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What Tire Are People Running on 35-40mm Rims?

wydopen

Turbo Monkey
Jan 16, 2005
1,229
60
805
I'm happy with my LB30s and 2.4 HR2s. I wouldn't want to go any wider on the rims which is the same thing I thought when I rode 729s.
Have you done back to back testing on the same bike with some 25mm rims?? I was in the same boat as you until I broke one and put the 25's back on..I had only ridden the wide rims on my new bike so I kinda didn't realize what I was missing....I did like the 2.4Hr2 but I dont like running a 2.4 in the rear..I feel like the narrower rims are so much more predictable when cornering hard..
 

Lelandjt

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2008
2,508
821
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
I've ridden it back to back and with the same tires (2.4" HR2) on WTB i23 rims. I know those are too small. I decided a while ago that 25.5-29mm (based on the rims I'd ridden) was the sweet spot. I liked my 729s with big tires and I liked my Flow EX and Spank Subrosa with biggish tires. I ride really well on the LB30s so I wouldn't call them too wide but definitely the limit. If they offered an identical rim but 26-28mm wide I'd take it. I haven't ridden anything bigger but don't think (for my style) there'd be a benefit.

I've always liked big tires front and rear. Even the slight difference between my 2.4" & 2.35" HR2s seems to make a difference in how they handle rock impacts and loose conditions.
 

wydopen

Turbo Monkey
Jan 16, 2005
1,229
60
805
I've ridden it back to back and with the same tires (2.4" HR2) on WTB i23 rims. I know those are too small. I decided a while ago that 25.5-29mm (based on the rims I'd ridden) was the sweet spot. I liked my 729s with big tires and I liked my Flow EX and Spank Subrosa with biggish tires. I ride really well on the LB30s so I wouldn't call them too wide but definitely the limit. If they offered an identical rim but 26-28mm wide I'd take it. I haven't ridden anything bigger but don't think (for my style) there'd be a benefit.

I've always liked big tires front and rear. Even the slight difference between my 2.4" & 2.35" HR2s seems to make a difference in how they handle rock impacts and loose conditions.
I suggested to light-bicycle they make a strong 27mm rim and explained some of the problems I felt there was with the 30's and most tires...they responded saying they talked to their "engineers" and they would let me know when they were going to be available..so hopefully they make them..I'd buy another set..
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,860
4,154
Copenhagen, Denmark
Have you done back to back testing on the same bike with some 25mm rims?? I was in the same boat as you until I broke one and put the 25's back on..I had only ridden the wide rims on my new bike so I kinda didn't realize what I was missing....I did like the 2.4Hr2 but I dont like running a 2.4 in the rear..I feel like the narrower rims are so much more predictable when cornering hard..
Good to know I am not the only crazy person riding a 2.2 rear tire and 2.4 front. I did have two punctures but I think running them tubeless this year will solve that. I think that will help me run a little lower pressure and get a little better traction uphill which is the only problem but running X-king they are just not super aggressive.
 

rav400

Monkey
Aug 31, 2009
177
6
The Right Coast
Have you done back to back testing on the same bike with some 25mm rims?? I was in the same boat as you until I broke one and put the 25's back on..I had only ridden the wide rims on my new bike so I kinda didn't realize what I was missing....I did like the 2.4Hr2 but I dont like running a 2.4 in the rear..I feel like the narrower rims are so much more predictable when cornering hard..
Are you running the LB (apparently now asia cycle express) i25 rims or alloys? I'm building a new trail (enduro) bike and want to try some affordable carbon rims. I was set on Derby's but I think they are too wide. I'm considering the ACE i25 or i30 rims. My last trail bike was rolling on 26" Easton Havens (i21). They did seem too narrow.
 

