[Closed] 27.5+ 2.8 tyres - anything with a sidewall not made of cheese?

I have a few Schwalbe Snakeskin tyres and it really does seem to be very tough stuff.

Nobby nic 2.8 up front, been using it for 6 months now, seems a good un. Rear may be a different story, who knows. I have a WTB 2.5 breakout on the rear, it's a beast of a tyre weightwise, but I don't mind that as a trade off for puncture protection...

A lot of sidewalls seem extremely flimsy,shredded a conti mountain king 2.2 last week,ok it was 3 years old!

Went into halfords and came out with a conti Baron seems more the beast,performed well enough in the forest n across rough fire road type surface.

Specialized do the Ground control with a grid casing now but it's a 3 inch (need to scroll down to the bottom of the page for details)

[url= https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/components/tires/ground-control-grid-2bliss-ready/117789 ]Link[/url]

Just seen that they are doing the Slaughter in 2.8 with grid casing too!

[url= https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/components/tires/slaughter-grid-2bliss-ready/117871 ]Slaughter GRID[/url]

Looks like specialized are grabbing the bull by the horn as Purgatory and Butcher are also available in 2.8 and grid casing. Plus only £45 each.

Can't get a 3.0 in the back. The Slaughter looks ideal but no UK stock yet unless again I'm having monday morning google-fu issues. NN could be a backup. I'm still traumatised tho by running the old 2.2s a few years ago. I was investing heavily in puncture repair kits back then!

I've bought a couple of 'elephant condom' inner tubes. Thing with the chubby tho is don't want to run the pressures too high as it kind of defeats the object. But also don't want to spend hours patching tyres and tubes! It's a proper first world problem 🙂

Rekon is better than the NN for me so far, durability wise. Had a nightmare with the NN on the rear. Need to nudge pressure down a bit now though, was sliding out a little more on the Rekon at the weekend, so that'll test the durability a bit more.

What pressures are you running? I was at 16/14 which felt great. Until it became 0/14 😉

Specialized do the Ground control with a grid casing now but it's a 3 inch (need to scroll down to the bottom of the page for details)

And a Purg.

They also do them both in 2.6, which is what I'm considering for the HT. Can't justify a Rekon.

As said above, scroll down the page. The option's not available on the dropdown.

I've been running Rekon+ back and front for a while now with out a puncture.*
So far survived 3 uplift days, a week in Verbier and some quite rocky trailcenter and natural riding.
Got another week in the Alps soon then a week in Spain to see how long they last.

*I've maybe blown it now by talking about it. 😕

Rekon is 60 euro form Germany

So far survived 3 uplift days, a week in Verbier and some quite rocky trailcenter and natural riding.
Got another week in the Alps soon then a week in Spain to see how long they last.

I'm just jealous of your holiday schedule. 😉

Rekon is 60 euro form Germany

Which shop? I couldn't find it under €75, with €15 to post.

watching this thread

Alex, just take one of the other bikes. Or put some proper wheels in the cotic 😉

No. Light/strong: pick one. Only the "light" option currently exists.

There is no way that the 2.6 & 2.8 Butcher Grids have the same casing strength as the 2.3. They're probably the lighter version of the Grid casing found on the Purgatory Grid (much thinner sidewalls, slightly thinner tread casing), if not an even lighter casing - look at their spec weight compared to the 2.3. A 0.1" width increase in normal tyres from other brands adds about 100g, compared to the Butcher's 15g per 0.1" increase over the 2.3 Butcher Grid.

@trusty - well H has his 29in wheels as spares. Obviously tho they won't fit into a boost frame... Shame I've sold the fat bike - go the 'full inappropriate'.

@stu - sounds promising...

Pimpmaster Jazz - Member

Which shop? I couldn't find it under €75, with €15 to post.

I was talking about the dual, stuck it on the rear, but bike24.com and bike-components.de both have it for 60, with 10eur postage. 75 for the 3c, yeah

Cheap relative to what some sites are asking, but yeah, it stings a bit

I destroyed two Trailblazers at normal speed in the Peak, sidewalls made of tissue paper. I've now fitted a 2.8 NN SS up front and a 2.8 SS Rocket Ron at the back. The latter actually has more pronounced side-knobs than the Trailblazer, but just fits with a little clearance.

