lectraplayer said:
I'm looking for something fast but wide for street and trail. I'm wanting to stay around 2 inches wide, but I think 1.5 inches may still do me decent on push roads and occasional forest clutter. I cannot go over 2.1 inches wide. However, I would like to stay on the wide side to handle a bit of cargo, as well as my clydesdale duff. (I also like the look of my meaty mountain bike tires) While I keep hearing about Big Apples and other baloon tires, will they handle the 60 to 100 PSI I am running to hasten the roll?
FWIW. I think that if you want to use a narrower tire than a 26x2.1 then you may want to consider retrofitting your 26er with either
700c or
650b wheels-and-tires ...
Of course, there are innumerable 700c tire treads which (
in my mind) still makes 700c the better option ...
With the following example (
again!!!), 700c wheels/tires were installed in a vintage (
no disc brake mounts!)
26er Hardtail frame which was mated to a standard 700c Carbon Fiber fork ...
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:8564]
Because the Moongoose frame which is pictured does not have disc brake mounts AND because the larger rims do not allow the use of the existing cantilever brake mounts, I needed to mount a
long reach ROAD brake caliper to the frame's fender mounting hole which is located on the seat stays. With a 650b rim, simply moving the brake pad to the TOP of the adjusting slot may-or-may-not create a
good-to-go situation.
Unfortunately, I think that many ROAD FORKs can still only handle a 700x25 tire ... so, choose any
unauthorized combinations with an open eye.
Note, too, that I have mounted a ROAD crankset (
pictured with a 52/39 Chainring combination ... currently, the particular frame has a 53/39 Chainring combination).
Simply using a crank which can use a larger outer chainring may give you the gearing combination &
feel that you are looking for while using your current 26x2.1 tires.