Originally Posted by
BCRider
Stapfam, I seem to remember that too but it was in relation to sand as I recall. The wider tire floated over it easier and the rear didn't matter if it dragged its way through as long as it stayed behind the front end.
Around here the Shore guys use 26 fronts with around 2.35 to 2.5 inch and on the rear they like to go with 24's mouting 3.0 to 3.5 if they can shoehorn them into the rear frame area without rubbing. But they do it more for the impact absorbing on the bumps and only partly to lay back the steering angle for a little more stability when shooting down A line at Whistler (think of this as like falling off a mountain but riding a bike while doing so....
)
Funnily enough I thought of sand as one of the possibilities of running a wide tyre on the front- but we don't have much of that over here. And sand would be a reason to run a wide tyre.
Staying on MTB's- I have always found it beneficial to use a tyre as narrow as possible. Less drag on the hardpack we have in summer and provided the tyre has enough knobbles on it- it will get enough grip in the gloop that gets on the trails in winter. This is dependant on ride comfort aswell- but there is a compromise between rider weight- comfort and width of tyre.
I am a lightweight at 150lbs so can run a narrower tyre than taller- well proportioned riders.
I have carried over my MTB experience onto the road and use 23's as my only width of tyre. Roll well enough- have durability and do not cause me discomfort. However on a stiffer frame- I can see the reason for a wider tyre- even though I would not have to use one. But I also feel that if you feel the need to run a wider tyre on the rear of a bike-then you might aswell run the same size on the front. Main reason would be Rider weight being distributed evenly on the bike- but it also means that I only carry one spare tyre in my stock for the 3 road bikes I ride.