So far they've been fine in the Peak and work well as a combination - pretty quick, decently grippy. I'd prefer Maxxis - the rubber compounds are better ime - but the prices are just ridiculous. I can't guarantee they won't die, but they seem, so far, to be significantly more robust than the Trailblazer.

I run around 15psi front and 16psi rear, though I think my track pump over-reads slightly. I reckon a Rekon+ front and 2.8 Rocket Ron rear would work quite nicely.

You can't mix Maxxis and Schwalbe plus tyres. Seriously., I have it right now and the MAxxis Logo is FOUR TIMES as big as normal, rubbing salt in a massive OCD wound.

Rekon is a shade skinny versy the Nic too. I wish they'd hurry up and get the 2.8 Minions or High Rollers in the shops. Anyoen seen them on sale online yet?

Anyoen seen them on sale online yet?

singlespeedstu - Member

I think they're being stored in the same place as my Fastforward frame.

No sign yet? I remember that pain.

They did send me some of their resesigned dropouts FOC which was nice

TBH.
I've kind of tried to forget about it until it arrives.

The NNic is a great tyre grip wise IMHO, but its utterly, absurdly easy to destroy I have found. Mine lasted about 50km each. Which is a hell of an expensive habit at around £1 per KM.

I still have a new 3.0 NNic sitting around Alex. Go buy a couple of t shirts on my store or something and you can have the it for free in the box. See if you can get any more life from one!

2.8 NN been fine as a rear tyre. Nothing outstanding but not had a puncture on flinty, rooty stuff yet. Could do with something a bit faster so trying an Ardent till the slop takes hold.

Maxxis, particularly EXO, have always been considerably tougher than Schwalbe for me. I'd take a Rekon over a NN any day.

I've done 350miles of fairly hard riding on 2.8 NN's now.

Had one hole in the sidewall that wouldn't seal but an anchovy has fixed it.

Other than that they aren't showing a great deal of wear.

I'm not running super low pressures though and it's on a full suss bike.

20psi in the rear and about 15psi in the front.

I still have a new 3.0 NNic sitting around Alex. Go buy a couple of t shirts on my store or something and you can have the it for free in the box. See if you can get any more life from one!

Cheers Ben, I'll go buy some now 🙂

I do like a good tyre thread.....

I was talking about the dual, stuck it on the rear, but bike24.com and bike-components.de both have it for 60, with 10eur postage. 75 for the 3c, yeah

Great - thanks HG.

I do like a good tyre thread.....

Nothing better. 😉

Ben did you ever get the Maxxis HR or minion 2.8" samples in?
Were they any good?

.. Not sure. I have about 1500 tyres in the warehouse, they may be in there somewhere 😉

.. Not sure. I have about 1500 tyres in the warehouse, they may be in there somewhere

And I thought I was a serial tyre hoarder... 😉

I bet it smells lovely. Occasionally I pop into next day tyres just to have a sniff. My wife refuses to accept this constitutes normal behaviour!

Ok. We had an email conversation a while ago and you mentioned you were due to get some in to try. Just wondered if they were any good.

I'll be happy when I can run a HR/DHF or even DHF/Ikon combo. It'd be nice if they priced them more sensibly. Can't see it tho...

Bomboloni has survived a rocky 24hr race & 2 months so far, deffo not a winter tyre though

Sensible pricing seems out of the question unless buying from Germany.
I'm off to Afan in October and doubt we'll see the minions or HR before then so think I might go for 3.0 NN front and rear. I'll make sure I take my current tyres as spares.

3.0 NNs are the same weight as 2.8s and are accordingly thinner

They're all of 50g heavier. That's a lot of extra rubber! 😕 I see on the schwalbe website that they are listing plus tyres with APEX casing.
It'll be interesting to start seeing some reviews of the next wave of plus tyres with the thicker sidewalls. 2017 could be a great year for proper 27+ tyres.

