Rim width is extremely important when choosing a tire width. Having the appropriate tire shape when mounted and aired up allows a tire to function properly for it's intended use. I once ran a Butcher 27.5x2.6 on a Sunringle Duroc 40 (36mm I.D.) and that was at the far end of what that tire should be used on. It'd have been much more at home on a rim width of like 32-34mm. Wide tire plus narrow wheel equals bulb shaped tire profile that causes sidewall flex issues thereby decreasing handling. Narrow tire on a wide wheel creates a flat tire profile that diminishes available lean angle.
A 35mm or 36mm internal width rim is completely appropriate for a 2.6" tire. The general rule of thumb on the effect of rim width to tire width is for every 1mm, plus or minus, of difference from the design standard (i.e. ideal rim width for a given tire) the tire will change about 0.4mm in width in the same corresponding direction. Simply put: Install a wider rim on your bike and your tire will grow about 0.4mm wider for every 1mm of internal rim growth. I went from a 29mm internal Stans Flow Mk3 to a 35mm internal WeAreOne Convert. The difference was 6mm .... 6mm X 0.4mm = 2.4 mm wider tire patch, or only 1.2 mm wider on each side. A dime is 1.3mm thick!
I use my Schwinn Axxum as a paved inner city and paved trail bike. I changed the original 2.6 in. knobby tires with 2.4 Maxis Hookworms and love the improvement greatly.
Thanks for mentioning the Schwinn Axum. I recently got a pair of tires that are a little bit thinner. I think they’re actually 2.125 for my Axum. I have several bikes in the garage and buying tires can get expensive so I found these tires on Facebook marketplace ad I am excited to install them to see what difference they bring to the ride when I ride in the city.
Totally agree with mentioning rim width in this decision. At the simplest, take your rim interior width and divide by a tire's ISO (mm). Generally this range should be 40% - 80%.
I’m huge 😂 bout 315 fully kitted, so I love bigger volume tires. My go to is a 2.8 (or 3.0 if it fits the frame) on a 40i rim and my “soft” setup is about 35 psi lol
For anyone wondering 3in is to big for an axum it does clear but just barely and probably not enough if you ride it like a real mtn. bike and you can't shift to the lowest gear the chain actually hits the tire. I haven't tried it but I think 2.8s would work fine though
About the maximum my frame can accommodate is a 26x2.25, but I've been happy running 2.1 velociraptors at the local trails. My tracklocross bike currently has 700x38c gravelkings, but the frame will happily go to 50s. The 38s are just the right amount of sketchy fun while still having enough grip to handle the trails.
29+ here bike came stock with duroc 40 od rims and 3.0 dhf dhr and have 0 issues with it,but i do drop down to a 2.6 in the warm dry season and do notice a more responsive ride and have no clearance issues
I miss my DV9 hard tail with 29x 2.4. They were perfect, as I could soften them for my old bones and still fast. Bike strap failure at 70 mph is hard on carbon fiber.
If the manufacturer lists a max tire width, I stick to it. I have a few Trek bikes that can fit wider tires than what Trek recommends, but I figure they engineered the bike and they know best. I like having enough clearance to clear sticks and mud and account for flex.
Hello there, I just got my OTR v2 thanks to you and Seth. I really enjoyed the reviews and wanted to get into mountain biking because of them. So I want to upgrade the tires, but I can't find a definitive tire size capacity and wanted your take on it. I do love the meaty tires, but I also don't want any unexpected problems. What do you recommend? Thanks for the help in advance.
I've endo'ed because of sticks, using a tire with plenty of clearance. Its just part of the deal when riding a MT bike. Ya gotta be looking out for trouble. Skilz baby
funny thing is I just put a 29x2.6in nobby nic on a 23mm internal front wheel paired with a rockshox XC32 tk which can barely fit the tire without rubbing. Not to mention the 29x2.35 at the back of a mtb that came with 2.1in cx tires. I'm just trying to make it as much of an agressive hardtail as I can, I guess
@@KevCentralfunny update. Both tires started rubbing on both the frame and the fork after a couple of rides. Thankfully noticed it on the road and took it back home to take them off again. I guess 3 year old big box bike wheels don’t really like going hard down gnarly trails and need some truing now😅
I have noticed that when I use the 2.6 size tires that comes on some of the Walmart, big box, bikes, that the air forks we get on Amazon like the Bollani tend to rub. I was kind of wondering if the switch to a fork that has through axle would mean less flex on that fork. I also wondered if tightening up the spokes would help out with that as well and there’s also the concept of maybe checking the bearings. I appreciate you putting this video out there. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that my fork just has a little bit of flex as well.
