They are selling 2.8 and 3 inch tires now. Anybody tried both? How are they for touring.

Pedaling paved or bikepacking dirt and singletrack? I'm planning on using my Karate Monkey this summer for some paved and dirt road touring. Using 29 x 2.3 Geax tattoo slicks.

Asked Google about an Australian fat bike tour out into the bush "canning stock road by bike" done Years ago..
I have these pictures of some fat bike touring rides and riders ..

https://doingthemiles.files.wordpres...e-fat-bike.jpg


https://www.google.com/search?q=cann...w=1808&bih=959

Love it. 2.4" in the back, 3.0" in the front. Doing a lot of extended rides on a mix of pavement/off-road conditions with lots of climbing.



I built this bike specifically for dirt touring, hence the simplified drivetrain (I'm young, SS isn't for everyone, gears are fine too) and the Jones bars. The geometry is dead-on for me because I am a tall dude at 6ft. I do not think my girlfriend would enjoy 29+ wheels because she's only 5'7". We are looking into 27.5+ for her.

There isn't a significant increase in rolling resistance with the Vee Trax Fatty. The tire profile is very round, so at 17-20 psi the center tread rolls very fast on pavement. I alternate my skinny-tired Soma Double Cross and this bike and don't feel slow and sluggish. The Maxxis Ardent in the back is also a quick one.

Certain tires, like the Surly Knard, are decent rolling. Others with huge knobs, like the Maxxis Chronicle, may be a lot more of a pain to push. I like where the Vee Trax Fatty sits, it is a very high-quality tire.

The 27.5+ and 29+ size tires and bikes are new. Maybe everyone has not seen them yet. They are smalles than a fat bike and bigger than a mountain bike. 3 inches wide or there abouts.

I have been wanting a new bike for a while now, and am glad I waited. The new 148 mm rear hub should make a stronger wheel. All that extra air should add some cushion, and traction.

I would like to hear from some people who have tried both 27.5+ and 29+. What about full suspension and + size?

What is the reason for larger in front? I've seen a bunch of rigid frame and hardtail bikes withal fatter rear tire.

Usually because the frame won't clear the big rear tire, whereas the front fork can be changed to allow a bigger front tire.

I have a 29+, love it. I didn't buy a 27.5+ because I think taller is better.

A friend with the same bike as mine has run 1.95" tires without a problem.

I would use a 29+ for dirt touring.

On my bike, first and foremost it's about clearance. Front tire measures as a 2.8, rear tire is just slightly wider than a 2.4 (wide rim).

Also, though, a slightly wider tire in the front is good because of traction. If your rear tire skids out, you'll probably be fine. If your front tire skids out, you're almost certainly going to crash.

I don't think anyone is using wider tires in the rear anymore.

That and also for a rigid frame on rough surfaces a bit more cushion can be nice. Back when I was racing mountain bike and dinosaurs roamed the earth, most racers that I knew used a slightly fatter tire on the front even where clearance wasn't an issue.

IMHO full suspension is great for down hill racing, but that's about it. The combination of the two should, in theory, provide the most cushioned ride possible.

Back in the rigid mountain bike days there was a handful of riders who preferred a wider and lower pressure tire on the front for better control. I didn't subscribe to the practice, and perhaps I should have, but a 2" tire worked well enough for me.

Brad

when carrying a load on the rear, i sometimes like a 1.95 rear
with a 1.75 front.

oh, crud. i'm doing that wrong, too?

Vee rubber makes the speedster in 29 x2.8. Very much a slick/ knurled rubber sort of tire.

Wider on the rear makes more sense on road and touring bikes IMO. For off road riding, a fatter tire in front seems to follow the same logic of installing suspension on the front of a rigid frame. I swapped my susp. fork for a rigid fork and now run a 2.5" tire fron 2.1" tire rear. I am not going to win any world cup XC races on it, but I can ride almost anywhere the FS bikes do.