this for the first time, like me, this guide is quite helpful. First, should any loose items and accessories must be removed before the bus arrives. Before placing your bike, make sure there is enough space on the rack. You have to squeeze and pull the handle of the bus rack to open the latch. Then, raise your bike with the safety hose and body. Loading your bike on the bus can be a challenge, especially for first-timers. So you can ask your driver for help if you don't know how to operate the stand.

 

[Funoutside]

2.3" Compass tires

If it's the 26er version those are closer to 2.15 in size than 2.3.