Yeah, the Amazon forks do have some flex in them (I got a Bolany as well to replace a fork that was downright wobbly, and while it's still working now, it only took a few months for it to have some flex in the same spots, as opposed to that original Suntour taking years to reach that point). I think the Bolany forks are also a bit thicker, which is nice but does reduce some of the space you've got to work with. Mine is for a 26" bike so it's smaller to begin with, but I also run 2.125" tires on that bike (that's what came with it back then) and it fits great, but going all the way to 2.6" would be pretty tight I imagine. Wider tires are also going to be able to squish and shift on the rim more too, keep in mind.
Thanks for being here. The best approach is ensuring that the fork selected had an arch width that can handle the desired tire size. That said, the higher quality the fork; the less flex. At least that’s been my experience. Also note that it’s not advisable to over tension spokes to make a wheel more rigid. If there is flex due to loose spokes that’s one thing. Trying to firm up a wheel by cranking down the spoke tension…not good, IMO. Thanks for commenting
When a tire rubs the frame it because of wheel flex not frame flex. Same effect but a killer set of wheels will change thing dramatically. But high end wheels flex too
One thing to consider is tire brand sizes are somehow not universal... I had 2.3 front and 1.95 rear on my 01 sworks fsr xc. I put on a pair of michelin 2.1... they are about as wide as the old front 2.3 😅 i have maaabe 2mm seatstay and chainstay clearance. At least the front has enough clearance, so i wont (again) flip over the bars!
Do u know wat the widest and best tire for trails mostly n the ozark trail ridge 29. Just got bak n2 biking and just rode oem bikes bak wen i was but want 2upgrade this bike 2b the best i can get it. Appreciate anything u hav 2add, and im on a budget but i will splurge 4som of the must hav upgrades. Thank you
Well, here we go... Frankly, I run a one speed automatic on exclusively 27.5 x 3.0's on i45's. There is a 10mm minimal clearance at the frame and fork. I hated the 90's with road rims and 2.3's. They had to be inflated to max pressure to prevent fold over. That is a net traction throwaway!
Hello. I appreciate all your videos. I believe that those tires are not the Ozark trail factory one. Instead, they look like Kent trouvaille ones. May this comment is not important, but I just mentioned because I have both bikes and like you I like to upgrade them.
When tires run 80.00 each for a MTB, they are too expensive to just change out willy nilly. I run 2.6 on my Polygon T8 and have no plans to change width or tread pattern until they are worn out. And that won't be for a long time.
I say we boycott way overpriced high end Gucci mtn bikes so they're forced to bring prices down to reasonable levels. $4,000 for a set of wheels because they use strings/rope spokes that save a few grams of weight. 🤪
Instead of just stating that some people put tires on their bikes that are too big, maybe you should come up with an actual formula to help find the right size tire. Otherwise you're complaining and not doing anything to help.
Unfortunately there is no formula as all frames are different. Kev is not complaining, he is just showing the dangers of using a larger tire than the bicycle maker designed the frame to fit.
You mentioned staying safe at least 5 times. Ain't nothing safe about mountain biking, especially on a dept store bike. If safety is a top priority, stay off of mountain bike trails.
I'll say it. "Ride dangerously! Why? Because. Kevin won't. And, it's more fun! Lots more fun! Practically fun2 (squared). So - go ahead and put on too big tires. Throw caution to the wind. You only live once - especially if you buy your bikes at Wallyworld. Because they DON'T know how to assemble bikes. It's just too much for their small brain. THAT'S why they have a sticker titled "left", on the left pedal, and "back" on the rear fork section. Because otherwise, how would their employees know how to build those great bikes? Huh? That wasn't really a question.
Rim width is extremely important when choosing a tire width. Having the appropriate tire shape when mounted and aired up allows a tire to function properly for it's intended use. I once ran a Butcher 27.5x2.6 on a Sunringle Duroc 40 (36mm I.D.) and that was at the far end of what that tire should be used on. It'd have been much more at home on a rim width of like 32-34mm. Wide tire plus narrow wheel equals bulb shaped tire profile that causes sidewall flex issues thereby decreasing handling. Narrow tire on a wide wheel creates a flat tire profile that diminishes available lean angle.
A 35mm or 36mm internal width rim is completely appropriate for a 2.6" tire.
