My current build will be fully rigid, & I was reading something the other night that advised a "High Volume" 29er tyre for fully rigid builds. I guess to provide a bit more cushioning

Can anyone recommend a make & model please. Use will be for solos / enduros but nothing featherlight as I'm a big guy and don't get on with Nobby Nics etc.

Thanks in advance

Shame as Racing Ralph 2.4"s are high volume and surprisingly grippy

i'm going for some halo twin rail 2.2's on my new 29er.

not the world's greatest mud tyre but likely to be fairly quick in the dry 8)

Remember that recent test showing wider tyres are faster!

CTBM suggests 2.9 RRs in 2.4 exist!

Don't see many road wheels with wide tyres.

The thing that seems to have the greatest effect, aside from the tread pattern, is the actual contact patch, which is also affected by the tyres pattern.
Take RR 2.25's. They look huge, but they are very rounded so that the actual contact patch is surprisingly small.

I'd recommend tubeless RR for enduros in the dryer months and the tubeless Bonty ACX in the winter, although I'm trying a Bonty 2.0 mud tyre up front with an ACX 2.2 on the rear this weekend as I tore the front ACX at the Brass Monkey event.

If you weigh W
And run your tyres at pressure P

Then each tyre will have a contact patch A=M/2P

Tyre width should only have a very small effect on this. It is the shape of the contact patch that is important…

If you look in the Schwalbe brochure (I think) they explain why wide tyres roll better for a given pressure.

Generally speaking narrow tyres can be pumped to a higher pressure however, which makes them roll better on flat surfaces. Also wide tyres upset roadies for aero reasons.

THESEI had a pair of 1.8 xr 29ers.
Until I bought the 2.25 RR 29ers and they blew the xr's into the long grass.

In the above equations, what is M and I assume A = contact patch?

I've become quite a convert to Bonty tyres.
Maybe try these as a logical alternative to RR's.
Bontrager Dry X Tubeless Ready 29
Or the XRO looks very minimalist!

i am also following the flock and building a rigid 29er ,, normaly on my kiddie bike i run a bigger front tyre than rear
i resoned that i can handle a rear end slide , and would rather the front went were i wanted it to

Bugger! M was supposed to be W
A= contact patch

All armchair science though, feel free to disprove.

i stuck a bontrager 29-3 on front of my 69er recently… was massively impressed with that in sh1tty conditions, and will be putting a pair on the rigid ss 29er. reckon it'll roll well when/if it dries up too.

Ade.
I know what you're saying.
I was unsure about this, F/ R division.
I think the extra volume 2.25 over the rear end will keep my butt more in the saddle and the Mud tyre should cut through the gloop a little better than a 2.25 tyre.
I think it'll hook up almost as well.
I'll find out soon enough!

Ti29er
you may have a point ,, i have to remeber we are talking full rigid and all my bikes are full sus

Ti29er – Member
Don't see many road wheels with wide tyres.
The thing that seems to have the greatest effect, aside from the tread pattern, is the actual contact patch, which is also affected by the tyres pattern.

We're not talking about them, and roadies are obsessed with weight. Note the patch size is dependant on pressure and nothing else.

Benfit of wider tyres is being able to run lower pressures – better grip and less bouncing over ground.

grip is a bigger contact patch better? small contact patch more pressure like stiletto heels?

in rally cars the worse the conditions the narrower the tyres

is the shape of the contact patch critical long thin short wide

And running them tubeless you can run them at lower pressures.
I have had a tendency to run mine at too higher pressure which does result in them bouncing about a bit!
Then I went tubeless in late Autumn and it's been a very sound move.
Can't yet tell you if it's quicker as conditions will not be back to being dry for a few months but the Red Route at Dalby with the ACX 2.2 was a revelation.

When it gets really muddy, as with SITS and MM in 2008, the 1.5's come out on the 26er! The mud at Sleepless in places sucks the tyre down into itself, it's very odd stuff, never seemingly breaking the surface, so wide tyres are not the preferred choice!

i used to love conti cross country 1.5 great for stuff like honc

Big volume – I like my 29er Panaracer Rampage 2.35. Decent tread, fairly grippy rubber, large volume etc.Looks v similar to a kenda nevegal actually. I'd probably go with something a little narrower/faster rolling/lighter for racing, especially in the back, but am fairly skinny…

wtb stouts are the biggest and best 29r tyre.

ton – Member

wtb stouts are the biggest and best 29r tyre.

