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Will it work or is the rim too narrow?
Yes, it'll work. But it'll be very rounded as they are designed for wider rims (30mm+ iirc)
Its still pretty rounded on a 30mm id rim so 21mm would not be great.
I think it'll squirm too much and the side knobs will bite rather late.
WT tyres are designed for 35mm rims but I'm using them up front on 25.5mm Flow EX very happily. I'm not sure I'd run a 2.5 WT on the back though, as that always squirms sooner when pumping berms etc.
It says on the tire's label that is is designed for 30-35mm inside measurement rims.....21mm might be a tad narrow. I've just put a Minion DHF 2.5" on the front wheel on my 30mm internal measurement rim and the tire looks good. Not actually that much wider than the 2.3" it replaced and I'll find out how it rides soon enough
They're not much wider than a 2.35 Schwalbe. Lots of people run them on 21mm rims. Again, not ideal, but it'll work, just have to run slightly higher pressures to keep the sidewalls solid.
Sent this question to Maxxis regarding 23mm rim. They said it would technically work but the tread pattern on contact with the ground would not be as it should and they could not guarantee the tyre bead would sit correctly
Cheers for the replys and makes a sense. I'll skip the 2.5