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In an attempt to fuse multiple niches with a simple old singlespeed I'm thinking about building up a 26"+ front wheel to put on my Diallled Love/Hate. The Surly fork currently on the Dialled should take up to a 3.00" tyre so I'm looking at the Surly Rabbit hole 50mm rim or the WTB Scraper i40 rim. I haven't thought about tyres yet but haven't seen many offerings other than those from Surly and WTB.
Does anyone have any experience of 26"+, either of these rims or have any suggestions of others to consider before I embark on semi-fat adventures?
I went for a 27.5+ (2.8) on the front of my inbred, that probably doesn't help 🙂 Many more tyre options too.
I stuck with velocity blunts so I could still fit a normal tyre if wanted and I could have matching front and rear rims (apart from diameter)
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650b+ on my 26" Scandal SS. Same reasons as above really, plus the larger volume gives more cushion.
Fitted fine in an Exotic 425 a-c carbon fork.
APF
Quite a few of us riding around on Surly 1x1s with 2.8" to 3" tyres and 40mm rims.
It's a nice combo and I prefer it to a 29er with 2.35".
3" seems to be the sweet spot for a rigid mtb for 3 seasons of the year.
alexpalacefan - Member
650b+ on my 26" Scandal SS. Same reasons as above really, plus the larger volume gives more cushion.
What are the clearances like?
Thanks for the responses, 27.5"+ does sound interesting and there probably are more options at that size but with the frame clearances limiting the rear to a 26 x 2.25" I wonder if 27.5+ on the front would make the front a bit on the high sid? Also, I'm keen on going as fat as I can on the front. Surly's website says the 1x1's will take up to a 3.00" tyre with a 26" rim so if I went for a 27.5" rim I think I'd have to compromise on tyre width more than I want to. I've had a look at the Velocity Dually 26" rim as well. It's a 45mm rim so halfway between the rabbit hole and the Scraper. Hmmmm, choices choices.....
Well, I've pushed the button on a WTB Scraper i40 rim!
So where does one purchase these elusive 26" x 3.00" tyres?!!!
So far I've found some Surly Dirt Wizard's and some Surly Knards, both at about £90! This seems expensive but it's a while since I bought new tyres, especially such a specialist size so perhaps thats the price one pays…
I can't find the WTB Ranger in 26" x 3.00" anywhere
Those of you that have, what do you have, what are they like and where did you get them? Any suggestions gratefully received!
I've got 26 x 2.8 WTB Rangers on i29 rims in my Flare but they'll also [i]just[/i] squeak into my 26 Soul if I dish the wheel slightly, which I won't cos I can't be arsed. I tried them in my Sunn Tzar and there's looooooaaaaaaads of room in the back with the wheel as it is though... hmm...
They're good, I like them a lot. They have loads of grip and aren't stupidly heavy which is just as well because the rims I'm using weigh a ton 😆
Are the 26" Scrapers really that light? 343g? 😯
https://www.wtb.com/products/scraper
edit- no. CRC has them at about 530g.
waliboy - Member
...Surly's website says the 1x1's will take up to a 3.00" tyre with a 26" rim...
You can get a Fat B Nimble in there on a 40mm rim....
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But it would probably be wise to go 650B+ at the rear to keep everything on an even keel.
I ran it on a shorter fork for that reason, but decided I preferred to have matched tyres and went for the Dirt Wizards front and rear.
kayla1 - Member
I've got 26 x 2.8 WTB Rangers on i29 rims in my Flare but they'll also just squeak into my 26 Soul if I dish the wheel slightly, which I won't cos I can't be arsed. I tried them in my Sunn Tzar and there's looooooaaaaaaads of room in the back with the wheel as it is though... hmm...They're good, I like them a lot. They have loads of grip and aren't stupidly heavy which is just as well because the rims I'm using weigh a ton
Is that a 'standard' Flare (ie. not a Max)? And what's the clearance like at the back?
Toying with maybe trying 26+ on my 650b Rocket...
Yes, a standard (not a Max) Flare. The clearance is ok, there's enough room for a 2.8 but a 3.0 would have hit something. I'll get a photo of it the next time I get the bike out.
Go for all of the niches!
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Love mine, handling was sharp to say the least with the short forks, so extra cush, weight, wheel height and resultant fork angle are all good.
Got the 2.4 race king/ crest wheel still, but it's not been back on since I got the Hugo. Got a 2.75 Dirt Wizard and a 3" Knard. Both good for different things.
kayla1 - Member
Yes, a standard (not a Max) Flare. The clearance is ok, there's enough room for a 2.8 but a 3.0 would have hit something. I'll get a photo of it the next time I get the bike out.
Cool. Thanks.
nedrapier, that green machine of yours looks smashing, just what I'm trying to achieve! I think I'm going to go for a Knard and I may see if can persuade my sister (living in the US) to post me a WTB Ranger. As for all the niches, my other Dialled Love/Hate is belt driven with flared drops and 29er wheels squeezed in so I'm already fully 'niched' you might say!
Here's a couple of photos of the back of the Flare with 2.8 Rangers in-
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