I thought most guys who ride superfats are rigid? and do it for the squish-squish-pseudo-suspension?DiRt DeViL said:
Why ride fat tires?
Yesterday I rode for the first time a set of 2.4's on my SS and boy that was hard work. Before I've been using 2.1 or 2.25's with no problems but the 2.4's killed me yesterday. I even swapped front rings trying to make the ride more manageable and still was hard.
What's the real benefit of fat tires on a SS with front suspension?
What's the real benefit of fat tires on a SS with front suspension?
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
Squish and traction. If your trails are smooth, i.e., not rocky, then you don't really need it.DiRt DeViL said:Yesterday I rode for the first time a set of 2.4's on my SS and boy that was hard work. Before I've been using 2.1 or 2.25's with no problems but the 2.4's killed me yesterday. I even swapped front rings trying to make the ride more manageable and still was hard.
What's the real benefit of fat tires on a SS with front suspension?
How'd the fatties kill you? Too much rolling resistance?
I can't tell, ran the same setup with a 34t ring the day before with no problems and after changing to a 32t it felt heavy and had a hard time moving the bike on the uphills, going down was a blast.
It might be all in your head.
Ok, scientifically, there is more rolling resistance, alright, but not near enough to neccessitate dropping two teeth up front.
My wife swaps back and forth between the 2.4 Mutano's and Pracer XC 2.1's all the time with almost no notice at all, and no drop in speed either.
Do you feel slower when you are carrying a full water bottle?
I do.
I think the comfyness of the bigger tires is worth the perceived slowness that one usually gets over soon enough.
I'm going to have her try the 2.25 mutano soon...maybe that would be a good comprimise for you?
Ok, scientifically, there is more rolling resistance, alright, but not near enough to neccessitate dropping two teeth up front.
My wife swaps back and forth between the 2.4 Mutano's and Pracer XC 2.1's all the time with almost no notice at all, and no drop in speed either.
Do you feel slower when you are carrying a full water bottle?
I do.
I think the comfyness of the bigger tires is worth the perceived slowness that one usually gets over soon enough.
I'm going to have her try the 2.25 mutano soon...maybe that would be a good comprimise for you?
Smell the glove, baby.
The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'.
The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'.
Which 2.4's are you using?
dd.''
dd.''
When the tires are REALLY heavy, you probably will notice a difference. I have a Nokian Gazzi JR 2.6, and whenever I strap that thang up front, I notice how it fights when I try to change direction or turn. I guess it's the "gyroscopic" effect. I never use it in the summer, just in the snow where I can leave it at really low pressure and not have to worry about pinch flats. (It provides a great footprint when really low.)DiRt DeViL said:I can't tell, ran the same setup with a 34t ring the day before with no problems and after changing to a 32t it felt heavy and had a hard time moving the bike on the uphills, going down was a blast.
For most of the last couple of months, I've been using a Kenda Blue Groove 2.5 up front, which is a much lighter tire than the Gazzi, and it feels great for hushing up the bumpy stuff. When not using that, I'll either have the 2.4 Kenda Cortez or WTB Mutanoraptor, which are less toothy than the BG.
WTB Mutano Raptors 2.4 (55/55).
Padre, you might be on to something. Could it be perception?
I ride that trail once a week on the SS and was able to deal with all the climbs before the tire change.
Should I stick to the Mutano's for a while to see if I get used to the feel or put back the Frast Freds?
I ride that trail once a week on the SS and was able to deal with all the climbs before the tire change.
Should I stick to the Mutano's for a while to see if I get used to the feel or put back the Frast Freds?
Well, I don't have the actual figures and data to back me up, but I would guess there is quite a difference in weight and rolling resistance between the big mutanos and fast freds - so much so as to be noticeable. If you are running front suspension I don't feel there is much need for a really big front tyre unless you are riding quite extreme terrain - i.e. very loose and rocky.
Sam
Sam
Fast Fred 2.0 to Mutano 2.4? Big difference! The FF is a very fast and light tire. Also one that most people would not want to use in most conditions.DiRt DeViL said:Padre, you might be on to something. Could it be perception?
I ride that trail once a week on the SS and was able to deal with all the climbs before the tire change.
