hybridbkrdr

OK, now the Kona Dew has 650x47c tires.

seat_boy

It's not as plush as you might imagine. The frame is quite stout, so I don't think there's any appreciable vertical movement from the long chainstays. The long stays DO provide quite a stable, smooth ride, however: when you hit a speed bump on a normal bike, you get two bumps in quick succession, on this bike, it settles down for a moment between the bumps. Bumps don't seem to upset the chassis as much.

Of course, with the big tires on there, they do add a noticeable degree of plushness. Really overkill for my road and path riding, so I backed down to 48mm tires lately, which will also ease fender installation.

seat_boy

You can mount normal full length fenders on a long fork like that, you just have to make a drop bolt to lower the attachment under the fork crown. I did this on my Karate Monkey , and it worked OK. Or, live with huge gaps.

hybridbkrdr

I just watched Youtube videos on the advantages/disadvantages of plus tire sized bikes. The two factors that were mentioned were COMFORT and TRACTION. And also the fact that breaking can be improved by the larger surface area of the tires.

I just wanted to know out of curiosity though, if some people here know about the consequences of different frame geometry, what would the consequences of larger tires be? So far I can guess possibly longer chainstays and possible toe overlap.

HerrKaLeun

i recommend reading this test

hybridbkrdr

Now I read some comments about fat bikes and found out they can be vague and imprecise in their steering. So, I'm not tempted to get into fat biking anytime soon.

However, I just saw a video on Youtube that practically blew me away.

It's a comparison between 2.00" tires against 2.35" tires. The larger tires came out ahead. Since Schwalbe makes a semi-slick Super Moto-X in 2.4" I feel like buying a bike with 2.8" tires just to try the smooth-rolling 2.4" tires. It actually seems like an awesome idea now, not just a cool idea.

EDIT: OK, I just saw a video comparing 27.5" Plus bike to a 29er and the 27.5" Plus bike came out on top. So, I'm really impressed now by the idea of a 2.4" or 2.5" 650b hybrid.

HerrKaLeun

My fatbike steers precise... you must have heard from people with cheap tires. Cheap front tires self-steer at low pressure. With good tires this isn't a problem.
the problem with fat tires is they are large and the market is small. So many manufacturers don't spend much $ on research and good rubber etc. Good tires cost $120, cheap ones $40, you get what you pay for.

hybridbkrdr

Interesting video here: someone took a Raleigh Redux 1 and installed Schwalbe Super Moto X 2.4" tires...

hokiefyd 

I just bought some 27.5" wheels for my Roam...should be here in about a week. Now I need to decide on the tires. I might like to run the 2.4" Super Motos if I can. We'll see...they look nice on that Redux.

hybridbkrdr

Someone here saying a 27.5+ rear and 29+ front wheel is a good combination: https://www.shimano-steps.com/e-bike...th-jeff-steber

hybridbkrdr

That sounds like a cool idea. I just saw that the Norco Indie 3 has 700x45c tires. So, that means it may be converted to 650b with 2.4" tires. The circumference might be about similar although the width clearance is the only thing I'd wonder about.

hokiefyd 

Pics here.

hybridbkrdr

Nice. For those wondering, I found the Jamis Sequel has 650b x 47c tires.

hybridbkrdr

I kind of wonder why V-brakes only got one vote so far. Anyway, here's a review of the Maxxis Hookworm in 2.5":

EDIT: I understand mountain biking and "street/urban" type of biking as shown in this video are not the same type of ordinary hybrid biking people do. However, I just thought the videos I've linked in this thread still show some advantages of larger tires. So, I think it would be better still for people who want a hybrid to commute but also want to do some weekend bikepacking ect.

hybridbkrdr

Today, I went to Walmart and Canadian Tire and found a couple of interesting bikes. Now, department store bikes may not be the best but here's what I saw. The Colombia Rambler at Walmart is available with either 26x2.35" tires or 24x2.35" tires. However, it's singlespeed. It looks like a cross between a cruiser and a BMX bike.
The CCM Inception at Canadian Tire looks somewhat like a hybrid with rigid forks but has 27x2.35" tires. Looking at it, it looks to me like it has clearance for the 2.5" Maxxis Hookworm tires. Looking at the size of the 2.35" tires, I thought maybe 2.5" or even 2.6" tires might be needed for the large potholes in the city I live in. Though I saw some bikes with 2.8" and 3.0" tires and find them very large. I'm tempted to buy the Inception to install 630mm wide bars on it with a 30mm rise and 90mm stem. That would probably make it a really cool bike.

