Cyclocross - 29er tyres for tricross?

Hi there, Ive had my tricross for a few weeks now and was wanting to put some more trail oriented tyres on it to replace the standard borough cx's. I was keen on some kenda small block 8s, but their biggest available size is 35... and i was looking for something fatter (6'2" 100kg! on a 58cm frame). Im wanting to ride some fairly choppy firetrails/xc etc with mates who have xc bikes... Does anyone have any experience with 29er tyres on their tricross. Kenda sb8s come in 2.1s, as do some maxxis, but they may be too big to fit (52mm ish?) and bontrager come in 1.8 which would prob fit, but are very$. i have a second wheels for commuting/road tyres, so was looking for something without compromise for the dirt. Anyone have any experience or ideas? All input is appreciated.

Measure the side clearance to the frame, fork and chain in bottom gear. I dont think there will be clearance for anything bigger than 44 mm.

35mm Small Blocks work pretty good for me. WTB used to make a 44mm Cross tire that was pretty good but it is discontinued. They have a 38mm hybrid tire, but it doesn't work off road, I threw it away pretty quickly.

I've used Maxxis Locust 35mm tyres on some very gnarly offroad. They performed well gripwise, but I can see the benefit of thicker tyres just for more shock absorption. Would be interested to hear from anyone who's put anything really fat on.

AndrewP seems onto it. There doesnt seem to be room for much more than 44s, and sheldons website suggests that this is the biggest size tyre that should be fitted to a 19mm rim anyhoo. The bontrager 1.8 have a fitted width of 47mm or so, so they might fit, but are probably not sensible. I rode singletrack for a few hours yesterday on the 32mm semislicks and it was a bit hairy... im looking forward to a bit more cush and some lower pressure. I can get either the maxxis 35s or the kenda sb8s 35s(my pref) fairly easily, but would love something fatter. Any suggestions for tyres in the 44mm Range would be much appreciated, as they seem to be a bit hard to come by. Thanks for the input!

My favorite tires for CX singletracking...

...the IRC Mythos CX Slick (http://www.irctire.com/tires/mythos_cx_slick.html) (the best mixed pave/gravel/singletrack tire I've tried)
...the Panaracer FireCross 45 (http://www.biketiresdirect.com/ppcfcx/panaracer_fire_cross_tire/pp.htm) (not awesome on pavement, makes a great loose-over-hardpack combo in the front with an IRC in the rear, the knobs are actually around 49mm, and may not clear many cross framesets)
...the now discontinued WTB MutanoRaptor 44s (http://greenfishsports.com/product/363_364_387-tires-and-tubes/4065-wtb-bike-tire-wtb-mutano-raptor-race-29-x-185-29er-tire.html) There is usually a pair on ebay.

I have not tried the 1.8 Bonty's mentioned, but would like to.

I've used Maxxis Locust 35mm tyres on some very gnarly offroad. They performed well gripwise, but I can see the benefit of thicker tyres just for more shock absorption. Would be interested to hear from anyone who's put anything really fat on.

I've got Locusts on my Kona Jake. At the recommended minimum 50 PSI, riding across rough terrain feels like trying to ride across the Big Balls on Wipeout (http://abc.go.com/primetime/wipeout/index?pn=index). Riding across a local field under power wires last week I was getting bounced 4 inches out of the saddle.

Fortunately, you can run them at lower pressure. I went with 40 PSI last year and didn't have any pinch flats. This year, I'll probably try lower. YMMV.

At the recommended minimum 50 PSI, riding across rough terrain feels like trying to ride across the Big Balls on Wipeout. Riding across a local field under power wires last week I was getting bounced 4 inches out of the saddle.

Heh. I can't say I had that, but I've also been progressively running at lower and lower pressures each time I put them on.

I'm a skinny runt (152 lbs), but I'm able to run most 32/35 clinchers down around 35 psi for most off road stuff, and 28 psi for smoother courses that don't have rim dinging features in them.

In addition to the list I posted above, the OP should think about the Speedmax in 40mm, and the Hutchinson tubeless series. The Hutchinson's are listed as 34mm, but measure 37mm on my Open Pro rims. Beyond that, the casing shape is such that they are very tall, providing extra air between your rims and the rocks. If you run them tubeless, you'll gain even more cush, but the beefy sidewall helps if you run them tubed as well. The only downside I've found is that they wear really fast.

Mmmmmm, definately was touching rim at 40-45 psi the other day on the 32s... The WTB Mutano Raptors in a 44 look like just what ive got in mind, bummer that they r discontinued, and none on ebay at this time. One of my LBS can get the Bonty 1.8s for $59aus each, which seems reasonable for a folding tyre, but i have to commit to buying them before they will get them in, so not really an option as they may not fit...I can get Maxxis wormdrive 42 for $39, so might be worth getting to try, but not quite what I had in mind. I definately dont want to go tubeless, but will look at the hutchinsons. I had some hutch scorpions on my giant XC and they were really crap AND wore faster than anything EVER, so ill be a bit reluctant. Does anyone have any experience with the Bontys? Here is a photo which inspired me. Looks fit for firetrail! http://www.velonews.com/files/images/cyclocross6.jpg