My 2.4 RR's come up a fair bit bigger than my Stouts.

However i have three bikes with Stout's on the front and no RR's fitted ATM.

The Stout is fantastic on muddy/rocky/rooty trails.

The Stout is fantastic on muddy/rocky/rooty trails

Yep – if only it was a tad lighter.

I like my 29er Panaracer Rampage 2.35.

Agree, I have been using Panaracer Rampage 2.35 front and back. Seem to remember that the mag favourably reviewed them and I am very happy with them. Certainly find them a better all round tyre than the SB8s I started with although they may go back on for MTBO if we ever have a summer.

I ran a 2.4 RR in the rear last weekend when the ground was hard – man those things roll fast!

Would have swapped the stout up front too had I not sweated so much getting the rear sealed up 🙂

Bring on the Spring

I had some WTB MotoRaptor 2.24's – huge, great on rocks and hard pack, gripped like velcro on most surfaces, but draggy on wet grass / mud bits. Ace tyres though, would happily trade some draggyness for the traction and confidence. Bought mine from 18bikes.

I am using Bonty Mud x at the moment , i am finding them fantastic for the gloopy mud we have here in Suffolk , for the dryer summer months i highly rate Bonty ACX , have to say Bonty really are the nutz when it comes to 29 er tires !

anyone used the wtb weirwolf lt 2.55 ? looks like it would be ok in the dry

grip is a bigger contact patch better? small contact patch more pressure like stiletto heels?

in rally cars the worse the conditions the narrower the tyres

is the shape of the contact patch critical long thin short wide

Generally accepted that a larger contact patch = greater grip, unless you need to cut through mud to a more solid base beneath.

Shape of contact patch? I can't imagine it will change that much, r that this will matter significantly compared to tread pattern etc.

If you're looking for BIG and LOW pressure – then nothing beats a Surley Endomorph at 7psi at 3.7" it's somewhat larger than anything else – I run one of these up front with a Mud X on the rear. I have a pair of WW for when it gets dryer.

frc they are only 26 tho arent they ?

I just bought one of the Weirwolf 2.55" from CRC seeing as it was only £10 for the wired version – haven't used it in anger yet but it looks good (more dry trail oriented though) although it is marginally narrower than the 2.35 rampages i run on my full suss?

Other than that i run Bonty Mud X on my hardtail at the moment and Spesh The Captains once the weather gets a bit dryer. Also have a Nevegal 2.2 which is pretty beefy.

s i highly rate Bonty ACX , have to say Bonty really are the nutz when it comes to 29 er tires !

I rate my ACX 29ers so highly that I've kept on putting off buying any Mud-X so far this year as the ACX just keeps on working even in the slop (+ I'm tight + skint)

+1 Bonty 29-3

For poor/better conditions not as much cushioning as XDX but a nice all rounder…..XDX when/if the sun comes round.

Mi@K The rims are 26" – but the tyre and the rim makes 29" Mud hardly sticks to them at all.

ah right. that on a pugsley then

mi©k – Member

anyone used the wtb weirwolf lt 2.55 ? looks like it would be ok in the dry

Yep – they don't come up that wide though – similar to the RR 2.4.

Still a very fat tyre, and yes, great summer tyre, OK in 'summer wet' conditions too. I'll using it up front as soon as it starts drying up a bit

cool cheers

just started a thread on this but here it is again 😉 nice and wide

WTB weirwolf 2.55 is great, better dry and or loose than mud, but very predictable in the mud, just struggle for grip if it's sticky. they are surprisingly good if its not sticky.

I too have been using the 2.35 Rampages in during this Winter as they too are big volume but with a good balance of tread for mud etc.

The new Weirwolf comes out soon and has a different tread pattern.

The surly Larry is also out soon, Endomorph but with more aggressive tread, pricey though.

I run fully rigid

how do the rampages size up agains the bonty 2.25 is it much bigger ta

Larry is a bit bigger = 3.8" can't really justify getting one though, as my Endomorph is still new 🙁

Today at Stamner Park.
Little and large

I have been riding the Bonty 29-3 2.25 tyres front and rear. Fast rolling and loads of grip on everything I've ridden.

Mick – Bontys about the same size as the Rampages. If you need to see them on a wheel, come on down!

Matthew