The general rule of thumb on the effect of rim width to tire width is for every 1mm, plus or minus, of difference from the design standard (i.e. ideal rim width for a given tire) the tire will change about 0.4mm in width in the same corresponding direction.
Simply put:
Install a wider rim on your bike and your tire will grow about 0.4mm wider for every 1mm of internal rim growth.
I went from a 29mm internal Stans Flow Mk3 to a 35mm internal WeAreOne Convert.
The difference was 6mm .... 6mm X 0.4mm = 2.4 mm wider tire patch, or only 1.2 mm wider on each side.
A dime is 1.3mm thick!
I use my Schwinn Axxum as a paved inner city and paved trail bike. I changed the original 2.6 in. knobby tires with 2.4 Maxis Hookworms and love the improvement greatly.
Thanks for mentioning the Schwinn Axum. I recently got a pair of tires that are a little bit thinner. I think they’re actually 2.125 for my Axum. I have several bikes in the garage and buying tires can get expensive so I found these tires on Facebook marketplace ad I am excited to install them to see what difference they bring to the ride when I ride in the city.
Totally agree with mentioning rim width in this decision. At the simplest, take your rim interior width and divide by a tire's ISO (mm). Generally this range should be 40% - 80%.
I’m huge 😂 bout 315 fully kitted, so I love bigger volume tires. My go to is a 2.8 (or 3.0 if it fits the frame) on a 40i rim and my “soft” setup is about 35 psi lol
For anyone wondering 3in is to big for an axum it does clear but just barely and probably not enough if you ride it like a real mtn. bike and you can't shift to the lowest gear the chain actually hits the tire. I haven't tried it but I think 2.8s would work fine though
About the maximum my frame can accommodate is a 26x2.25, but I've been happy running 2.1 velociraptors at the local trails. My tracklocross bike currently has 700x38c gravelkings, but the frame will happily go to 50s. The 38s are just the right amount of sketchy fun while still having enough grip to handle the trails.
29+ here bike came stock with duroc 40 od rims and 3.0 dhf dhr and have 0 issues with it,but i do drop down to a 2.6 in the warm dry season and do notice a more responsive ride and have no clearance issues
im putting 29 x 1.80 Kenda Slant Six DTC 60TPI Folding Bead Tire Mountain Gravel on my new GT Avalanche 29'' Mountain
I run upgraded Bontrager XR2 29 X 2.20 tubeless on my new Polygon Syncline C5 - wide enough for me 😉
I miss my DV9 hard tail with 29x 2.4. They were perfect, as I could soften them for my old bones and still fast. Bike strap failure at 70 mph is hard on carbon fiber.
If the manufacturer lists a max tire width, I stick to it. I have a few Trek bikes that can fit wider tires than what Trek recommends, but I figure they engineered the bike and they know best. I like having enough clearance to clear sticks and mud and account for flex.
You refer to frame flex, but i think in cheaper bikes it's usually axle and wheel flex
That’s what i call the “multi-flex experience”
Lol you are so good at making a point.😊
Hello there, I just got my OTR v2 thanks to you and Seth. I really enjoyed the reviews and wanted to get into mountain biking because of them. So I want to upgrade the tires, but I can't find a definitive tire size capacity and wanted your take on it. I do love the meaty tires, but I also don't want any unexpected problems. What do you recommend? Thanks for the help in advance.
I have Ikon maxxis 27.5 X 2.20 i want to upgrade to 2.40 to try and experience wide tires..
I've endo'ed because of sticks, using a tire with plenty of clearance. Its just part of the deal when riding a MT bike. Ya gotta be looking out for trouble. Skilz baby
funny thing is I just put a 29x2.6in nobby nic on a 23mm internal front wheel paired with a rockshox XC32 tk which can barely fit the tire without rubbing. Not to mention the 29x2.35 at the back of a mtb that came with 2.1in cx tires. I'm just trying to make it as much of an agressive hardtail as I can, I guess
Wow. Stay safe out there and good luck 👍🏻
@@KevCentralfunny update. Both tires started rubbing on both the frame and the fork after a couple of rides. Thankfully noticed it on the road and took it back home to take them off again. I guess 3 year old big box bike wheels don’t really like going hard down gnarly trails and need some truing now😅
Wow. Glad you discovered it early
I just bought some Sun Duroc 30 rims to go with some 2.35 tires. 26mm inner. Hope its a good combo
I have noticed that when I use the 2.6 size tires that comes on some of the Walmart, big box, bikes, that the air forks we get on Amazon like the Bollani tend to rub. I was kind of wondering if the switch to a fork that has through axle would mean less flex on that fork. I also wondered if tightening up the spokes would help out with that as well and there’s also the concept of maybe checking the bearings. I appreciate you putting this video out there. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that my fork just has a little bit of flex as well.