Should I stick to the Mutano's for a while to see if I get used to the feel or put back the Frast Freds?
The Mutano is about 22 mm taller (raises your gearing) and 170g heavier. It is a fast tire, just not as fast as a FF but better in looser varied terrain. once you get used to the Mutano you can corner much harder, too.
Shiggy, based on your comment increasing the cog size will help? I use a 17t on the rear, will a 18 or 20 be better for the Mutanos?
For sure, I know that when I got my 29er.. i felt so slow on the climbs... since it took the wheel longer to rotate, I felt slower. After about 3 weeks, I felt like i did on my 26" bike.
My brain just had to play catch-up.
My brain just had to play catch-up.
DiRt DeViL said:Padre, you might be on to something. Could it be perception?
I ride that trail once a week on the SS and was able to deal with all the climbs before the tire change.
Should I stick to the Mutano's for a while to see if I get used to the feel or put back the Frast Freds?
she should be made to smell it, I agree. Black sidewalls are faster too often prompting the question, how much more black can they be? None, none more, I say.
I would not bother, but it is up to you:DiRt DeViL said:Shiggy, based on your comment increasing the cog size will help? I use a 17t on the rear, will a 18 or 20 be better for the Mutanos?
- FF 2.0 = 26.0". 34 x 17 = 52 gear inches
- Mutano 2.4 = 26.9". 34 x 17 = 53.8 gear inches. 34 x 18 = 50.8"
Have a a a goood time. All the time.
We've gone through a lot of drummers. They just keep, you know, blowing up.
We've gone through a lot of drummers. They just keep, you know, blowing up.
Big difference
One easy way to really change the way your bike feels and handles is to change the tires. Changing the weight of your tires by a gram or two can have the same affect as changing the weight of your hubs by 200 or more grams. Heavy tires accelerate a lot slower but they can give you back speed during time when you slow down your peddling. The mechanics of tires and their affect on speed and handling can be a very complex mathmatical proplem to understand, but everyone who's studied it will agree that small changes in tires can make a big difference.
One easy way to really change the way your bike feels and handles is to change the tires. Changing the weight of your tires by a gram or two can have the same affect as changing the weight of your hubs by 200 or more grams. Heavy tires accelerate a lot slower but they can give you back speed during time when you slow down your peddling. The mechanics of tires and their affect on speed and handling can be a very complex mathmatical proplem to understand, but everyone who's studied it will agree that small changes in tires can make a big difference.
i went from running light weight semi-slicks (ritchey pros and/or panaracers) to running 1400gram / tire DH tires (maxxis minion, double wall, 60a compound, DH specific) on my trail bike. (basically i stopped racing and started riding just for fun...)
the first couple of rides with the fatties i really noticed the increased effort from the rotating mass, but now i am completely used to them. in fact, the dh tires, while heavy, really climb much better because of the better profile than the semi-slicks and because i run much lower air pressure now. i still have my xc bike, a road bike and a cross bike. when i ride these bikes, which all have relatively light tires and wheels, i feel like superman. holy effortless acceleration bat man.
the real benefits to running fatties that i noticed are:
1. ability to run lower pressures and thus get better traction and a little smoother ride.
2. with super heavy duty DH fatties i can fully lay off the brakes or get on the throttle in technical sections that would normally be pinch flat hell.
my ss will soon be getting a bigger fork to accomodate a new set of tires with a min. size of 2.35. i may, however, go with something 'a little' lighter then the minion dh specific.
the first couple of rides with the fatties i really noticed the increased effort from the rotating mass, but now i am completely used to them. in fact, the dh tires, while heavy, really climb much better because of the better profile than the semi-slicks and because i run much lower air pressure now. i still have my xc bike, a road bike and a cross bike. when i ride these bikes, which all have relatively light tires and wheels, i feel like superman. holy effortless acceleration bat man.
the real benefits to running fatties that i noticed are:
1. ability to run lower pressures and thus get better traction and a little smoother ride.
2. with super heavy duty DH fatties i can fully lay off the brakes or get on the throttle in technical sections that would normally be pinch flat hell.
my ss will soon be getting a bigger fork to accomodate a new set of tires with a min. size of 2.35. i may, however, go with something 'a little' lighter then the minion dh specific.
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
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