650b-27.5in

Get a bigger frame worst case. Then you can also fit 27,5+ if you want. I use 26 x 2.5" for DH riding only and my 27.5 x 2.35" for XC (all the stuff that isn’t chairlift-DH haha).

I’d be tempted to try a 27,5+ for the fun of it. But it doesn’t suit all types of riding.

The difference is not big, but it’s noticable for sure. I love my 27,5", for some reason I hated 29" for Muni. Might be the tire but I’ll never know!

I cant leave mine out! 27.5 Flansberrium, Jakob helped me build.

Absolutely gorgeous. Love the colour scheme.

Beautiful. Did you build the wheel yourself? Can you provide specs?

I’m planning to try 650b+ or almost + and this is what seems to be more or less available here in Poland. Do you have any experience with any of these tires?

Schwalbe Nobby Nic and Rocket Ron


Both available in 650bx2.8 and 3.0, but I was never tempted to use them in smaller sizes as there was always something better around.

WTB Trail Blazer x2.8, this one is tempting and for sure I can get it in a few shops here

WTB Trail Boss and Bridger, both in x3.0, but with only hint of availability

Panaracer Fat Nimble x3.5, available but said to be much smaller - more around x3 or even less

Maxiss Chronicle x3.0, available

Thats mine.

QX G27.5+ XC Touring Muni

Great ride Eric :smiley: let us know how the thing rides… I’m most interested in the tire. Maybe I can get one like this here.
If anybody has opinion about other 650B+ tires, please let me know here or there: The "official" Muni Tyre Review Page. For the time being I ordered WTB x2.8" but I would like to go one step bigger in some future.

There are plenty of options.

Thanks, I’m not following German part that closely :slight_smile:

I just got the rim. This is how Dartmoor Aircraft with inner width 45mm and outer width 50mm compares to “regular” Dartmoor Shield with 25.6/33mm width.
Aircraft seems to be on a cheap side (43e here http://26bikes.com/shop/parts/rims-and-rim-tapes/all-mountain/prod/dart-aircraft-27) and I’ll let you know how it rides once my new set-up is all in place.

I have a 27.5X2.35 Hans Dampf SG and a 27.5x3.25 Trax Fatty. The HD is perfectly mannered – rolls straight, goes exactly where I tell it to and the ride is fine.

The b+, though, is so much more fun. All the fun of a fat tire – plush, soft ride soaking up all the bumps, but MUCH more controllable. I love my 4" Larry, but I feel like I’m wrestling it the whole time trying to keep it pointed where I want.

You’ll see a lot of people dismissing the whole idea of a 27.5" tire as marketing hype, but for me, a 650b+ is not only the perfect compromise between a 26" and 29", but also the perfect compromise between a “normal sized” tire and a fatty. YMMV.

I saw some bikers’ opinions that tires around 2.8-3 give the best compromise between being fatty and easy to manouver. I got wtb trailblazer 2.8 which i would like to use for xc and get something bigger for dh.

A lot of that is due the marketing push where every bike that comes out uses the latest standard trying to shorten the upgrade cycle. I can see the pushback there but it’s also easy enough to just ignore it and ride your bike.

After all unicyclists have had plus sizing for years with 24+ and 26+ sizes. If the cycling market comes round every 10 or so years with renewed interest bringing about fresh tires that’s all we need to keep going.

And of course I certainly appreciate all the new choices we have in wheel and tire combinations even if they are not strictly necessary.

I guess all of you have seen this topic, but just for completeness. KH is in the 650b game now: KH27.5 for 2016 directly into 650b+.

Wheel is here. Now waiting for the frame.

Still experimenting

I’ve tried the new wheel on my pre2105 Kh 26 frame and it misses just a few millimetres. I guess you could fit one into the newer frame even if there would be virtually no clearance.

Great info and nice photos. That needs about the same amount of extra space as it would take to get a 26" Ardent or Hans Dampf into a 24" Kris Holm frame. Pre-made frame extenders, maybe 10 or 12 mm… Wouldn’t that be nice?

27.5 x 2.8 Rocket Ron in Nimbus 29 Frame

Here’s my story in an effort to contribute to the long string that helped me through this project.

Short story - I put a 27.5 x 2.8 Rocket Ron set up tubeless on an Eaton Arc 45 rim with a nimbus 32 hole hub and it is awesome! The tire measures 28 1/4" diameter vs 29 1/4" for the Scwalbe Han Damf that was on the 29" Nimbus Dominator II rim, in Nimbus frame. The RR is 2.78" wide and clears the frame with no problem. The weight difference with the new wheel vs a 29 HD with a tube is 620gr, or little over 20 oz! (only changed the wheel, same cranks, etc.)

Longer story - I’ve never built a wheel before and that is no way to go through life, so decided to try a 27.5 in my 29’er. My main motivation was to get back to a HD tubeless set up like the 29 was when I got it (thanks Killian). I really liked the light, fast, feel, but it burped a lot at the relatively low pressures I used, so I switched back to a tube, which is heavier. I also started riding a 24 muni to take on more technical stuff and liked the fatter tire for rolling over roots, etc. (Even though the 29 HD does pretty well also). So I wanted to get back to tubeless and get fatter (but lighter) and started shopping for tubeless rims and tubeless compatible tires. I found a really good deal on the Eaton rim from Chain Reaction and jumped on it.

No problems lacing the wheel thanks to the miracle of YouTube and whipped up a truing stand that got the job done.

First ride today was really good. The biggest thing I noticed was less effort overall, especially hills, and I was more comfortable going faster. It was my fastest ride ever on this route. The tire side walls seem thin and it is pretty squishy when I hop. I’m a pretty light rider (145 lbs) and do not do drops over 18", so not too worried about it. No burping at all, tire seals really well to rim, I think I could run as low a pressure as I care to with no problems. Here are some pics. Hope this info is helpful.

Eaton Rim - 645g
RR Tire - 725g
Total wheel no cranks - 2265g
Total muni - 6020g

Love your truing stand! Awesome.
Good advice here too, the “Lace the hub first” thread is the best thing I found for easy lacing.

The rim is 45mm wide? That sounds like a good compromise for wide-ish tires, yet narrow enough that it doesn’t give auto-steer.

Makes me want to lace a 27.5 now, well done. :roll_eyes:

Yes, the eaton rim is 45 mm inside width. They also offer a 40mm and 35mm. I think I could have gotten by with the 40, it’s just a little lighter. No auto steer. The rocket Ron handles camber a little better than the 3.0 wildlife duro, but it is still noticeable. I thought it would do better since it has a pretty round profile and I think it would if I ran higher pressures. Still experimenting, trying to find the right pressure that squishes over roots without bouncing off them.