hybridbkrdr

Update: Even though I know a lot of pumps are good, I got a Topeak Joe Blow Sport III and wow what differernce it makes to put adequate pressure in your tires. I didn't know I was under-pumping my tires.

So, in my Vittoria Randonneur 700x32 (actually closer to 28mm) and Schwalbe Ranger Cruiser 26x1.75" tires, I put about 50 PSI. Rolling around, I find I can feel almost every bit of imperfections on the pavement. I did not attempt to hit any potholes on the Randonneur tires but on the 1.75" tires, I find I did not hit the rims. However, on places were the asphalt was all chewed up, I find the quick vibrations of a 26" wheel to be somewhat disappointing. As far as the Randonneur tires are concerned, I prefer to stick to the slick bike paths because those tires are too annoyingly small even to roll over train tracks.

In other words, after seeing a video comparing 26" wheels to 29ers on mountain bikes rolling over tree roots, I think the larger circumference would help a lot. Since the circumference of 2.4" or 2.5" tires on a 650b would be equivalent to smaller tires on a 29er, I'm tempted to believe I was right about the 650b x 2.4" or 2.5" tire idea.

EDIT: Maybe they could call these Plus Hybrids.

hybridbkrdr

Kenda now makes the Kwick Seven.5 in 27.5x2.6" which is only 2mm larger than the Schwalbe Super Moto-X in 2.4". Since Kenda tires are usually easy to mount, I might be tempted to use the Kenda instead.

EDIT: I found a message from someone saying he tried 29x.2.3" and 27.5x2.8" and was faster on the 27.5" bike. Also found a message from someone saying 2.8" tires were good in snow. I'd still go for 2.6" tires but just to make a point, 27.5x2.6" seems like a really good idea overall (including people who want more comfort and traction going down trails).

FiftySix

Late reply, but I sure wish Brodie had a dealer down here in Texas. I was really interested in the Robson and the discontinued step over Sterling several months ago.

hybridbkrdr

What about the Devinci dealer in Austin Texas? The Devinci Cartier has 27.5x1.75 Kenda Kwick Seven.5 tires with fenders and clearance for 2" tires.

FiftySix

I didn't know of Devinci until now. Interesting how the Cartier is only an E-Bike now.

hybridbkrdr

I found a review from BikeRadar on the Surly Bridge Club with 27.5x2.4 tires https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bi...g-term-review/

hybridbkrdr

I just found the Breezer Midtown 1.3 & 1.5. They're in the hybrid style with rigid forks. Also the frame & forks are both aluminum which I find fantastic because they already have Kenda Kwick 27.5x2.4" tires.

A bit of fat bike history though. I was looking into it and found out after Surly came out with the Pugsley, fat biking really started taking off. So, since Surly came out with the Bridge Club (and Brodie the Torque) and now Breezer has the Midtown 1.3 & 1.5, I'm feeling confident Plus Hybrids have a chance of taking off.

Paulc

V brake with fat tires. I'm surprised that combo got even the one vote.

If you're going fat go disk

hybridbkrdr

Yeah, I kind of thought that idea might be odd once I posted it. I mean, the Surly Bridge Club can take 2.6" tires with fenders. This sounds absolutely great but the length required for the V-brakes might be somewhat odd. I suppose if someone wanted that, it might be possible still.

Come to think of it, these bicycles are somewhat unique anyway. Imagine the chainstay on the Breezer Midtown is 470mm. If I remember correctly, that's even longer than a regular touring bike which are made for rear racks. lol
EDIT: Oddly enough, I just saw that the Surly Bridge Club has a chainstay of 435mm and the Brodie Torque 430mm.

hokiefyd 

The neat thing about linear pull brakes (like Shimano's "V brake" brand) is it doesn't really matter (to a large degree) how wide the rim is. Most linear pull brake arms will easily clear a 2.5" tire and the longer the brake arm, the more leverage you have on the brake pads against the rim (given a fixed pull at the brake lever). You can set linear pull brake arms as close together or as far apart as you desire (in terms of frame or fork spacing), and the only real change to the setup is the total length of the Bowden cable.

I'm not the person who voted for rim brakes in this poll, but linear pull brakes are pretty versatile.

hybridbkrdr

If you look at the Shimano Sora mini-V brakes, there's metal on both sides of the brake pad bolts. I find that's a cool solution that would work for large tires (I mean on longer V-brakes like say something like over 115mm). If this can be done, I don't know why some manufacturers don't do it. Because I've seen even cheap bikes now with disc brakes. Seems to me a cheap bike might be better with good V-brakes than cheap mechanical disc brakes.