wydopen

Turbo Monkey
Jan 16, 2005
1,229
60
805
Are you running the LB (apparently now asia cycle express) i25 rims or alloys? I'm building a new trail (enduro) bike and want to try some affordable carbon rims. I was set on Derby's but I think they are too wide. I'm considering the ACE i25 or i30 rims. My last trail bike was rolling on 26" Easton Havens (i21). They did seem too narrow.
Back on aluminum rims..dont think the narrower LB would hold up for me...The i30's are also too wide IMO..
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
Running a Ardent Race 2.2 on the front right now. Crazy fast compared to HRII it replaced. I'm riding hardpack and loose on hardpack mainly(summer here too). Great grip on the hard, not that grippy on the loose, but has a lot of feel. Not pushing that hard on it yet though and riding mainly burmed corners, so not the best gauge of how little grip it has yet. I think I'll try a Nobby Nic next cause I have one. Then I'll try a Ardent 2.35, should be better than the pretty thin 2.2 Ardent R. My goal is a rounder profile from smaller side knobs and more knobs for the hardpack. Nobby and normal(wider but)Ardent will hopefully be good when it gets moister here.
 
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CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,860
4,154
Copenhagen, Denmark
That Nextie rim looks nice. I would say taller is better making for shorter spokes and it says two year warranty which is good too. However I know nothing about the quality never seen this name before?

Very tempting I think rims like that could save 100g per wheel for me vs my 1gen E13 Trs+ rims plus wider and better tubeless setup.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
I might be grabbing a set of 30mm rims from nextie. They don't charge paypal fees for their orders, otherwise most of their products appear to be identical to LB.
 

wood booger

Monkey
Jul 16, 2008
668
72
the land of cheap beer
See how the rim bed for the Nextie is flat, compared to concave for the LB?

Flat rim beds = hard to get tubeless to seat.
Concave rim bed (LB) = tubeless tires seat with a floor pump (at least mine did with both Specy and Schwalbe tires).

I have some 30 IW Light Bike rims in 650b and they are going strong and have taken a serious beating.
I like the wide, 25mm IW feels like an XC rim to me now.
 

frorider

Monkey
Jul 21, 2004
971
20
cali
to anyone using or recommending the light bicycle 30 mm external hookless rims (24 mm internal) -- when I contacted them recently LB really tried to steer me to the wider rim, since the 30 'is only for XC riding, not as strong as our AM or DH version of the 38 mm external rim'. however it looks like I've talked them into making a heavier version of the 30 EW mm rims.

seems that the 38 version has their newer profile with the internal bead lock channels, whereas the older 30 EW version does not.
 
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Lelandjt

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2008
2,508
821
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
Hmm, it sounds like LB has changed that narrower rim. I've got 2 sets of the 23mm internal rim but they have bead hooks. One is the standard weight and is on my XC/trail bike, the other is a heavier build and was on my last enduro bike. They both have been fine. 1mm wider and no bead hooks sounds nice. I've got the 30mm internal on my current enduro bike and wouldn't want to go any wider.
 

frorider

Monkey
Jul 21, 2004
971
20
cali
Yep I have thousands of miles on the LB 23 IW rims I built up in 2013 for my Bronson. No issues, which is why I'm leaning toward LB again.

Do you notice improved braking but increased rolling resistance with the 30 IW rims? With typical tires that seems like an inherent trade off. It's Science!
 

wydopen

Turbo Monkey
Jan 16, 2005
1,229
60
805
Yep I have thousands of miles on the LB 23 IW rims I built up in 2013 for my Bronson. No issues, which is why I'm leaning toward LB again.

Do you notice improved braking but increased rolling resistance with the 30 IW rims? With typical tires that seems like an inherent trade off. It's Science!
Braking traction is definitely better with the i30's...cornering not so much
 

marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
rode i30 all last summer. really like them, but stuck the wheels from my hard tail (wtb kom i23) on my normal trail bike just for fun.

one thing wydopen has mentioned, which I really am picking up on is how much quicker the bike is to hit the side knobs with the narrower rim. i feel i can enter a turn higher, finish the corner quicker, and accelerate out much faster than with the wider rims (and correspondingly higher volume tires). First ride, had some serious brake skidding, but the last couple not so much as I got used to a slightly different feel from the lever to the tire, and that I could more confidently enter the turn with more speed.

