by Scott
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Having had emails about the largest tire size that will fit in the 29'r models of the Piolet, time came that we did the research into large tires on the extra small and small sizes. Since I have a small, I brought it in to be the test mule for this investigation.
For my off road riding, I have been using the Maxxis Ardent 26 x 2.4 tires. For the riding I do, mostly single track with a decent amount of roots and rocks but no huge drops or such, they work great. I keep the pressure low, so a ton of traction is the result. Mounted on a 26" Escapade rim (28 mm outside width) they measure out at 2.3" (58 mm) when inflated to 25 PSI at 82 ft above sea level.
Finding a tire that falls between 2.4" and 3" isn't easy, but we managed to snag a Surly Dirt Wizard for the experiment. We knew the 3" would not fit, but the 2.75 held out hope. It is labeled as a 26 x 2.75 " tire; when mounted to the Escapade rim, it came out to 2.63" (67 mm) when inflated to 25 PSI at 82 ft above sea level. So it's not a lot bigger than the Maxxis tire but enough so to be significant.
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Looking at the frame, we figured it would fit. Installing it on the front of the bike, I found there was lots of room at the sides of the fork and around the fork crown. Success!! I took it out for a quick spin around the parking lot and it felt fine. Now on to the rear.
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Looking at the rear, Igor and I figured that the frame would fit it, but my triple would not. And we were proved right. The wheel and tire fit fine, but I could not shift down into my inner ring, as the inside of the front derailleur touches the tire. So it won't work with my current set up; but if I went to a different set up, a 1x or a wide double, I could make it work.
I'm not ready yet to ditch the triple, so in the meantime, I'll go back to the Maxxis tires for my off road usage, but this remains an interesting tire to try should the need for a really wide tire come up.
For my off road riding, I have been using the Maxxis Ardent 26 x 2.4 tires. For the riding I do, mostly single track with a decent amount of roots and rocks but no huge drops or such, they work great. I keep the pressure low, so a ton of traction is the result. Mounted on a 26" Escapade rim (28 mm outside width) they measure out at 2.3" (58 mm) when inflated to 25 PSI at 82 ft above sea level.
Finding a tire that falls between 2.4" and 3" isn't easy, but we managed to snag a Surly Dirt Wizard for the experiment. We knew the 3" would not fit, but the 2.75 held out hope. It is labeled as a 26 x 2.75 " tire; when mounted to the Escapade rim, it came out to 2.63" (67 mm) when inflated to 25 PSI at 82 ft above sea level. So it's not a lot bigger than the Maxxis tire but enough so to be significant.
I'm not ready yet to ditch the triple, so in the meantime, I'll go back to the Maxxis tires for my off road usage, but this remains an interesting tire to try should the need for a really wide tire come up.