Oddly, I just found out that the Breezer Midtown might be challenging to get in Canada. A retailer suggested the Raleigh Redux to me. I would hesitate about that since the video on Youtube I linked here showed there was minimal clearance with 2.4" tires. And I read you need 6mm minimum on both sides of the tire. (I'd like a bike capable of 2.6" with fenders.)

On the other hand, I just noticed something different about the Breezer Midtown. Instead of the "regular" head tube angle and seat tube angle of 71° and 73°, it has angles of 69° and 73.5° (for the medium). It also has a chainstay length of 470mm, 175mm cranks and somewhat odd type of handlebars (unless you can change the angle). The Kona Dew City has V-brakes and 450mm chainstay but I don't know about the maximum tire size. Although I'm pretty sure the cranks are likely 170mm. I also would prefer 42/32/22 than 48/38/28 chainrings. I'd prefer rapidfire shifters (minimum Altus) and I'd replace the cheap Chin Haur bottom bracket which I read is not recommeded. It does have rack eylets front and back though which is a good plus.

Since hybrids with 2.4" tires only started coming out recently I might wait a couple of years to see what's available.

base2 

Good thinking on the brakes. I've had cheap mechanical & the dangers are real. There is nothing wrong with the right tool for the job.

My Rodriguez has 69.5 head tube angle 73 seat tube angle & 500mm seat stay length with 175mm crank arms. It's super smooth riding. The trail is 58mm & as such it is neutral in steering & combined with the long wheel base it has super chill manners. Never any hesitation, never any surprises. It's not a race bike & it doesn't pretend to be. What it is is the best mannered grocery getter you could ever ask for.

I'd favor the relaxed geometry for an around town utility bike & leave the other or more aggressive geometries to other uses.

There is more to a bike than an arbitrary tire width.

hybridbkrdr

Thank you for answering my post. But, I feel compelled to argue against this. I think I've posted about this earlier, if not, I'll say it now. I once swerved around a pot hole (which put me in danger of being in front of traffic) and ended up hitting another pot hole I didn't even see (with tires I measured at 31mm). I'd rather not damage rims if I can avoid it and also find it kind of jarring to ride in a situation like that.

Other comments I repeated from other people (whether in articles, messages or videos), the fact that some people reported setting new personal records by riding 27.5x2.8" versus 29x2.35". And others saying they have more traction and control with larger tires for example that "street" rider showing in a video actually sliding on the road with a thinner tire while having complete control with his Maxxis 2.5" tires. I read even braking is improved with larger tires.

So, no to me I can't see this as being arbitrary. It might be an awakening to a new style of bike which maybe should have existed for a long time, bikes with tires ranging from 2.4" to 2.6" (generally speaking because some of those who speak about 2.8" tires also speak about going down to 2.6").

The reasons why I wouldn't argue for 29x2.6" are partly due to the larger circumference which would require even smaller chainrings, potential toe-overlap and the consequences to frame geometry etc.

base2 

Well, if you feel that tire width is the only criteria that matters, who am I to argue?

Carry on.

hybridbkrdr

I don't know where you get that. After buying bicycle parts for years I built up a flat-bar road bike and mountain bike. Sure, both have their merits but after thinking about it, I decided hybrid is the way to go.

Weirdly enough, I had already come to that conclusion years ago anyway. But doing it a second time with higher-quality bikes made the reality clearer to me. And after investigating bikes with wider tires, I decided Plus Hybrids would be a way to go.

Besides, this offers an opportunity for heavier riders to feel "safer" on a bike.

hybridbkrdr

Here's a test comparing 2.3", 2.6" and 2.8" tires. The 2.6" and 2.8" were superior in many ways to the 2.3". However, in the smooth surface uphill and downhill parts of the test, the 2.6" not only performed well but the author says they offer better puncture resistance than the 2.8". So I guess I wasn't far off as far as plus tires are concerned.

1saxman

I bought a hybrid with 27.5 rims and fat tires although I didn't know they would be this fat. My idea was to have a pavement bike to go with my MTB. Now it looks like I just bought another MTB with these fat tires. They're Kenda 'Khan' all-purpose, looks like at least 2". Going on a paved trail ride tomorrow, probably about 1 hour out and back. I rode it an hour today at about 30 psi in the tires. Got home and decided to check them for tomorrow and that's when I found the 30. I had inflated them to 42 the night before when I was unboxing the bike and assembling it. Looking at the tires, 40 psi is the minimum and the max is 65. I've never had big tires like this that had that kind of pressure. I put in 50 for tomorrow and I imagine it will roll a little easier than it did today with the 30 psi.
This bike has a Shimano geared 8-spd hub, juice brakes and a suspension fork. I like it but its a little heavy and the low gear could be a little lower. I'm going to see if its possible to put a smaller chainring on it. There would still be plenty of high gears.