Has anyone got one? Looking at getting a Surly ECR for cruising the local tracks and some bikepacking missions. Have never ridden a semi-fat and wonder if the rolling resistance is just going to make me hate life on easy gravel or road sections
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Has anyone got one? Looking at getting a Surly ECR for cruising the local tracks and some bikepacking missions. Have never ridden a semi-fat and wonder if the rolling resistance is just going to make me hate life on easy gravel or road sections
I'm sure there was an older thread on them on here, or maybe it was FnH?Quote:
Originally Posted by gimp
I have a Stump Jumper 6 Fattie (27.5+) Had it for about 4 years and love it. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Pros - great traction, supple and very forgiving ride. (you can get a line completely wrong and still bomb it)
Cons - slightly more roll resistance but only noticeable on smooth surfaces ie sealed roads.
I was out on it today and would never go back to skinny tyres.
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Like everything, the answer is 'it depends'. If your normal riding is about going as fast as possible and you ride with a racer mentality you will absolutely hate it on smoother stuff.
If you load it up to go on a mission and just sit back and enjoy the ride, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner... ��
Surly is great - solid, durable - yes. Refined they are not! I have two - a Cross Check that has been beaten solidly for years and isn't getting worn in yet. Also an original Karate Monkey that has been tweaked for bike-packing - runs 29 * 2.4 tyres currently. Did a few trips on those tyres. If I hadn't had a bit of an oopsie on the trail bike I was about to put some 27.5+ wheels and tyres in it as more volume is more betterer for loaded off road touring. The more off-road it is, the more volume is the answer. For more Brevet style riding, stick to 29".
Its a bit counter-intuitive to most people but the fatter tyres have measurably less rolling resistance on anything rough, its only really on sealed roads that you might find them a bit more draggy.
There are in between options too, some bikes have enough frame clearance to run 29x2.6" or even 2.8" tyres. When I wear out the 2.3" on mine I will probably try out 2.5".
combined with an ebike and it might be interesting....
Yeah. They do them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
Well this is leaving me thinking maybe I should stick to a more standard tire width considering the road k's I do, which is leaving me unsure of what the heck bike I want because most of the Surly off road options are rigid + semi fat
Maybe I'll just convert my old Giant to a 1x11 or something and that will make me happier
Altho the ECR can run 27.5x2.8 so that might be a good compromise
There are quite a few bikes which can take a regular 29" or a 27.5+, the overall rolling radius is similar. Some people have 2 wheelsets and swap them over depending where they are riding.
That might be overcomplicating it though, for what it sounds like you will be riding I'd probably just go with a 29er hardtail. 29" wheels do roll along very well.
I don't know anything about Surly bikes so can't comment on them in particular.
Well I've done 530km in the last 2 weeks and probably 40% of them have been on sealed road so it's a reasonably high portion of my time. On an old 26" Giant hardtail. Was looking at 27.5" hardtails but there doesn't seem to be much choice
Yeah that is a lot of road riding. 29" rolls along so much faster and smoother than 26", I went straight from 26" to 29" when I updated last year so haven't done much direct comparison with 27.5".
As much as people will knock 26" wheels now, people were really happy with them for decades. Bigger wheels will roll better but if you aren't riding (racing) over lumpy stuff spending a couple of grand on something new may be a waste of money. If I remember, the Speciaiized Fuze is B+ (or 29er) hardtail.
It's sounding like you want two bikes - something for fitness and going places and another for bike-packing/adventures.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimp
Have you considered one of the newer breed of drop-bar bikes that will take up to 700*50 or 650(27.5)*2.2?
Then have a semi-fat or full fat bike set up for adventuring.
Here's the sort of thing I mean:
https://www.konaworld.com/libre.cfm
Theres loads of options out there these days.
Well more research clearly needed on my end.
Sorry to hijack a wee bit gimp.
I have a Scott hardtail with 27.5 x 2.20 Maxis tyres. I do mostly road, both gravel and tar seal riding. I am not a technical rider at all.
When I have got off the beaten track and especially thru gorse I have had gorse puncture my tyres from the side. They're bloody thin and I am assuming cheap.
Anyone reccomend a more rugged tyre? Got a mountain bike hunting mission planned with a mate over canterbury way and pretty sure I will run into worse than gorse over there.
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There's two separate issues going on there.Quote:
Originally Posted by R93
Firstly tyre construction. If your tyres are the originals they will likely be lower thread count, maybe 27tpi or possibly 60tpi if you're lucky. You can definitely get tougher sidewalls, but the thicker they get the worse the ride quality. This can be offset by higher volume to a degree (and resulting lower pressure). My suggestion is to get the Maxxis tyres with EXO on the sidewalls - adds toughness. They are available in a multitude of tread patterns and sizes - if you can, go up to a 2.35 or 2.4 depending on the tread pattern you choose. You will need to check for clearance in your frame and fork.
