Looking for some actual experience, if anyone has the Schwalbe Big Ben tires in the 2.15" width. Or, any actual experience with running wider 26" tires on relatively narrower rims.

Currently using an older set of the Matrix Swami rims, which used to have a 26x1.95" tire on them. Have installed a set of the Schwalbe Big Bens, in 26x2.15". Haven't measured the internal diameter of the rim with calipers, yet, but I strongly suspect a much wider rim would be the better choice for overall comfort and handling. Estimate of rims' internal width: 18-19mm or so.

For the long haul, I am considering something like a Velocity CliffHanger or similar, with an internal width of ~25-30mm. Have had a set of 26x1.95" tires on a Velocity Dyad @ I.D. of 18.6mm, and those were fine.

I'm aware of some of the recommendations, out there, on rim width to accommodate tires of a certain dimension. Such as the "Tire Sizing Chart" on the Sheldon Brown website.

Won't be used hard, or off-pavement; rather, mostly used on normal to somewhat-rougher urban streets.

My most recent wheel build was a cheap-and-cheerful Weinmann AS7X. I, too, wanted something relatively wide to give a big footprint for 26" tires, but didn't like the 600g weight penalty and cost of the Cliffhanger. The $20 AS7X (internal width of 24.8mm) turned out to be about 488g, and it has held up just fine despite its single-wall construction.

This Weinmann 522 (internal width of 22mm) is also single-wall, but the concave shape makes it very strong. I've ridden one for 10,000+ miles now: https://www.hoopriderparts.com/produ...hole%20-%20nos

But I think rims of 19mm (internal) or less have been pretty common throughout MTB history... most of Mavic's MTB offerings were 17mm, and that was reflected in the model names (517, 717, etc.) So if you're not running ultra-low pressures in dirt, it probably won't make a big difference.

FWIW and no recommendations here, I'm running 26 x 2.1 Vee 10s @ 20-25 PSI on a pair of Mavic DH19's. My studded 2.1 tires are Innova, run at the same low pressure and also fit the rims. No issues or problems since installation a few years back.

I should edit to add I beat these tires and rims to death off road.

2.15 isn't very wide, 19mm will be fine. Rene agrees too https://www.renehersecycles.com/myth...eed-wide-rims/

Though, 19mm internal rim width is what RH is suggesting is at the lowest end of recommended rim sizing for 55mm section tires (which the Schwalbe Big Ben 26x2.15's are). All of the other websites that suggest various sizing, including ones with fairly solid reputations, are pretty much the same suggestion: as tires get fairly wide, it helps to have somewhat wider rims ... and that ~18mm I.D. or so tends to be at the low end of the acceptable range according to such references (including the RH link above).

Was just wondering what people's individual experiences have been. I know that many run 26x2.1" to x2.4" tires and was looking for how people found the practical, real-world performance and handling of such, with their own rims.

It's nice to see that many others are running sub-20mm internal-width rims with tires that go wider than 2.1" or so.

Most of my experience with fairly wide section-widths is on motor vehicles, and it can matter quite a lot as to how wide the rim is as compared to the tire, in terms of essential handling quickness and sharpness. Not that I'm going to be flogging these tires hard, but still.

Thanks for the info so far. And the links.

There is no issue at all until you push the bike hard. Really hard. Since a Big Ben is made for cruising it is doubly theoretical. Big Ben is a wonderful tire for its purpose. Just enjoy.

I would not even think twice about running a 2.15” tire on a 18mm ID.

i mean, if I was already planning to get a new rim anyway, I’d bump it up some, but the differences are really splitting hairs. No way I would invest the money for your purposes.

People used to mountain bike with much larger tires than that on 18mm rims.