I’m on aspens 2.25 on 24mm rims but I’m also interetend in comparison between 2.25 and 2.4
Bicyclerollingresistance.com isn’t going to tell the story here IMO. 2.4 makes sense for Aspens due to greatly increased traction (more rubber on the ground) and decreased rolling resistance on rough surfaces (higher volume, lower pressures). I think 2.25 on 30mm rims will square off quite a bit, putting your side knobs closer to where transition knobs should be. I’d only run 2.25s for a glorified gravel race, personally. Any significant single track/cornering on the course would have me on the 2.4s.
If it’s a glorified gravel race, go with Conti RaceKing 2.2 over Aspens.
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Great advice. Thanks. I think it makes sense to use the narrow version for more hard packed gravel races.
Then I have to rephrase my first questions. Do you have experience with the 2.2 RaceKing on 30mm rims?
I looked at these tires as well. Very lightweight and low rolling resistance according to brr.
No, I’ve only had them on 25mm max and the shape is perfect with those wheels. I might use them next year on 28mm rims though, for a MTB race that’s mostly on gravel. They will definitely square off and might be a little slower if the side knobs end up on the ground so that’s a bit of a concern. I’m not worried about the loss of cornering performance for this course, and 2.25 Aspens would be fine for something like this too I think.
But I’ll probably end up running Specialized Renegade/Fast Trak combo instead, so I don’t have to move the RaceKings from my other wheels. Specialized 2.3s are a nice shape on 30mm rims. The difference between all of these fast rolling tires won’t be more than a few watts in all practicality anyway.
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I have these exact tires on 29mm rims. Profile seems to be totally normal and ride quality is as expected.
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I’m new to all this after not riding mountain bikes for 22 years when everything was very different…
I’ve got Bontrager kovee 30 mm wheels.
The Bontrager XR2’s in 2.2 are on them and I’ve been impressed so far, although I can see them not being great in mud.
I’ve just got some Barzo 2.25’s but not yet fitted. Will these be too small for the rim width?
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They’ll probably be fine: a narrow tire on a wide rim gets a bit of a square shape. This means you’ll get on the cornering knobs quickly without needing to lean the bike a lot. Depending on the terrain and your riding level this can be a good thing. If you really like to lean the bike and have hard cornering in your future you’d want a wider tire that hooks up with more lean.
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Hi
Not purely an XC tyre question
I have a modern carbon hardtail frame laying about - I want to make use of this as my commuter and for some light-xc. I also want to use this bike to dabble in cyclocross in the future.
The bike came with 21int rims - what tyres would you recommend for the purposes above. I was thinking an XC tyre that is 2.1’’ wide. Maybe something even narrower? I’d still like to do SOME mtb with it.
Sounds right to me. No reason to go narrower IMO. Even 2.1” are hard to find though, so go 2.2 if it means you can get the tire you want.
I just bought a Canyon Lux Trail to target marathon XC events (upper midwest - e.g., Lutsen 99er). It came with a Racing Ralph 2.35 on the rear and Wicked Will 2.4 on the front (both SR TLE EVO). Worth considering replacing the Wicked Will up front with a Racing Ray? How much difference in rolling resistance are the tires?
I ride pretty mellow terrain - forest service road, gravel, & easy single-track. Bike handling skills are average at best.
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For everyday riding the Wicked Will is going to be fine but likely the Racing Ray is going to be a little faster rolling so would be a good choice for the events. The Racing Ray will be easily enough tire to handle the terrain you describe.
Here is a chart from Schwalbe on their tires:
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I am using the 650b for the last 9 months. According to my experience, it gives me some experiences like the below. For the Rollover — Even though 650b wheels are not as large as their 700c counterparts, they still boast a big size that allows them to roll over obstacles easily. The large wheels have a shallow angle of attack when they approach an obstacle, thus providing a smooth ride.
For the Rotational Inertia — The large 650b wheels provide rotational inertia as most of their weight is farther from the hub. That helps to maintain their speed quite well.
Traction — 650b wheels have a large contact patch with the ground, thanks to the large size. That effectively means more traction than usual. Also, low tire pressures and wide tires are combined for the same reason of increasing the size of the contact patch. With the impressive contact patch of the 650b wheels, you can expect great traction when riding with them. Quick acceleration — 650b wheels provide quick acceleration when riding with them. That means they use less energy to roll. Thanks to the quick acceleration, you can quickly start from a stop and get to speed. Surely, that’s a massive advantage to have a cyclist.
Ideal for smaller riders — 650b wheels work great for this group of cyclists. Due to the smaller diameter of 650b tires, they look and feel ideal for short-framed bikes, making them suitable for small riders too. Due to the smaller diameter of 650b 650B vs 700C: Gravel Tires Compared by 11 Factors tires, they look and feel ideal for short-framed bikes, making them suitable for small riders too. Gravel bikes designed for women or teens usually feature a smaller frame so 650b tires fit ideally, in most cases.
The ideal compromise between 26-inch and 29-inch wheels — Another advantage of 650b (27.5-inch) wheels is that they strike a good balance between 26-inch and 29-inch (700c) wheels. If you’re thinking about a great compromise between 26-inch and 29-inch wheels, you’ve got the right guy in 650b wheels.
Any of you guys run WT on 25int Rims?
I love Forekaster V1 but am looking for something a little more ‘downcountry’ and want to try Forekaster V2 for the front and Rekon Rear. But sizes for Forkaster V2 only come in 2.4WT and will aim to match with 2.4WT Rekon out back.
For sloppy irish natural trails…
What do you think?
I ran aspen and rekon race both in 2.4WT all last year on my Enve M525 (25mm internal) with no issue. They kept a wide round profile and I was pleased with them. I’m building a set of 30mm wheels this season but will still run the enve’s as well.
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How wide are your rims? 2.4 felt slower to me until I went to 30mm rims then they felt faster. YMMV
On the narrower rims I felt bob on climbs at low pressure and I think the shape of the sidewall was adding a lot of rolling resistance.
Currently riding Aspens 2.25 F&R. What can I expect if swap front tire for Ikon 2.2?
(wheelset: 9th Wave 24mm internal)
I haven’t ridden the 2.2 in the front but briefly tried the 2.35. It didn’t give me much confidence in loose over hard surfaces, so I swapped it out for a Forekaster (the old one) and put the Ikon on the back. I liked the 2.25 Rekon on the front better than the 2.35 Ikon. YMMV of course. This is all dependent on your skill level and where you ride.
What do you plan to ride?
Alps
Dylan posted yesterday some test results on IG with Aspen 2.4 and Race King 2.2 on a gravel road.
Very interesting. The difference between fastest and slowest configuration is 7s on a 5min out and back road. He reports that he held a constant power output. I hope he will post some more data points and add some Chung method tests to this.
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I’ve done over 100 laps on a 14 minute trail looking at tires, clothes, and all sorts of stuff. All I can say is that he’s gonna need a lot more laps!
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