# Lighter tires for Ibis Ripmo's second wheelset



## hankj (Sep 17, 2016)

Posted here because I've read similar threads elsewhere that drift away from weight. I think the OCD in this room might keep things focused 

I newly own an Ibis Ripmo, which I really love. I'd like it to be reasonably light, but an not obsessively concerned. For instance I got the heavier blue paint option. That way strangers can tell it's a Ripmo from a distance and feel superior to the yuppie kook walking the gnarly bit. 5 ounces to me is worth spreading that sort of joy.

I am though in the process of building up a second wheelset - Lightbicycle 33mm inner carbon 29er, ~1680 grams. So ~200 grams lighter than the stock Alloy S35 wheelset.

The stock tires are Assegai 2.5's in the EXO+ casing, and they are freakin' awesome angry traction pigs. 1125g claimed weight per tire. I'm happy enough to pedal them uphill when I'm trying to survive ugly unsanctioned slimy rooty steeps with guys who are much better than me at riding them.

But also I want a lighter set of wheels for riding on blue trails. The carbon wheels are a start, but I feel like I could REALLY save a lot of weight by mounting tires in the 750-850 gram range. I mean if I can deal with tires averaging about 800 grams each, my "trail" wheelset would be 850 grams lighter than my "enduro" wheelset. 2lbs less, and off the wheels. I could go for that.

I want the lighter tires to be knobbier than Maxxis Icons. I like Rekons and have rode them extensively, but maybe prefer a front tire with a little more aggressive edge dig. Fast rolling in the rear is important. And would definitely like a rear tire that can to some extent protect the rear rim from getting smashed.

*At the moment I'm most strongly considering Nobby Nik 2.35 (~800g) rear and Forekaster 2.35 (735g) front. * I will be riding a lot of well build trails on these tires, in PNW conditions. I do have some concern that the sideknobs on the forekaster will fold too easily on berms etc. I weigh 205lbs, XL bike. And these tires will see some terrain, not just scooting around the smooth stuff.

What do you say about this combo? Can you offer better alternatives? I wouldn't mind another 50-100g more for a little burlier, chunkier, more protective. Up to 2.6 fits my frame.

Thanks!


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## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

Unsure how up to date this is, but there's a database of 29er tire weights that may give you some ideas:
https://forums.mtbr.com/29er-bikes/29er-tire-weight-database-577466.html

I was looking myself at the Schwalbe Fat Albert, which has unique front and rear tire versions. They rate them slightly better traction than their Nobby Nics, and they're 2.35, claimed 780g. Haven't tried them myself though.


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## jimPacNW (Feb 26, 2013)

Last season, also PNW, I had a Ardent skinwall 29x2.4 front, it was quite a bit under 800g, closer to 700g iirc, the non-tubeless-ready skinwall Ardent worked perfect on older stans rims tubeless. Joey at Indigenous Wheel recommended that to me, he ran that tire front and rear tubeless last season, also zero issues (my new xc rims from him are 295 and 300g). Also to consider, my 29x.2.35 Ardent race EXO TR is 785g, I raced that in some mud and it was pretty decent, - I'm going with forekasters for the upcoming early series on that bike which are in the low 600s in 29x2.2.


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## Cerberus75 (Oct 20, 2015)

If trails are dry. I'd do the Dissecor front Forkaster rear.


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## hankj (Sep 17, 2016)

Thanks gents (and or ladies), all of this is very helpful.

Pursuing the first response's tip, I found the following database, which lists thousands of MTB parts that can be sorted by weight. The website is a little kludgy, but really helpful to be able to scroll a list of all 29er all mountain tires in my desired weight range, provisionally rated in a bunch of different categories.

Security certificate not up to date, but doesn't seem likely that whomever went to all this trouble did so as an elaborate ruse.

https://www.dirtshed.com/gear/browse


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## slcpunk (Feb 4, 2004)

I am trying Maxxis DHRIIs 2.3 front, 2.4 rear. Those are in your weight range and have plenty of knob. Still looking for the holy grail of tough, light and grippy. Oh ... probably one of those "pick 2" situations  Right now I'm a bit nervous about the front ... used to seeing my Assegai or DHF 2.5 up there, but I think the DHR2 actually grips pretty well even though it doesn't look as big.


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## JoePAz (May 7, 2012)

I have a Ripmo and run the factory optional set up. 2.6 Hans Dampf Front and 2.6 Nobby Nic rear. That works well for my terrain and use. When they wear down I will probably go with XR4 2.6 however. My XC bike use Ikon or XR2 and I really have no desire to got that light on the Ripmo. What I gain in pedaling I risk by throwing the bike around on the rocks since the suspension works so well. You could try a Forekaster front and Rekon rear. I used that setup on a 5010 with 2.6 on 35mm wheels. It was my burly bike at the time and they survived some good chunk. This set up was much less draggy than 2.4 High Roller F/2.35 Hans Dampf R that was on the bike before. The wider tire make up for less knobs when it came to grip.


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## Davide (Jan 29, 2004)

I am using a Rocket Ron 2.6 on the back of my Ibis HD3 and it works great. Front is Nobby Nic 2.6. The RR has an amazing amount of traction, and it feels faster than a NN 2.35 I used in the back. It is relatively light. On my scale the RR 2.6 is 725 vs the 740 of the NN 2.35, and the 920 of the NN 2.6. 