The 27.5 x 3.0 Ranger in TCS light dual DNA at 835g is around 300g lighter than the equivalent Trail Boss and 400g lighter than the Bridger, not so surprising that it didn't last so long. I might stick with the Bridger up front and get a trail boss for the rear. At £40 from CRC it will hopefully keep me going until the beefier tyres come along. I'm loathe to pay £150+ for a pair of Maxxis Rekons now when the Minion/HR are the ones I really want.

I've found the Trail Boss pretty disappointing - promising weight (heavy) but that's due to lots of tread rubber rather than burlier sidewalls. Also a shame that the compound is like that of a cheap OEM tyre.

Has'nt anyone got any more opinions on the WTB Bridger? It looks ideal and at a decent price.

It's got the same sidewall construction as the Trailblazer no? In which case I'd give it a miss if you ride anywhere remotely rocky.

The first comment on the WTB page for the tyre backs that up:
[url= http://www.wtb.com/products/bridger ]http://www.wtb.com/products/bridger[/url]

I said it earlier on the thread, but although I'm not a Schwalbe fan - except when it comes to Ice Spiker Pro - the Snakeskin casing on the 2.8 NN and RR seems okay so far and the prices aren't as mind-blowingly excessive as for the Maxxis tyres.

Al - can one just rock up at nextdaytyres for a sniff/fondle or is it just a shed with guard dogs and sniper towers?

The Bridger has been good for the last month or so on the front of my SJ 6fattie. I mainly ride in the woods, but it's coped well with SDW flint. Been good on the few rides that it's encountered wet roots and chalk. It rolls really well for a 1200g tyre too.

3.0 NNs are the same weight as 2.8s and are accordingly thinner

I possibly do have some hr/minion samples in but ivenot yet sifted through the piles of tyres to see what's there.

Time to drop everything and start searching Ben 🙂

Al - can one just rock up at nextdaytyres for a sniff/fondle or is it just a shed with guard dogs and sniper towers?

+1

benpinnick - Member

I possibly do have some hr/minion samples in but ivenot yet sifted through the piles of tyres to see what's there.

I've said it before, ben, but let me say it again, you're a top man. Really. Can't stress that enough

*casually mentions full postal address*

🙂

Specialized have just told my LBS that they have no plans to bring in either Slaughter or Butcher in 650B+ sizes this year. Possibly next but nothing firm.

Anyone heard any different? Or any sources from Europe/US?

I got this reply from Specialized UK

Butcher GRID: ONLY 650b x 2.6 - No due date as yet expect early next year.

Slaughter GRID 650b x 2.8 - Will not be available this coming year. (only available in 2.3)

Ground control GRID 650b x 3.0 – Will not be available this coming year (only available in 2.3)

Purgatory GRID 650b x 3.0 & 2.6 - No due date as yet expect early next year.

Looks like cheese side walls or small mortgage tyres only then?!

I got this reply from Specialized UK

Bottoms.

Looks like I'm buying Schwalbes then.

Al - can one just rock up at nextdaytyres for a sniff/fondle or is it just a shed with guard dogs and sniper towers?

Yep. Opening hours on their website. Steve is the man behind the counter.

I cannot understand why Spesh don't bring the tyres in. It's not like it's shipping 10,000 bikes or anything. Surely can't be too costly to get them in the disty/LBS supply chain. Obviously a market they could clean up at half the price of the legalised robbery currently at play in MAXXIS commercial department.

I cannot understand why Spesh don't bring the tyres in. It's not like it's shipping 10,000 bikes or anything. Surely can't be too costly to get them in the disty/LBS supply chain. Obviously a market they could clean up at half the price of the legalised robbery currently at play in MAXXIS commercial department.

Yes, they could clean-up, there must be at least 20 people riding 650b+ these days... You have to think the market simply isn't big enough to make it worth their while. And ironically, it's probably because it's not like shippig 10,000 bikes. If it were, they'd probably do it.

cheers Al.

My i35 rims arrived today, just waiting on some hubs, then I will drop in and have a play with that chronicle of yours if it's still available. And then maybe wander down the road to NDT to see what might work on the rear wheel with an 35mm internal rim...

Stoner - sure. Let me know when tho as out this week mostly/hols next.

