I thought I’d get myself a plus sized 650b wheelset to try in my 29er’s and see if it fits and how it rides.

The wheelset is a Stans Hugo/Schwalbe Nobby Nick combination, and so far, I haven’t found a frame or suspension fork that fits in them.

I’ve tried both Manitou Tower and the older RS Rev’s in 29er flava but they both contact.

Frame wise, its nowhere near fitting in my Nicolai AC 29er, OO Codeine or Alpine Five.

So my only option is to strip the hubs and rebuild it into fat bike form and try it on the Bucksaw, or to try it in the Krampus, but why downgrade from 29plus?

Send them back? What made you think they’d fit? The 29/650b+ crossover is a relatively new thing off the back of things like boost and 1x only frame designs

When WTB came out with the Scraper/Trailblazer a lot of folk jumped on the fact that the rolling diameter was a bit less than a 29er and so would “fit” into 29er frames. TBH, that was pushing the truth a little. The Trailblazer is narrow for a “plus” sized tyre and the Scraper is a 45mm rim. Even with those limitations, many (most?) 29er frames won’t take a B+ tyre/rim combo.

Yup, I’m having a crack at it now but with a narrower (35mm) rim to try and tame it. Reasonably sure a 2.8 will go, since a 2.5 29er fits with plenty of space but I’ll not be shocked if it doesn’t.

It’s surprisingly difficult to research this stuff tbh. There’s mega-threads that are hard to really search and there’s so much room between “3.0 on a scraper” and “2.8 on a normal 650b rim” that you need to take it all with pinches of salt even before you get into the inevitable random differences in tyre size caused by all tyre companies being compulsive liars, and different people’s ideas of what fits. A lot of people really, really want it to work I think and are happy to ignore .5mm tyre clearances

Northy- happy to meet up with my plus wheels if ye wanna try them.

Cheers- building some wheels now but ta!

Wtb I35s with 2.8″ nobby nic fit on mine on the rear, scraper is pretty big so won’t fit most non boost/plus sized forks or bikes. I35 or something seems to work on some with 2.8 or 2.6 tyres though.

As Colin says, the WTB Trailblazer is narrow for a “plus” tyre, it’s more of a small increment above the large volume 29er tyres. It’s nowhere near 2.8″- on an Alpkit Rumpus wheelset (45mm rims) it comes up at 2.5″. Best think of it as a continuum rather than a distinct step up.

It’s just luck that the 650b+ tyres fit some 29er frames. I knew that the TB would fit my Solaris because Cy had blogged about using a 45mm rim with it in the Mk1 frame. I’d really like to put the WTB Bridger or Trail Boss (both genuine 3″ tyres) on the rear but there’s no way either would fit between the chain stays. Then there’s chainline to consider, a genuine 3″ tyre is pushing the 83mm width BB/135mm rear axle combo to its limit, looking at reviews of the 3″ tyres there’s not a lot of gap between tyre and chain and in muddy conditions things are going to catch.

I think I just got lucky by cramming a set of 26+ wheels into my Rocket, that I was hoping out of 3 29er frames, at least one might work.

My 26er Rocket just about takes a set of Surly Instigator wheels/tyres at 50mm rims and 2.75 DW’s, but its tight in the back for things like mud, a leaf, a sheet of paper.

OK, something I’ve been thinking about for a while but all we really need is a few good measurements and you could easily draft up a printable template that people can just print out, stick to cardboard or a stick, and then put in the frame to test fit. Like, I could product “i35, 3 inch nobby nic”. Then you just take out your wheel, pop in the axle, put the template on the axle and swing it through the frame and job done.

OP – I’ve the same combo as you.

It’s the Hugo rims that you’ll struggle with.

A 2.8TB on a Hugo fitted in the back seat of my MK1 Sherpa but only just.

I built up a Longitude F&F with mine.

I (Travers Bikes) produce a number of titanium frames that fit 27.5+/650b+ and 29ers wheels. The RUSSTi comes in 2 versions 650b+/29er or 29+. My Fat bike the Fat Race or Bat Fastard also take 29+ wheels and tyres.

Travers Bikes

How much do you want for the wheels gibbonarms?

I remember that there was a thread a while back which suggested you needed 71mm at the rear to be in with a chance of fitting b+ into your 29er frame

It’s not just the overall width – the chainstays need to have that width at the correct distance from the axle. Northwinds template would need to take that into account.

