29er Rear Tyre Clearance Issue - Noobie Post

photonic69
photonic69 Posts: 2,676
edited August 2013 in MTB buying advice
Hi All. I'm Nick. This is my first post so please be a little gentle with me.

Just back back into cycling after a long break cars/house/kids etc. Bought myself a Fuji Nevada 1.5 29er through cycle to work scheme. I use Conti Travel Contacts on my 3x a week commute and the supplied tyres for weekend and evening fun (or not so fun as I recently found out).

The supplied tyres are Vera Eos, 29″ × 2.1″, 30 tpi, which are fine for compacted gravel paths etc but pretty useless for everything else. I've been out with a mate on the Salisbury Plain having fun with lots of downhills and climbs and twisty wooded sections. It was the downhill that got me. Partly through inexperience but also rubbish tyres saw me having a big off. I was accelerating down a earthy/loamy path despite braking as hard as I could without the rear locking up. It was dark and rutted and I hit a rut with the front and took off over the bars, bruising a few ribs etc.

After a lot of research I got some Rubber Queens (29 x 2.2") as I liked the agressive tread pattern and the reviews (and partly cos of the name ;-) ) Couldn't get the Black Chilli version as at time of ordering there were none in stock, so got standard which will be better than standard tyres. Got them fitted this weekend. Widthwise they are fine between the chain stays, but the bigger volume (higher) means that they run very very close to the seat post and front derailleur mount. On a family ride on cycle path this weekend they were fine as not too muddy but I'm worried about wetter/muddier weeks. I know 29ers tend to suffer from this issue (mine did with originals fitted) but I'm now talking of about 5-7mm clearance!

Any advice on different, lower volume but still massively grippy rear tyres? Any advice would be most welcome. Sorry for long rambling post too.


Sometimes. Maybe. Possibly.

Comments

  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    RQ's come up pretty big, stick to a 2.1 in almost anything else and you'll be fine, a 29er has a longer contact patch anyway so doesn't need as much width to create the grip, so a 2.2 is a bit overkill, besides the non BC are pretty poor anyway.

    Nobby Nic pacestar or Panaracer Fire XC Pro are great all round tyres.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • thelonegroover
    thelonegroover Posts: 1,073
    This is a problem some 29er bikes suffer. The small bend near the bottom in the seat tube usually combats this. You'll have to use a slightly smaller tyre. As advised by TB. By the way, from what I've read, it's only the black chili Continental tyres that are any good, (grip wise). Having said that, there isn't a tyre made that will have good wet/mud grip and be fast rolling on tarmac.
    Planet X Kaffenback 2
    Giant Trance X2
    Genesis High Latitude 2x10
    Planet X n2a
    Genesis Core 20
  • photonic69
    photonic69 Posts: 2,676
    The Beginner wrote:
    RQ's come up pretty big, stick to a 2.1 in almost anything else and you'll be fine, a 29er has a longer contact patch anyway so doesn't need as much width to create the grip, so a 2.2 is a bit overkill, besides the non BC are pretty poor anyway.

    Nobby Nic pacestar or Panaracer Fire XC Pro are great all round tyres.

    Thanks for the advice. Yes, the RQ's are balloon like in their massiveness!!

    Having a hard time finding anything you recommend in 29x2.1 or less. They mostly seem to be 2.4 / 2.5 which will be too wide. I've tried all the usuals such as Evans and CRC and Wiggle. Any pointers where I might find this elusive beast? Do't want to buy another tyre that wont fit!

    Thanks


    Sometimes. Maybe. Possibly.

  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Yes struggling the Racing Ralph can be found as a 29x2.1....
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • photonic69
    photonic69 Posts: 2,676
    The Beginner wrote:
    Yes struggling the Racing Ralph can be found as a 29x2.1....

    Pray tell please. I can only seem to find 2.25's in this country. Found a 1.30! Too skinny. Do ya recon a 2.25 would fit? Or too voluminous?


    Sometimes. Maybe. Possibly.

  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    The Ralph tends to come up smaller than other 2.25's....
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • photonic69
    photonic69 Posts: 2,676
    In the end I got a Maxxis Beaver 29x2.0 - it had very good reviews and so far seems to give good grip in the conditions I encounter. Only used it once so far and another outing later today will confirm. Great service from nextdaytyresdotcom who did exactly that even though I ordered at 3.30pm!!

    Good size and gives much better clearance. Also much easier to mount/unmount than the Queens, though kept one Queen on the front.

    Thanks for all help/advice on this.


    Sometimes. Maybe. Possibly.

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