# Fattest tires you can put on a 26er?



## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

Was thinking about picking up a fat bike, but I don't really want to spend the money, especially with Spring just 74 days away. Just wanted to know how wide a tire I could put on my bike. Right now my tires are CST Chicopee size 26X2.1. I have about 3/8 inch clearance on each side for the front tire, and 1/4 inch on each side for the rear. Also, is a wider rim required for wider tires? I'd prefer not to invest in wider rims.

I wouldn't be doing much trail riding in the Winter, mainly street and gravel rides...figured a wider tire might give my bike a little more stability for icy and dirty streets.


----------



## rangeriderdave (Aug 29, 2008)

You might be able to go to a 2.3 ,the only way to know for sure is to try. Go to a shop ,they might let you test fit some tires.


----------



## ou2mame (Apr 23, 2010)

If you're looking for ice traction, you'll want studded tires not wider tires. Fat bikes are good for floating on slush and powder, not ice really.


----------



## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

It varies based on your frame and fork, and specific tire .... two tires with the same published width like 2.3 can vary slightly in their actual width.

I'd post this to the forum here for your bike brand, and see what others are running. Be sure to specify what fork you have as well.

On the wider rim question, it depends: its a function of both the tire size, style of riding, whether or not you're running tubeless, and your pressure - as folks are striving for lower pressures for better traction, and more aggressive riding, wider rims help keep the bead on. But, you may not encounter that issue if you're running tubes at higher pressures and/or more moderate riding.

See here for a dump on that: Tech Tuesday ? Wider Rims Are Better and Why Tubeless Tires Burp Air - Pinkbike


----------



## Clicker1 (May 29, 2012)

What surface are you riding on? Do you really need bigger tires?


----------



## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

Hey guys thanks for the replies. I decided to go with 2.3" tires, partly because I doubt my rims can accommodate a 2.5" or 2.7" tires. Right now I'm riding 2.1" CST Chicopee tires, which work great overall, but I'd just feel a little safer with the 2.3" tires due to more of the surface of the tire touching the road. On the note, I don't have the illusion that the new tires I picked up will do very well in deep snow, as I previously had a pair of 2.3" tires on a different bike. But, that won't matter so much because I will mainly do street riding...its just nice to be able to go over a little bit of snow if I need to, and have extra traction for patches of loose dirt and gravel roads. By the way, if you are looking for an inexpensive 2.3" tire, I picked up a set of Duro Muckmeister tires for $10 each, and they look wicked cool! :thumbsup:

Duro Muckmeister Tire > Components > Tires and Tubes > Tires | Jenson USA


----------



## Wiscobiker14 (Jan 5, 2015)

The muckmisters are great in the mud and really throw alot of it off and get rid of it but not sure of snow. I fit 2.35 on my front tire and 2.2 on the back most ive been able to squeeze. If u ever buy a 2.3 again look at the kenda excavators. I run that on the front most of the spring and fall for mud riding. Good tire tough sidewall.


----------



## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

getagrip said:


> I doubt my rims can accommodate a 2.5" or 2.7" tires.


If you have "1/4 inch on each side for the rear" with the original tyres, your frame cannot accommodate 1/2 inch more width. Your fork with more clearance might. Even a 1/4 inch increase will be very tight for the rear.

I have a couple of 26er bikes that could handle 2.7" tyres. There's more to it than nominal wheel size.


----------



## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

It's all dependent on the frame and fork. I used to fit 3" tires on 33mm rims on certain regular 26" mtbs long before 'fadbikes' came around. Speaking of, for riding on roads, even if they've got a little ice and sand on them here and there, huge balloon tires serve no purpose except adding rolling resistance and making you look like a trendy hipster-type. Those Muckmeisters are also not going to be all that great - they're going to roll slow, wear fast, and buzz like crazy while riding really squirrelly on hard surfaces. I would dig around the Commuting sub-forum for specific ideas for good tires for the riding it sounds like you'll be doing. As previously mentioned, you'd be a lot better off with studded tires than big tires.


----------



## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

getagrip said:


> ... I'd just feel a little safer with the 2.3" tires due to more of the surface of the tire touching the *road*. ... that won't matter so much because I will mainly do *street riding*...its just nice to be able to go over a little bit of snow if I need to, and have extra traction for *patches of loose dirt and gravel roads*.


if the roughest thing you are riding is gravel and dirt roads, you are just wasting energy with anything wider than a 1.9" tire. tires in the 2.1+ width are "needed" for loose rocks, mud, steep inclines with drops and loose gravel. using 2.3s on your terrain is like running a dirt trail in combat boots. sure, you can do it, but you can achieve the same thing with a lot less wasted effort in some light trail runners.