I do use a 2.35 NN/2.25 RR combo together with an ultra-light wheel set if I want a boost uphill. The smaller RR 2.25 works nicely, but you do feel the narrowness if you are on rocky terrain/roots, like probably any other 2.25 would ... it works but the 2.6 RR is more nicely footed, and the bike more balanced with 2.6/2.6.


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## PuddleDuck (Feb 14, 2004)

Hi Hank,

Here's some ideas for you

Michelin Wild AM 2.35 ~800g

https://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/michelin-wild-am-29x2-35-official-thread-1055807.html
https://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/michelin-wild-am-27-5-x-2-35-a-1054615.html

Maxxis Dissector 2.4 ~880g (have a look at the PinkBike review that has just been posted)

https://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/maxxis-dissector-1111173.html
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-maxxis-dissector-tire-not-just-for-dry-conditions.html


Vittoria Agarro ~980g

https://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/vittoria-agarro-1116239.html

Bontrager XR4 ~800g
Bontrager SE4 (if you want a stiffer casing)

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-bontrager-se4-tire.html

HINT: if you want to search MTBR for e.g. the SE4, use this search string in google
_site:forums.mtbr.com SE4_


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## hankj (Sep 17, 2016)

Thanks PuddleDuck!


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

They don't make a Rocket Ron in a 29x2.6....if they did, I'd run them. My son ran 2.35 NoNi's on his Ripmo, locally and was blisteringly fast on them. They're light - I just weighed one with dried sealant in it at 780 grams.

But, I'm 155 pounds and there are climbs that take over an hour where I'm just as fast on a 29x2.6 DHF front and 29x2.5 Aggressor rear, and that adds well over a pound to the weight of my NoNi's. I'm more impacted by hydration, diet, etc. At over 200 pounds, the added weight probably means even less.
I tried 2.6 Rekons front and back and hated their almost complete lack of steering traction and climbing traction. People seem to like the 2.4's, though.
Almost anything will roll better than a pair of Assegai's though!


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## Oldmantrails (Oct 16, 2019)

Bontrager XR4s are my go to tires. Gonna try the SE4 in the front and XR4 in the rear on my next set for my new Stumpjumper.


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## slcpunk (Feb 4, 2004)

I had bad luck with the XR4. One ride, nice slash in the tread. Couldn't trust it again, even if it was bad luck. Moved it to my wife's bike, it has been fine there. Thought hard about trying the SE4s as Trek had them on sale after T-giving.

Thought this was interesting, could my 2.3 DHRII really be slower than the 2.5 Assegai?!?






food for thought.


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## Oldmantrails (Oct 16, 2019)

slcpunk said:


> I had bad luck with the XR4. One ride, nice slash in the tread. Couldn't trust it again, even if it was bad luck. Moved it to my wife's bike, it has been fine there. Thought hard about trying the SE4s as Trek had them on sale after T-giving.
> 
> Thought this was interesting, could my 2.3 DHRII really be slower than the 2.5 Assegai?!?
> 
> ...


Never had an issue with them after many yrs of using them and I've hit plenty of rocky trails on them. Of course extreme chunk could prove fatal to any tire with a lighter casing. If that is what you ride you need more protection. If it is not , I think it was exactly just a case of bad luck.Cheers!


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## Chuch (Jan 10, 2013)

I'm running the Dissector Front (861g) and the Rekon 2.4 rear (about 825) and I am super happy with this combo.


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## slcpunk (Feb 4, 2004)

waiting for dissectors to become more widely available -- oh -- and for the price to come down. WTF. More than the Bontragers now. Still, definitely on the list. But seriously ... $80+ for a tire. No F-N way. I'm still having a hard time getting used to $50 a tire.


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## BmanInTheD (Sep 19, 2014)

Chuch said:


> I'm running the Dissector Front (861g) and the Rekon 2.4 rear (about 825) and I am super happy with this combo.


Did you weigh your Dissectors? I bought several 29 x 2.4's and they were all over 900 grams, 910-920 for all of them IIRC. Thought about sending some back but what the hay, it's only 50-60 grams.


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## Chuch (Jan 10, 2013)

861 and 880 respectively. I still have one in the packaging hanging up that may be a tad heavier. You definitely got into a thick batch man.


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## goodmojo (Sep 12, 2011)

my ripmo is 28 pounds with 2.5 DHF and a 2.3 DHR in the back

on my other bikes I run Nobby nic 2.35 in front and 2.3 ikon in the back. I run 20 psi at 165 pounds, The ikon skips around a lot but you get used to it. 

In the beginning i had trouble clearing rocky ledges, but over time you get better and will adjust to the tires.


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## Ashevillebob (Feb 23, 2017)

goodmojo said:


> my ripmo is 28 pounds with 2.5 DHF and a 2.3 DHR in the back
> 
> on my other bikes I run Nobby nic 2.35 in front and 2.3 ikon in the back. I run 20 psi at 165 pounds, The ikon skips around a lot but you get used to it.
> 
> In the beginning i had trouble clearing rocky ledges, but over time you get better and will adjust to the tires.


GoodMojo, 

What wheelset are you running to get down to 28 pounds? I'm looking to lighten the load on my Rimpo too.


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## darrylruddock (Oct 17, 2019)

Ashevillebob said:


> GoodMojo,
> 
> What wheelset are you running to get down to 28 pounds? I'm looking to lighten the load on my Rimpo too.


Did you realize this thread is from 2020!?


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## Ashevillebob (Feb 23, 2017)

darrylruddock said:


> Did you realize this thread is from 2020!?


Yes? Are you thinking everyone in this old thread has moved on to other bikes by now?


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