Yeah, there are lots of frames out there that will take a range of wheel/tyre sizes, this thread is about trying to B+ wheels into existing 29er frames. Unfortunately, I think many folk have been misled (accidentally or otherwise) by claims of cross-compatibility and the lack of a definition of what “Plus” is.

Yeah chainstays often have welds or annoying shapes just where you don’t want it, depends on the frame but it’s a bit of a lottery.

2.8NN fits in my 29r revs, and bandit 29.

I have just measured a few 27.5+ tyres on Nextie Jungle Fox rims (52mm wide) and on average them come out at between 71-73mm wide on the widest point. You would need to have an extra gap of 2-3mm either side to be safe (min) for mud clearance and frame/wheel flex

For info – 2.8 NN on an i35 fits with loads of clearance on a 29″ pike.

Rubbed way too much on the rear of spectral 29er though, went to a 2.5 WTB Breakout, which is in itself a bit of a beast of a tyre! It’s a pretty confidence inspiring pairing.

I couldn’t live with 2-3mm clearance – been there and it just got annoying – IMO people should be realistic about clearance – otherwise you’ll end up disappointed ..

traversbikes – Member

I have just measured a few 27.5+ tyres on Nextie Jungle Fox rims (52mm wide) and on average them come out at between 71-73mm wide on the widest point.

Trick is that you also need to know where the widest point is going to sit

If only there had been a huge thread that discussed all the sizes and combinations and had users posting how big they sized up 😉

…which like I say is hard to search, has a huge range of parts combinations and is also subjective- some people really want it to work so will declare that 1mm fits so you need to be pretty brave to trust anything that doesn’t have a photo. And still isn’t very complete. Big messy threads are a pretty horrible way to research this sort of thing.

I wonder what the biggest 2.4 would be like compared to a 2.8?

About 0.4?

you need to be pretty brave to trust anything that doesn’t have a photo.

And from experience even when you see photos of it it doesn’t mean it’ll work after you’ve bashed **** out of the tyre and it’s grown by a few mill…

Hugo/Trailblazer 2.8″ 650b+ fits in a TD-1 but with only half the adjustment.

Does not fit in a Scandal or a Kona SS 29er, or an Avanti KISS 29er.

Fits in a Surly 1×1 like it was made for it, but again half the adjustment.

I would be very surprised if you managed to fit any + tyre in the oo codeine, I get the occasional tyre rub on a 29×2.35 on a 40mm rim in the back of that when I corner hard

I’ve left a 3 inch Nic in the back of my Remedy at 60psi. Right now, it fits. Sorta. How much am I bet that it no longer fits, not even sorta, in the morning?

You’d think Niner’s were designed around Californian levels of clearance, but my SIR takes a 2.8 Trailblazer on a Dually with clearance. But I think the Trailblazer is an odd beast in that it’s height-width ratio means it’s taller but only marginally wider. I’d struggle to run most other plus tyres as the width-height ratio seems more normal…if that makes any sense. I ran it on a 23mm rim & whilst it was perfectly ok, it squirmed a little when pushing it at low pressures.
It’s more at home on the 45mm (40mm int) Dually.
But, I’m happy with the Trailblazer, it’s fine for my needs. It’s

Also, my 2.8 NN on i35 rim fits in a standard Lyrik 650B fork. Ideal.

It still turns! With, I don’t know, 2mm clearance or thereabouts. And this is why it all goes wrong, because some folks would say that totally fits. No it doesn’t bloody fit.

That’s a blow.

It’s no that great anyway, pish in proper mud.

Nah, it’s alright, I was always expecting to put a 2.8 ron in the back and the 3.0 nic in the front but thought I’d try this first. I might actually get away with a 3.0 Ron as it’s the knobs that are tight.

For mud I have a shorty and a dhr2 😆 This is just for difference.

I’ve left a 3 inch Nic in the back of my Remedy at 60psi.

60, why would you be doing that? 16 would be more like it no?

‘ve left a 3 inch Nic in the back of my Remedy at 60psi. Right now, it fits. Sorta. How much am I bet that it no longer fits, not even sorta, in the morning?

I’ve found they don’t really grow that much until you start to ride them. Then they stretch.

metalheart – Member

60, why would you be doing that? 16 would be more like it no?

Idea is to grow it. But Stu has RUINED that.

😛

How much did 3,4x operating pressure affect tyre size? I found 30 in a 2.8″NN was interference fit in my Rebas….