There's no way to prevent penetration punctures entirely, but they can be minimised by having the tyres set up tubeless. Depending on the rims fitted to your bike, they may be able to be converted to run tubeless (or may even be tubeless ready as standard). If this can be achieved, starting with a fresh set of tyres as described above is the best idea. By having the tyres set up with a load of sealant sloshing about inside instead of a rubber tube, most thorn type punctures will seal up and you just carry on riding. It can be so effective that often the first you know about the thorns or barbs in your tyres is when you open them up to refresh the sealant or replace the tyre!!!
Don't worry about hijacking the thread too much - this is super useful info for anyone considering riding offroad. Even more so when you're heading well off the nicely prepared MTB tracks to the kinds of places hunters need to go!
Thanks mate. I will look at some new tyres as you suggest. Have no idea if I can go tubeless or not but I will ask in town, at bike shop when it opens.
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a question for the mtn bike guys in the know, for less technical rides ie just flatish transport stages is there a runflat moose style insert that is suitable?
rather than slime sealant etc? I know they just came out for dirt bikes when I gave up riding
nothing run flat is any good, but there is plenty that can help stop you get a flat. running tubeless using stans or a competing sealant helps a lot as most small holes get fixed with just a small loss of pressure. Combined with a anti rol/pichflat system such a crush core and you have a very reliable tyre set up. this will also give you a more supple tyre than the same tyre with a tube, increasing grip and reducing rolling resistance-a high thread count tyre also helps but comes at a real $$$$ cost.Quote:
Originally Posted by striker
as a taller heavy guy who likes to land sideways into rough corners I always had trouble with tubeless until crush core etc with burping all the air out- now it has me questioning if i need to cary repair gear on local rides. My wife hasn't had a flat in well over a decade of commuting and mtb running just stans
I think a lot of e-bikes (MTBs) are 27.5+ tyres. Because you have the power assist the little bit of extra drag created by the bigger tyre run at lower pressure doesn't matter. Even if it is not an e-bike a larger volume tyre will greatly improve the ride on gravel.Quote:
Originally Posted by berg243
I'm using an old school Surly Pugsley with 26x3.8 tyres I ride on everything with a fully load pack , I find it easy on all terrain and glides over easier than the thin tyres.
the end of a good fallow hunt just one more ride back to the truck.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...13b054ba_z.jpg
That's pretty rad. How do you (or anyone else) find the fully rigid bike on the rough stuff?
The rigid bikes don’t seem to dig in and bottom out on big ruts and drop offs, unless you spend the coin on high end suspension bike. The fatter tyres soak up a lot of shock and weight.
I only use it for back pack hunting and running the dog twice a day the Vizsla is a high maintenance dog for exercise.
Used my fat bike (Specialized Fatboy) a bit for hunting and fishing. Great on soft stuff (sand, mud, snow) and I run the tyres at 4psi so they soak up a lot of the smaller bumps. Roots, rocks and the like. Carbon fork helps a bit with the rough stuff too I think.
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How do you find riding with a big pack? I've only tried it a couple of times, had issues on fast bumpy downhills with the pack riding up into the back of my helmet and pushing it forward over my eyes and/or buzzing it with vibrations that made my vision go blurry :wtfsmilie: That was an interesting experience! Maybe I should have gone a bit slower... :ORLY:
got a Trek Roscoe 8 2020 a couple of months the ago, hardtail semi fat 27.5". on sale at Torpedo7. got the tires converted to tubeless.
great components for the price, including a dropper seat which makes a huge difference going downhill on trails
have been riding across sand a fair bit over lockdown, my brother in-law (in my bubble) has a much fancier full suspension with thin tires, is 20kg lighter than me and he struggles for traction comparatively. doubt I'd ever go back to thin in either hardtail or full suspension.
My days of racing flat out are long gone 20-30 years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by GravelBen
I don’t wear a helmet when the packs on and I go a bit slower, is more about saving energy getting in and out faster than walking with a haul of meat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LOC
Interestingly I've just bought the same model (in v. good used condition) to conclude things several months after starting this thread. Seemed like the best spec/value/geometry in a 27.5+ hardtail available here in NZ as far as I could find
I've been setting PRs on Strava all over the place so I would say that the 27.5plus rolls faster than my old 26er, at least.
Better grip, better braking, faster corner speed. What tyre pressures are you running?Quote:
Originally Posted by gimp
About 17-18 at the moment, front and rear. Higher is better for the amount of mixed k's I do. I need to experiment a bit more
Ok. I run mine a bit softer but I am pretty scrawny and not worried to much about how fast they roll. Plenty of rooty, rocky and muddy country where I ride.
