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Just finishing off a Sonder Transmitter Carbon build, the wheels I bought came with a DHF 2.5 up front but I would like to try a 2.8 in there, after all its designed for that...
Question is, will I notice a difference for the £50+ outlay....
If so what do I go for, riding natural rocky, peaty Dales trails and some trail centre..
Yes, it will be a big difference.
2.8 tyres can be a mixed blessing on rocky stuff in terms of rear flats, but the front is usually fine and will give a lot of the benefit IMO.
I will drop you a message as I may be able to offer a cheaper option.
2.8 Minion is a monster. That or a Magic Mary, whatever matches the brand of your rear tyre.
Because you're not mixing brands, right? RIGHT?
(Edit - I wouldn't want a 2.8 for trail centre riding, at least not the ones above)
Running a 2.8 DHF on my RocketMAX in 27.5 guise and it’s great fun. Also got a 2.8 High Roller on the front of a BFe but not really ridden it yet so will see. Suspect it’ll be as much fun as the RocketMAX though.
27.5 here - 2.8 MM on the front of my Solaris Max. An absolute monster of a tyre. Superb in sloppy conditions. When it dries out I got to Rekon 2.8s but run at least the rear with a Rimpact as they are a bit flimsy. Super fast rolling tho and surprisingly grippy.
Mate has the DHF 2.8 and he rates it. A tough - if quite heavy - tyre that might suit the peaks etc.
2.8 Blkdmnd Spesh Butcher is a good option, and can be had for a decent price. 2.6 Mary is the best all round front tyre I've ever used, but not for the riding you describe.
2.8 Minion DHF (26") on the front of the Rocket.
2.8 WTB Vigilante (27.5) on the front of my Transmitter.
DHF is great for aggressive stuff but for all round riding the Vigilante edges it for me.
Building a RocketMAX up in 27.5+ at the moment and have put a Vigilante on that.
I run a 2.8 Minion on the front of my Transmitter, mostly ridden here in the Peak and it's brilliant tyre. Just more all round than the 2.5, bigger knobs, more grip, more cush. Fantastic on straightline rocky stuff. I run a 2.8 Rekon out back, which is generally good, but I recently chucked a Rimpact insert in it because it's relatively easy to flat on fast, rocky downhills.
I've used the same combo for a (very rare) day at Llandegla and they were fine there too, though if you're someone who really rails corners, I guess a 2.6 may give more sidewall support.
What rims are you running? There's no point running a big tyre unless you have a wide rim.
I'm currently running stans flow 29er with schwalbe nn 2.6s but they measure 2.52.
The rims takes upto a 2.8 tyre but I think I'd want a wider rim if I increased tyre width.
True that. I had 2.8s in 29mm internal rims originally (Flow mk3) and they were 'OK' but came up very round. Switched to 35mm internal (i35) and the shape and support is much better.
I have a 2.8 DHF on the front with DT Swiss XM551 40mm inner width rims.
I went up from 35mm rims because you can feel the 2.8 tire roll when you push hard into corners. The 40mm rims stopped this happening for and made things more stable.
I have 2.6s on 35mm rims and they feel great.
Some great replies, thanks.
I am running Hunt Trail Wide (30mm internal), they came with the rubber and were like new, at the price I got them for I couldn't not go for it even though I knew I wanted to try a 2.8 out front at some point. Hunt say up to 2.8 will work, I know that a 2.8 may roll around but thought I would give it a go.
I figure if stick with Maxxis then they are not truly a 2.8 anyway so more likely to 'work'..
How much you notice the roll will depend on how hard you push them.
You could get more support with a stiffer carcus - 60 TPI rather than the suppler 120TPI.
Sorry for the spamming, but I also have a nice, light spare front wheel with a 40mm rim - just in case that's of interest.
I have the 2.8 Minion DHF EXO and it is not a monster.
It is quite light, and on the front, doesn't slow you don. I did a big ride across town with friends, includinglots of pavement and twotrack, and I rolled as fast as the others who were running 2.2-2.5" 29er tires.
I only run it on the front.
For the OP, I would not put that tire on the front on a i30 rim. It is quite a light and supple casing. To stop it rolling, you would need so much pressure, that combined with the very round shape on a skinny rim like that, it wouldn't offer much traction, and horrible bounce.
Go 2.6. If you want a monster, get a WTB High Grip tire.
I have a Magic Mary 2.8 on an Hunt Enduro Wide rim at 33mm internal width - and that is fine. I also have a Magic Mary 2.6 on a Roval 30mm internal width rim.
Both get enough support from the rim.
@chakaping I'm after a cheap 29er plus front wheel and tyre. I can't pm you (it's not working)
Hi, we were talking 27.5in here, so while I do still have the front wheel, it probably won't be of interest.
My 50lb e-bike came with 2.8's and the general concensus was that they were too big and didn't grip well enough. Changing to 2.6 was the sweet spot even on a hefty lump like that
“My 50lb e-bike came with 2.8’s and the general concensus was that they were too big and didn’t grip well enough. Changing to 2.6 was the sweet spot even on a hefty lump like that”
One of my friends has gone two ways with his ebikes. He went down from the 27.5 x 2.8 to a 27.5 x 2.6 in a heavier casing and he also went up to a 29 x 3.0 with a heavy casing and a dual crown fork, both on wider rims (35 and 40mm IIRC). He found the original tyres were too light to handle hard riding but wider rims and heavier casings worked well, even going bigger.