Yeah, the Amazon forks do have some flex in them (I got a Bolany as well to replace a fork that was downright wobbly, and while it's still working now, it only took a few months for it to have some flex in the same spots, as opposed to that original Suntour taking years to reach that point).
I think the Bolany forks are also a bit thicker, which is nice but does reduce some of the space you've got to work with. Mine is for a 26" bike so it's smaller to begin with, but I also run 2.125" tires on that bike (that's what came with it back then) and it fits great, but going all the way to 2.6" would be pretty tight I imagine. Wider tires are also going to be able to squish and shift on the rim more too, keep in mind.
Thanks for being here. The best approach is ensuring that the fork selected had an arch width that can handle the desired tire size. That said, the higher quality the fork; the less flex. At least that’s been my experience.
Also note that it’s not advisable to over tension spokes to make a wheel more rigid. If there is flex due to loose spokes that’s one thing. Trying to firm up a wheel by cranking down the spoke tension…not good, IMO.
Thanks for commenting
I have a specialized camber and I would like to put 27.5x2.5 on it instead of 2.3 is will that be to tight of a fit?
Is a 29 by 2.6 too big for my 2022 medium giant talon 1?
Hello, I have a 26 electric bike with regular factory tires, and wheels. To upgrade to fat tires, maybe some 26X4.0, do I also need wider/fat rims?
If it rubs and is aligned its too wide 😅.
When a tire rubs the frame it because of wheel flex not frame flex. Same effect but a killer set of wheels will change thing dramatically. But high end wheels flex too
One thing to consider is tire brand sizes are somehow not universal... I had 2.3 front and 1.95 rear on my 01 sworks fsr xc. I put on a pair of michelin 2.1... they are about as wide as the old front 2.3 😅 i have maaabe 2mm seatstay and chainstay clearance. At least the front has enough clearance, so i wont (again) flip over the bars!
Do u know wat the widest and best tire for trails mostly n the ozark trail ridge 29. Just got bak n2 biking and just rode oem bikes bak wen i was but want 2upgrade this bike 2b the best i can get it. Appreciate anything u hav 2add, and im on a budget but i will splurge 4som of the must hav upgrades. Thank you
Well, here we go... Frankly, I run a one speed automatic on exclusively 27.5 x 3.0's on i45's. There is a 10mm minimal clearance at the frame and fork. I hated the 90's with road rims and 2.3's. They had to be inflated to max pressure to prevent fold over. That is a net traction throwaway!
You crack me up 🤣. Decoupling. 😅
Hello. I appreciate all your videos. I believe that those tires are not the Ozark trail factory one. Instead, they look like Kent trouvaille ones.
May this comment is not important, but I just mentioned because I have both bikes and like you I like to upgrade them.
Good eye. I forgot I had upgraded the bike to have Schwalbe tires 👍🏻
When tires run 80.00 each for a MTB, they are too expensive to just change out willy nilly. I run 2.6 on my Polygon T8 and have no plans to change width or tread pattern until they are worn out. And that won't be for a long time.
Amen. I just bought some new tires and the price rivals that of cheap tires for a car
I say we boycott way overpriced high end Gucci mtn bikes so they're forced to bring prices down to reasonable levels.
$4,000 for a set of wheels because they use strings/rope spokes that save a few grams of weight. 🤪
Instead of just stating that some people put tires on their bikes that are too big, maybe you should come up with an actual formula to help find the right size tire. Otherwise you're complaining and not doing anything to help.
Unfortunately there is no formula as all frames are different.
Kev is not complaining, he is just showing the dangers of using a larger tire than the bicycle maker designed the frame to fit.
You mentioned staying safe at least 5 times. Ain't nothing safe about mountain biking, especially on a dept store bike.
If safety is a top priority, stay off of mountain bike trails.
I'll say it. "Ride dangerously! Why? Because. Kevin won't. And, it's more fun! Lots more fun! Practically fun2 (squared). So - go ahead and put on too big tires. Throw caution to the wind. You only live once - especially if you buy your bikes at Wallyworld. Because they DON'T know how to assemble bikes. It's just too much for their small brain. THAT'S why they have a sticker titled "left", on the left pedal, and "back" on the rear fork section. Because otherwise, how would their employees know how to build those great bikes? Huh? That wasn't really a question.
TF I just watch SMFH.