BWD - lots* of plus bikes in the 2017 ranges. Dunno maybe we'll all be back riding 26+ next year so no point in fanning this particular niche...

* although probably not as a % of total MTBs

Apologies if this seems like a hijack. I went out on my new Longitude (late 2016 model) at the weekend and I was loving it. It feels heavy to lift, but rides sweetly.
However, I got a puncture from a thorn. On fixing it was clear there is little if any puncture protection with the WTB trailblazers. So I was thinking of trying tubeless, which I've not done before. This thread has me worried though that that might not be enough. So, some basic questions:
1. Will tubeless help?
2. How can I determine what other tyres will fit, without physically trying?
3. Any general tips/thoughts?- I was planning on using the bike for general riding (nothing too gnar) and some off road touring; so a tyre that rolls well and could cope with quite a few miles.

Thanks.

BWD - lots* of plus bikes in the 2017 ranges. Dunno maybe we'll all be back riding 26+ next year so no point in fanning this particular niche...

* although probably not as a % of total MTBs

I dunno, my local bike shop has had a 650b+ Orbea in the window for six months now, they haven't sold one of the things. Don't get me wrong, I think they work really well, but right now I suspect it's a pretty small market in the UK at least. I doubt Specialized do anything on a small scale, ironically it's almost certainly easier from their point of view to ship vast quantities of product rather than small batches.

I can't believe that larger tyres really cost that much more to produce anyway, I guess it's a case of a mix of paying off initial tooling costs and market forces. Anyway, don't buy WTB's lightweight casings regardless is my take on it. Clearly their strategy is to charge less initially, but sell you two or three of the things every month to make up for it... 😉

However, I got a puncture from a thorn. On fixing it was clear there is little if any puncture protection with the WTB trailblazers. So I was thinking of trying tubeless, which I've not done before. This thread has me worried though that that might not be enough. So, some basic questions:
1. Will tubeless help?

It'll help with thorn flats, but it won't stop the painfully thin WTB sidewalls from exploding if you wave a rock in their general direction.

2. How can I determine what other tyres will fit, without physically trying?

There are some threads on mtbr.com with comparative bead to bead measurements of + tyres as a starting point, but Trailblazers are quite narrow in the tread to suit 29er clearances. The carcasse of a 2.8 Schwalbe, for example, is comparable, but the fact they have side knobs may means it won't fit if clearances are tight with a TB. I found a 2.8 Rocket Ron was slightly wider because of this, but just about fits.

3. Any general tips/thoughts?- I was planning on using the bike for general riding (nothing too gnar) and some off road touring; so a tyre that rolls well and could cope with quite a few miles.

Trailblazers are decent rear tyres if you;re not riding on rocky stuff and don't mind occasional sideways moments, but awful up front. The 2.8 Nobby Nic / Rocket Ron combo is decently fast rolling but gives a fair bit more grip. Everything else seems to cost loads and/or be unavailable...

I ran a Nic on the front and a TB out back quite happily till I holed the sidewall again... I guess it depends on where you're based and riding and whether you want your front tyre to grip at all.

@BWD - nothing to disagree with there. Maybe we've reached 'changed fatigue', I wasn't in the market for a new bike really until I tried the chubby. I expect tho I don't fit into any bike buying demographic other than 'gullible idiot' 😉

I anticipate a future of modular mix and match wheel size horror where mountain bikers desperately wrestle with the pros and cons of plus and minus size tyres in different diameters to suit specific trails and 'need' an arsenal of tyres costing upwards of £200 each. It'll be great. For the tyre companies anyway...

I don't think we're any more gullible than any of other countless million victims of neoliberal consumerism though 🙂

Thanks BWD, food for thought. You put the Rocket Ron at the back? - what bike?

The Purgatory with the GRID casing is just starting to appear in the US now and looking at the plus forum on MTBR it seems they are like hens teeth in the states at the moment. I don't think this is a case of Specialized not bothering with the UK due to potential sales, it might be down to how the ordering and delivery of component lines are done between US and Europe. I blame Brexit.