ps249

Yes I would. I was actually looking at the Giant toughroad SLR which comes with 50 mm tires. But I ended up deciding on the Specialized Sirrus fitness bike with 30 MM tyres

hokiefyd 

It looks like it's on sale for 299 CAD, which is about 225 USD...which might make it a fair deal. I understand a lot of stuff usually costs more Up There. Unfortunately, there are no specs on the CT website. We don't know what the gearing is (especially the front chainring). I presume the rear is a standard 14-28 freewheel. If this is the case, you really don't have a lot of options to change the gearing if it doesn't suit you. About the most you could do is swap the freewheel for a 14-34 "Megarange" freewheel.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/c...-0711735p.html

andrei_r

That CCM inception looks really heavy. Cheap wheels, cheap hubs, cheap heavy tires, cheap steel seatpost and handlebars, cheap bottom bracket, flexy crank arms, etc. Geometry-wise it slightly reminds of the Specialized Roll. Quite laid-back and rigid that is. The knobby tires on this kind of bike make me confused. By the time you're done turning it into something nicer, you will have spent what a roll would cost you in the first place. For that kind of money (300 Canadian dollars) you can find something much better on the used market or just cough up some more and get a redux or a roll.

hybridbkrdr

First, to answer the post above yours, it does have a megarange freewheel. I believe it looks like 34T. I understand the difference between a Canadian Tire bike and my mountain bike which has Tiagra/Sora parts and my flat-bar road bike which has Deore/Alivio parts. As a matter of fact, I may regrease my winter bike which is a Canadian Tire bike (which has not seen bad weather yet) because the other day when I was on it, it practically wouldn't even coast down a hill (not very steep I mean). I've done this before because the grease they use is like this thick jello substance.

The main reason why I'd chose this to modify it is because a frame and fork like this is just rare. I mean there's sufficient clearance there even with the standard 2.35" tires. This means I'd likely be able to use 2.4" Super Moto-X tires (62mm) and SKS Bluemels 75 U fenders (which can take 65mm tires). And it still has the rear rack eyelets. The challenge might be to find cheap custom wheels for it (with 32mm inner width rims and maybe Deore hubs). But I would definitely change the bars, stem, shifter, grips, brake levers, seatpost clamp, seatpost and tires. Then I'd add fenders, bell and bottle cage.

I just recalculated my budget for the next couple of months though. And it looks like I can't do it. I might be able to do one order for parts but then they'd stay in boxes for months while I'm waiting for the money to get the bike. So, whatever I guess...

andrei_r

You seem to understand well what you're getting into. So that's cool.

LesterOfPuppets

I'd want to have 30mm rims with 2.5 tires. I'd probably lean towards disc. If in PHX, no fenders. If in PDX then yes fenders.

hybridbkrdr

There's also the KHS Urban X which has 27.5x47mm tires.

What I can't really understand though is the difference between the marketing and what they'll say in articles etc. Like, I saw one article somewhere talking about a, I think it was a Cannondale and how they found the bike so fun to ride in 650b. I also read a comment from someone saying he had experience with 26", 27.5" and 29" tires. He said he found the 27.5" to have the best qualities of the other two. But in the marketing of 650b bikes, manufacturers will come out with arguments like 650b will result in larger tire width with the same circumference as a smaller 700c tire and also stronger wheels. However, they also don't tell you how they may choose 650b instead of 29er because they know the 29er will be more difficult to pedal. (Or, I mean you'd have to use different chainrings at the front.) In any case, Louis Garneau changed the M1 from 29er to 650b. There must be a reason for this.

hokiefyd 

Yeah, the marketing seems to support whatever it is the manufacturer is trying to sell. Go figure!

xroadcharlie

One of the largest bike manufactures in the world...Giant does not even have a hybrid bike designation among its 15 classes of bikes.

The definition of a hybrid bike is open to interpretation, But IMO it is a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike, leaning toward the road bike end of the spectrum. Tires should be sized accordingly, perhaps 1.50" (38mm).

My 2018 Giant Sedona uses 26 x 1.95" (50mm) tires and is classed aptly as a X-Trail bike. A cross between a road bike and a mountain bike, But in this case leaning toward the mountain end of the spectrum.

hybridbkrdr

I just found some interesting bikes. The Brodie Robson has 27.5x2" semi-slick tires, fenders and a backrack (but no chainguard). The Brodie Torque is somewhat unusual but really cool in that it looks like a hybrid but has 27.5x2.8" semi-slick tires with fenders believe it or not. The fenders alone are probably rare. And it has a non-suspension-corrected fork which means it has true hybrid geometry and not a converted mountain bike. This is truly cool.
The Masi Vita has 650bx47c tires. And the Silverback Scento Metro also has 27.5x2" tires.

With all the choices though, I'm kind of leaning towards the Devinci Cartier with alu frame and fork, rack eyelets front & back. Although it does have a chainguard, it's only a single gear at the front. I like the mechanical brakes of the Altus model though because it means you never bleed the brakes. I'm almost tempted to buy it to convert it the way I like it next year. Even though I admit if a similar bike exists next year capable of even larger tires, I'd look at that too (Cartier is capable of 2" tires.)