ColinL

hucknroll has the kenda slant six 29er on sale*. I picked up a 29x2.2 for the front, which I am positive will fit my Quick CX Ultra (now CX 1), and a 29x2.0 for the rear which I am praying to the cycling gods will fit.

I'm sick of making due with 35mm cyclocross tires on singletrack. if this doesn't work, I am going to find some stuff from a hobby I don't like as much as bicycling and sell it on ebay to buy a 29er!



*I realize this isn't the mtb forum, but if you do ride your hybrid on singletrack and you think a 29x2 will fit, go get these tires now... $26 each.

jbchybridrider 

I want to try something bigger than 35c also. Hope you report back with how they fit the rear because clearance could be close to my ride.
I would be a shame to have to sell the Cannondale as there a nice bike.

giantcfr1

I wish my bike could take bigger bags. The biggest I can use are 32mm. Bummer. (Cannondale recommends only 28mm on mine)

ColinL

I'll take some before and after pics. I've got a ton more room than that right now with a Kenda Kross Supreme 35mm, which is the source of my confidence in a 29x2.0.

load97

Let's see some pic's.

ColinL

Pics this weekend!

ColinL

Rub. More than just scuffing that might be able to resolve with filing or trimming the shoulder knobs.

No, this is plain rubbing.


Back to plan B. Guess I'll need the WTB Nano Raptor or Kenda Karma, both are narrower than what I just tried.

jbchybridrider 

I took my bike to a LBS and we looked at fitting tyres down to 1.95 but no go it seems I'm stuck on cyclocross tyres with 29er wheels.

My only other option is 26er wheels just for serious offroading, seeing as its actually a 26er mtb frame thats the go for me.

I think you'll have better luck than me Colin.

ColinL

Ordering a new rear tire today. Because I got such a good deal on the Kenda Slant 6, I don't want to send them back.

Instead I will use the 29x2.0 Slant 6 up front with a 29x2.0 Bontrager 29-3 in the back. There's at least one other hybrid forum member using that tire in the rear and I found several test reports that said it actually measures 1.8" across when mounted on a 29er rim. (My rim is 2-3mm narrower.)

I could use the 29x2.2 Slant 6 on the front, as I originally intended, but I think that might too much volume & width difference for best handling. So, I'll just keep the 2.2" on the shelf for now.

If I didn't have a good front tire already I'd buy the front-specific Bontrager 29-3. It looks like a good tire and got good reviews.

ColinL

Success! I will post pics tonight or tomorrow.

Rear: Bontrager model 29-3, 29x2.0"
Fits quite well and has 3 to 6mm clearance from any part of the frame. Measured width on my original equipment Maddux DC 3.0 disc hybrid wheel (622x21mm) is 1.80" across the carcass. The outer shoulder knobs are inboard of the carcass, that is, they don't stick out at all.

Front: Kenda Slant 6, 29x2.0"
At first mounting, it rubbed in the fork crown. I looked and saw that it was hitting the cap for a schrader valve used to add air to the fork. (Cannondale/Magura Super Fatty DLR 80mm headshok fork.) I removed the front wheel and took off the cap. Bingo! Clears by .3mm or so. Yep, this is super close. Yep, I know I could have a rock other debris hit that valve and damage it or release air-- this isn't an ideal solution.

Measured width: 1.91" at the carcass, 2.12" at the shoulder knob. Looking at them, you would not think these two tires would be the same rated size.


Test ride around the neighborhood at 40psi F&R:
I weigh 175 pounds. This new combination rolls well and corners markedly better than the previous 35mm cross tire; a lot less tread squirm is evident even at 40psi. I think I might try them at 45/50 F/R psi for max on-road performance.

The bike is unquestionably heavier. I haven't put it on the scale yet to see exactly how much but I will bet it is 1.5 to 2.0 pounds. I hope to get out onto singletrack this weekend... obviously that is the whole point of this project!

SlimRider

Hey there ColinL!

If I were you, I'd exchange that tire for a smaller one that would give me a lot more than 0.3mm of clearance. That to me, sounds unsafe!

- Slim

ColinL

It actually might be as much as a millimeter of clearance. But anyway, the wheel is bottomed out in the fork.. I don't see how it could be a problem in terms of the tire hitting the fork. It isn't possible for it to move up.

ColinL

Here's the pics! Sorry, I couldn't be bothered to wash the bike. Good thing it's silver-- I would conservatively estimate it at 75 miles of singletrack since it was properly cleaned.








And I realize they aren't the best pics. You can see the fork's air valve clearance, or lack thereof rather. The rear blurry shot is the chainstay side clearance which is the narrowest spot on my bike. The seatstay has tons of room.

PS: mystery device on seatpost is a collar that attaches to my son's Trail-A-Bike. Even though it's at least a half pound of dead weight, I rarely bother to remove it.

giantcfr1

That's freekin' hot!!!!

jbchybridrider 

Yep thats pretty tight but I dont see any tyre rubbing issues, glad it worked out for you and it looks great.

Violet

I'm curious as to what the single track you guys ride over looks like. I find 35c tyres a nice compromise between road riding and off roading... since i can't afford two sets of wheels, let alone two bikes lol.

ColinL

Glad you asked!

15 min from my house by car:
https://vimeo.com/18488340

60-70 min by car:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OFS0oGtAS8

There is another good set of trails about 45 min from my house which is more of cross country riding. The path through wooded sections is at least 3-4 feet wide at all times, and the terrain ranges from sand over hardpack to very loose, sandy soil. 35mm tires are terrible in sandy conditions.

And if I go about 70-90 minutes east, there are a lot of rocky trails. Rocks are punishing on low volume tires, too.


When I first bought my hybrid I did need to balance road and off-road performance. Turns out that is not easy. I still ride my hybrid on the road but I do so with friends and family on easy rides, typically 10 mph is all. On such a ride a knobby 29er tire will not be a hinderance to me.

Here's what I ride on the road.

Violet

I ride on similar stuff to the second video, and I don't mind 35mms for that... but you are absolutely right about sand. I ride near a river and I can make no progress through the sandy stuff at all.

ColinL

35mm tires are capable of a lot, especially in the hands of riders better than me. But I was interested to see what was possible.

Violet

My wrists do get a bit of a beating, but I've found I can handle that better since I started strength training again. I'd probably be faster on thicker wheels but off roading on over-inflated, thinner wheels is sort of fun in a weird way.

Still I'm only out there for 20 mins at a time. Maybe in the future if I have a bit more money I'll look into some 42cms... that'd be about 1.5" in mtb terminology I think... and get another wheelset with 28s for the road.