I would still want i27-i30 for a DH bike, but on trail bikes, I23-25, and tires that measure an actual 2.25 wide and not giant balloons are ideal for this guy.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia


hey smarter guys than I, what do you think of this rim profile? it's from yoeleo, 30mm external.
Knowledge and good opinions aren't all to do with smartz.
What size tyre do you want it for? For AM or DH riding?
For AM it's on the money for current tyres IMO. For DH I like my Zelvy 35mm with 2.5 Maxxis HR2, for AM with 2.3 HR2 I hate the 35mm.
23.5mm tall, is that shallow, that's my only thought and walls look thin. Just checked my Carbonal 29er, it's the same ERD(1mm different). Not sure why but with my 29er I like the 35mm wide rim with Racing Ralphs. It doesn't do any extreme work though. 30mm external is probably better.
 
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Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
I am less concerned with width than with with construction (ie the rim walls), depth, and more importantly the concave center section that @wood booger was talking about. I don't know enough about tubeless to know which is best, but I'll be attempting tubeless with this wheelset, and I don't have a compressor.

FWIW, it'll be for 2.3ish tires, and XC/AM riding. I'll keep the factory wheelset for derping DH
 

wood booger

Monkey
Jul 16, 2008
668
72
the land of cheap beer


hey smarter guys than I, what do you think of this rim profile? it's from yoeleo, 30mm external.
BSD (bead seat diameter) and OD are in the ball park, BSD is maybe a touch small.
It is missing the dimension of the concave section (rim bed diameter). I would look for RBD to be 616-618mm for easy inflation/install, shape looks ok.
If you are having trouble getting tire to seat & inflate, you can also add another layer of tape to increase the RBD slightly. I have been using duct tape lately, works awesome!

Angled sidewall section does look scary thin! Is it alloy or carbon?
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
It's the cross section for the yoeleo 29" 30mm w x23.5mm height carbon rims. It looks like the sidewalls are a touch smaller than competitors, which hover at like 2.5mm. I agree that the diagonal box section looks thin. He has another one that is 25mm deep, I'm inquiring about that one but these guys operate after I go to bed, so it's kind of painfully slow.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
What's their reputation like? Why not just get Light Bike ones? Thin sidewalls will be easier to puncture as well as probably not as stiff.
You can inflate tubeless with a CO2 canister pretty easy. It apparently sets of the sealant though, so add sealant through the valve hole after. I've just done it with the sealant in there without issues(inflate with valve at top might be why)..
I like Gaffa Tape with the carbon rims, the glue it leaves behind I'm yet to have to deal with though. I've used duct tape fine with Ally rims, probably fine for carbonz too. Gaffa willl be thicker so possibly make tube instillation harder. I run the tape in a few MMs from side walls so the tyre sort of pops into it, in theory increasing the BSDs effectiveness.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,288
5,028
Ottawa, Canada
this. After a couple of years futzing with a cheap pump trying to seat tubeless tires I started shopping for a fancy new pump that would seat tubeless tires. Then I realized a small portable compressor would be cheaper and work far better. The pressure gauge is also far more precise. I take it on road trips no problem (except when I have to fly), and it makes adjusting tire pressure on the car much easier and quicker too.
 

ianjenn

Turbo Monkey
Sep 12, 2006
2,998
702
SLO
So the rear semi slick was getting a bit hairy on the dry trails around here. Not much traction wise until it was leaned over pretty far. So today I mounted up a Geax Goma TNT in 2.25 width. It works very well in our area. I will let you guys know what I find after some saddle time...
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,850
9,556
AK
E2925.jpg
E29251.jpg
E29252.jpg
It's the cross section for the yoeleo 29" 30mm w x23.5mm height carbon rims. It looks like the sidewalls are a touch smaller than competitors, which hover at like 2.5mm. I agree that the diagonal box section looks thin. He has another one that is 25mm deep, I'm inquiring about that one but these guys operate after I go to bed, so it's kind of painfully slow.
I know you had the question about the E29 and minions. Finally got a pic up. 2.5 on the rear is no problem, got about 1/3" on one side and at least 1/2 on the other (nature of the asym). Plenty of clearance. 30mm rim though, at least I think. Supposedly the stock rims are 30mm, but these are noticably wider by a few mm. Setting it up for some DH today.
 

Lelandjt

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2008
2,508
821
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
After the Snowmass BME I was using the term "life changing" to describe the WTB Breakout 2.5s that I used. Tough casing at both ends, soft compound front, hard compound rear. On 30mm internal rims. I also got the Bontrager tubeless pump over the weekend and it worked great.