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MTB's had a tyre on the front wheel twice as fat as the skinny back wheel, before the era of front suspension,
I wouldn't go that far but yes, I remember a wider tyre on the front. However, suspension forks were already here by then. Although they were short travel flexible things at the time.
Still often run a fatter front than rear
I can remember back in 1989 using a 1.5" Specialized hardpack on the rear. Mainly because my old Marin had really bad clearance. Think I still have one in the loft.
I can recall it being about 88 or 89 ?
I think the tyres were called farmer johns or farmer johns cousin ?
Great whacking things they were up front,
Tioga factory dh 2.1 on the front, factory xc 1.95 on the back of my (at the time) hardcore hardtail. Circa 98/99. Rad times!
Hutchinson Jumbo 2.4 iirc in 2000, ran that on the rear on my old Club Roost stinger, up front a 2.1 tyre, forget what now.
Tyres on my 86 Rockhopper were an enormous 1.5's. 18" chain stays took care of comfort at the back. At the front I eventually ended up with a flexstem
Kona had the A Drive and B drive tyres which were a 2.3 front and a 2.0 rear.
I think they also had propulsion and equilibrium tyres as well which were a 2.1 front and 2.0 rear.
I used to love my flexstem 8)
I always lusted after the one piece titanium Flexstem and handlebar.
I currently run a specialized capt 2.2 up front and 2.0 on the rear on my Soul, but i do only have a 100mm of suspension, they are run tubless! but my stem is also a 100mm...the front tyre is such a chod that the diameter of my front wheel is near bang on to my mates new 650b wheels. I'm so old skool, nu school retro cutting edge, it's well plastic....
I can remember when this was customary OP. I believe Kina used to do it as standard.
Yes I think I can remember this iirc it was circa spring 2013 and everyone decided the in thing was to run a Schwalbe Hans Dampf up front and a Nobby Nic on the rear 😉
yes, this morning when I looked at my bike
It's still a good idea.
5" front/2.35" rear. 😉
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8385/8501519122_748df523ca_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/8501519122/ ]Corner Floatage.[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr
"Front suspension will never take off it's just bike manufacturers trying to coin in by changing something so the masses get sucked in to buy them by using marketing. Magazines are sucked into this too and don't help by hyping them up. Anyway who would pay £1000 for a mountain bike"
Ah takes me back, you never hear anything said like that these days.
Generally I still run a bigger tyre on the front for a bit more grip...except on my winter/mud bike which has a tiny 1.8 medusa on the front and a bigger 2.0 mud x on the rear. Seems to work really well cutting through clag
I remember the girvin flexi stem....... The pre cursor to the Answer Manitou elastomer fork..... I've still got a pair of them on an GT Zaskar that's not been ridden for 15 years !
DT78:
except on my winter/mud bike which has a tiny 1.8 medusa on the front and a bigger 2.0 mud x on the rear.
Interesting - how does the Medusa perform up front? It's my default rear tyre (1.8) in mud, snow and ice but I'd never considered run one in front as well.
DT78 - I can remember when 1.8 was big. People used 1.5 Continental Cross Country for the muddier days.