Bicycle Tires and Tubes - worth a read.

basically, tread does NOTHING on smooth serfaces but slow you down. you would benefit from a tire with some girth and a little tread (check out some tires with a file tread like Kenda Happy Medium) for those uneven, loose gravel areas, but otherwise you are just wasting your time and energy.


----------



## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

slapheadmofo said:


> Those Muckmeisters are also not going to be all that great - they're going to roll slow, wear fast, and buzz like crazy while riding really squirrelly on hard surfaces.


When you have an inch or two of new snow on pavement, 2.3" tires actually do quite well, are a blast to ride on, and give the bike a very stable feeling. In fact, one of my favorite things to do is go out for a bike ride when the snow is fresh or still falling, and snow is also fun to ride in after it starts to melt a bit. Sure, 2.3" tires are going to be slower and a little more sluggish on the road, but they also make for a unique riding experience, especially when its snowing or when it gets a little muddy. Here is a picture of my old bike with 2.3" WTB Stout tires...and a lot of mud on it. That ride was a blast!


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Did anyone look at the tires the op bought??? Wtf is with those things. Sorry but wouldn't ride those if I was paid any amount of money. Weigh as much as a fat tire, and would be total misery to ride anything besides mud.

Op ur way over thinking this when u ride pavement and pathes. I see ppl ride gravel roads on road bikes all the time. 1.9-2.0 with some mild tread, if ur riding snow then wider makes more sense and a bit more tread (but I wouldn't pay $1.00 for those things you linked) but beyond the snow wide knobby tires are a waste. Snow needs tread with wide knobs not a bunch of pointy ones. 

Sorry but chances r those tires you bought are going to make u hate trying to ride anywhere and not be stable at all on smooth surface.
Sent from my Nokia Stupid Phone using Tapatalk


----------



## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

getagrip said:


> When you have an inch or two of new snow on pavement, 2.3" tires actually do quite well, are a blast to ride on, and give the bike a very stable feeling. In fact, one of my favorite things to do is go out for a bike ride when the snow is fresh or still falling, and snow is also fun to ride in after it starts to melt a bit. Sure, 2.3" tires are going to be slower and a little more sluggish on the road, but they also make for a unique riding experience, especially when its snowing or when it gets a little muddy. Here is a picture of my old bike with 2.3" WTB Stout tires...and a lot of mud on it. That ride was a blast!
> 
> View attachment 954839


I"m a fan of 2.3 and up tires myself in general and no stranger to riding in the snow so I appreciate that bigger volume is nice in a lot of situations, but mud tires with tall skinny knobs definitely aren't what I would want for riding mainly the road, a little snow or not.


----------



## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

Holy crap, those are ridiculous!










they also weigh more than twice what my 29x2.4 tires weigh. those are _boat anchor_ tires. those are going to make riding on pavement and hard-packed dirt about as efficient as riding with a cinder block dragging behind you on a chain.


----------



## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

Today the Muckmeister tires came in. My first thought was, "holy crap, these tires are heavy!".

Truthfully, after reading some of the responses in this thread, initially, I was pretty convinced I wouldn't do much road riding on these tires, and instead would settle for some low speed riding off road, wherever I could ride without tearing up the trail.

However, after installing the tires on my bike and giving them a test ride in 21 degree weather, they really aren't that much different than my 2.1" CST Chicopee tires. The biggest difference seems to be in the height of the treads, and there is about a half inch difference in the width of the tread, going from outer edge to outer edge. The 2.3" WTB Stout tires I had on my old bike seemed wider...and slower. The Muckmeisters didn't effect speed as much as I expected.

They didn't seem that much different on patches of snow compared to other tires I'd ridden - maybe just a hair more traction, but we will see what happens in other rides. I purposely rode on some icy patches (like 10 feet long) to see what the traction would be like, and thankfully, I didn't crash! I will say it was a little nerve wracking though, so I can definitely see where having studded tires would make a difference.

The thing that makes me most happy about these tires, other than the fact that they look really "manly" (picture Arnold Schwarzenegger saying that), is that they gave me an excuse to get back on my bike. Hadn't ridden my bike since November 9th due to the crappy weather we have had here in Omaha, Nebraska, but being able to experience something that gives a slightly different riding experience gave me an excuse to get back in the saddle. With temperatures eclipsing the 40's this weekend, I'm really excited to ride again!

Anyway, here are some before and after photos of my bike. The "after" photos were taken at night in the house I live in, with substandard lighting, but they give an idea of what the Muckmeisters look like compared to a slightly skinnier tire.

Before, with CST Chicopee 2.1" tires:









After, with Duro Muckmeister 2.3" tires:







View attachment 955450


----------



## Wiscobiker14 (Jan 5, 2015)

Id put a cts back on the rear wheel. F that big thing.


----------

