I am curious as well. I have the stock Maxxis Colossus 4.5s on now and have an interest in something a bit more “racy” for summer. I am curious as to the ride trade offs as well. I have a 29+ Stache, so the fat bike will be occasional use and as my bike when my son wants to ride with me.
Summer tire opinions
As everyone is aware of, tires are a bit in short supply. Im new to fat biking this fall and have my bases covered for the winter with Snow Avalanches studded. No they aren’t the best, but they will get me by for now. I’m looking forward to next spring for when I can take these off for set of summer tires a bit lighter. I’m torn between staying full fat (Barbegazi, D5, cake eater) or going 4’“ Van Helga, D4 or Cake Eater 4.0. This is just for general purpose double and single track in New England. Htere is a lot of rocky, rooted out trails. My wheels are 27.5” Mulefut 80’s. I’m on a Growler with a Mastodon fork. It looks like Van Helgas are available. Terrene stuff will be soon. I can get a set of D4 60 tpi locally, but I balk at 60tpi. Im even entertaining Yippie Ki Yay. This is my year round ride Thoughts?
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I have two sets of Snow Avalanche (one set unstudded) which they do OK in the dirt, but are quite heavy and aren’t very compliant. I’m just an old guy trying to stay in shape but I wouldn’t mind shedding a little tire weight and adding my a little compliance. I’m leaning toward the D4 even though the ones available are 60tpi.
I run hodags in 27.5 x 65's on one bike and barbegazi's in 27.5 x 80's on the other bike. If you have an 80mm rim, i would say go with the barbegazi's for dirt and sand. Rarely need an aggressive tread in the dirt.
The hodags are 2% slower than 27.5 x 2.8 rekons on my hard tail if that matters to you. According to strava lap times at least.
The hodags are 2% slower than 27.5 x 2.8 rekons on my hard tail if that matters to you. According to strava lap times at least.
For summer riding I switch from more expensive studded tires to either 4.0 Jumbo Jim's or Van Helgas. I keep the summer tires in the 3.8 to 4.2 range to keep rolling resistance down a bit. I have run Maxxis FBF/FBR which some have shown dislike for however they are great for summer in my experience.
Schwalbe Jumbo Jims if away from mud, available in all 3 sizes
Seconded on the Jumbo Jims, that is what I ran before I went Plus Sized for summer.
Not a 27.5 tire it seems?Schwalbe Jumbo Jims if away from mud, available in all 3 sizes
27.5 BFat? Look at Hodag for 4.0 and Barbegazi for 4.5.Not a 27.5 tire it seems?
Do a search. This is a frequently asked question with lots of information out there.
I have read quite a bit, I related to the OPs question. I will probably end up riding my Plus bike with my existing studs this winter when it's iced up and hopefully next fall I will have some selection/options actually available. I would really like two wheelsets, but the cupboard is pretty bare for the 27.5 lower priced wheelsets right now too. 29+ stuff got so cheap before the pandemic, I bought three sets for the Stache27.5 BFat? Look at Hodag for 4.0 and Barbegazi for 4.5.
Do a search. This is a frequently asked question with lots of information out there.
I just pm'd you.I would really like two wheelsets, but the cupboard is pretty bare for the 27.5 lower priced wheelsets
I would do JJ’s no question, but I’m rolling 27.5. That’s a no go with JJ. I’m leaning toward 4.5 Barbie’s. Yes there are a few threads out there. surprisingly not many dealing with D4/D5 in dirt and there is definitely much more info on all tires in snow and ice. Probably because many here are riding different bikes on the summer.
I too enjoy 27.5 Hodags for non snow seasons. I was fortunate to find a barely used set on marketplace for a great deal to try out. No complaints at all.
What are you using for rims?I too enjoy 27.5 Hodags for non snow seasons. I was fortunate to find a barely used set on marketplace for a great deal to try out. No complaints at all.
Mulefut 80s.What are you using for rims?
I too dig the Hodags. I run them year round on one of my rigid hardtails in Austin (no snow- all dirt/rock). I have them on i40 rims and love the rounded profile. I’m also super impressed with durability, because it’s easy to shred tires here.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ho's on Sarge's i64's would be a hoot. Unfortunately, they are vaporware as of late.
The other tire I am looking at, rather closely is the Vee Snowball. Minor tonnage but Sarge is a midfAt so not overly concerned.
Sarge's summer shoes are a pair of Crux 3.25's and a pair of FBR 1200g for dirtin a wee bit fatter.
The other tire I am looking at, rather closely is the Vee Snowball. Minor tonnage but Sarge is a midfAt so not overly concerned.
Sarge's summer shoes are a pair of Crux 3.25's and a pair of FBR 1200g for dirtin a wee bit fatter.
If you want to buy now so you have them, and Van Helga's are available, it's really hard to find anything to dislike about that tire. Are they quite as fast as the Hodag and a couple others? No, but are they far enough off you'd care? They seem to me to roll faster than you'd think they should given the traction they provide. For rocky/rooted out trails, especially if you ever ride after a rain where things may be slick or a bit muddy, you may prefer the traction. I think they fill out 80mm rims a bit better than some of the 3.8's as well.
Don't get me wrong, if you're planning to run some gravel races or something you probably want to look for something a bit faster, but short of that they're fast enough for me. Compared with 26" 4.6/4.8+'s, etc (excepting the JJ, I've never tried those), they're pretty night and day faster.
Don't get me wrong, if you're planning to run some gravel races or something you probably want to look for something a bit faster, but short of that they're fast enough for me. Compared with 26" 4.6/4.8+'s, etc (excepting the JJ, I've never tried those), they're pretty night and day faster.
I think the cake eater 4 looks like a fast summer tire with great in between season traction.
Dillinger 4 and hodangs also look great.
Dillinger 4 and hodangs also look great.
Thanks for all the posts folks. I’ve ordered a set of Vanhelga. In Maine everything is rocky, rooted, muddy, crappy rough trails with messy shoulder seasons. The Vanhelga just makes sense In three seasons. I’m riding a set of studded Vee Snow Avalanche that came with the bike (Growler Stout) and they work OK, and are actually a good choice right now with the frozen dirt we are having. There is very little written about them. They actually perform pretty well with two caveats. The flat studs work very well in most conditions but have their limits. The tires roll well but are heavy. Good for training. They are rugged and mount easily. So far they have proven well as a late fall, early winter tire. I think for deep winter I’m moving on to a Wrathchild. LBS has a set. I see a three wheelset future for me.
This has been a helpful thread even though there are other threads out there. The problem exists when you want specifics on certain tires in certain regions of the country/world. There are limited choices in 27.5 still and Covid supply has indeed exascerbated the situation. My advice to anyone wanting tires for next summer? Buy them now, or when you see them for sale. Same goes for any component or bike. I bought my Growler because it was available. Ive been happy with the purchase.
This has been a helpful thread even though there are other threads out there. The problem exists when you want specifics on certain tires in certain regions of the country/world. There are limited choices in 27.5 still and Covid supply has indeed exascerbated the situation. My advice to anyone wanting tires for next summer? Buy them now, or when you see them for sale. Same goes for any component or bike. I bought my Growler because it was available. Ive been happy with the purchase.
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