Anyway the Purg GRID gets the thumbs up from [url= http://www.leelikesbikes.com/first-ride-specialized-purgatory-27-5x3-grid-tire.html ]leelikesbikes[/url]

I anticipate a future of modular mix and match wheel size horror where mountain bikers desperately wrestle with the pros and cons of plus and minus size tyres in different diameters to suit specific trails and 'need' an arsenal of tyres costing upwards of £200 each.

Thanks BWD, food for thought. You put the Rocket Ron at the back? - what bike?

It's a Sonder Transmitter, but a proto frame so may have less room at the rear than the production one, not sure. Brant would probably know.

The Ron seems like a pretty good alternative to the TB as a rear tyre, more rounded profile with edge knobs means it's slightly wider, but the Snakeskin sidewalls seem tougher and it's grippier all round, but pretty much as quick I think,

2.5 minions under 1kg?

For the record the 3 different plus size tyres I've used have all been fine and (I'm probably tempting fate here) no punctures

[quote=mikewsmith ]
Yep, meanwhile the rest of us will just ride the 2.5" Minion and 2.4"Ardent Combo still has amazing levels of grip - people should really try them, they will be the next big thing Corner like it's on rails, run and normal pressures not the puncture inducing 12psi that seems to not work for people. Sidewall protection and under 1Kg in weight whats not to like?? Give it a month and I'll probably swap for the same.

if you are going to play the luddite card then I'm guessing you are still rolling on 26"...

Yeah freaky isn't it. Not in the habit of niche chasing so the next bike will probably be 650 or 29.

Yep, meanwhile the rest of us will just ride the 2.5" Minion and 2.4"Ardent Combo still has amazing levels of grip - people should really try them, they will be the next big thing

When somebody manages to overtake me on one I'll give it a go...

A legend in your own lunchtime. 🙄

Well honestly when I feel like it's the tyres that are letting me down I'll let you know. At the moment it's not and swapping them for heavier and weaker options makes no sense. Got to see first hand what the hightower is capable of in its 29r setup it was impressive. Not seen anyone bringing along plus to any serious enduro's etc so what are the real benefits?

The main advantage for me is I've actually tried both and 9times out of 10 choose to use the bike with my + wheels in.
I'm obviously not a pro doing serious enduro like you though..

I'm not but I look at my riding and what I'm lacking, grip ain't normally one of those things, when it is it's mostly down to poor technique. The main thing that is holding me back at the moment after fitness is a level of commitment which is a mental thing. I don't have the cash to throw at new bikes at the moment but still not seen enough positives for the riding I like to even bother considering one.

Anyway sorry to take this thread back to tyres rather than how awesome you are Mike.

Just had a response from Schwalbe about the apex casing tyres. Looks like they will be arriving in the shops soon for 3.0 variants, and early 2017 for 2.8s

Thank you for the message and your interest in the new Schwalbe X-One tires. We currently expect them to be available as following:

27.5x2.8 Nobby Nic APX PSC: Early 2017
27.5x2.8 Nobby Nic APX TSC: Early 2017
27.5x3.0 Nobby Nic APX PSC: week 44 (Europe)
27.5x3.0 Nobby Nic APX TSC: week 36 (Europe)

Please make sure you pre-order the tire at your local bikeshop in order to get it as soon as possible. For detailed information about availability please contact your local bike shop or Schwalbe distributor.

What's the difference between tsc and psc?

trailstar compound is grippier, pacestar is less so. I generally run a trailstar front and pacestar rear

and an update from Maxxis

The Minion DHF is now available for dealers so it's a case of calling round your local Maxxis stockists and reserving.

Horrified to see that my WTB Trailblazer has developed a few threads on the side walls...I am guessing from where it is bashing the carcass against the chainstay on hard corners. It's done 800 miles (and I haven't noticed it once...but is def happening as the chainstay is missing some paint too)

I've never noticed this when riding. I don't want to run it rock hard and lose the benefits of the traction.

Wheels are taught. Pretty sure it's just tyre roll.

So...has anyone run anything non cheese like in the rear of a Cotic Solaris? Cotic say you can squeeze a 2.8 in, but the trailblazer isn't the biggest and I am still having issues....

Help!