Lately I’ve come to prefer my 24" muni to my 27.5 quax rgb, so I’m thinking I’ll do some experimenting with fatter tires to see how I like them. With a 27.5x3 High Roller 2 on the wheel right now I have about 1/2 inch of clearance between the tire and the sides of the frame. So I think I can safely go as wide as 3.6". 3.8" or 4" might be possible, but would be pushing my luck. Quax rates the rgb frame for a maximum width of 3.25", but that obviously leaves some extra clearance.
If you’ve ever run a fatter tire on a quax rgb, how did it go? Also if you’ve had any experience, good or bad, with 27.5" tires between 3.25 and 3.8 inches what were they?
I have the M4O Fat 27.5 with a 3.8" tire. It’s heavy and bouncy but very forgiving. Climbing with it is hard but it’s very good at uneven terrain and sand/snow. Having switched to a 2.5 recently the weight difference is astounding to me.
I have a Maxxis minions it has really agressive tread and hold pretty well, only downside is the 1.2kg weight. Honestly I’ve had good experiences with most major brands, I’d recommend speaking with a local shop about your trail conditions because I found that to be most helpful in deciding what kind of tread I wanted.
Pretty much, the guys I ride with in town aim for a 2.8/3 because it’s a good mix of fat and light weight. But I like my 3.8 it’s a very different kind of ride.
I think I’m going to give up on this idea. After looking into it, it seems that there aren’t many, (if any), options between 3.25" and 3.8". Panaracer makes a 27.5x3.5, but reviews say the actual width is approximately 3". There’s the Duro Crux 27.5x3.25 which by most accounts is a good tire, but I’m not sure it’s worth it to only gain 1/4". The Maxxis FBR 27.5x3.8 is right on the borderline of what could fit, but I don’t want to spend $120 only to find it won’t fit or that the rim needs to be perfectly tuned to avoid rubbing.
At some point I’ll just have to build or buy a proper fat unicycle.
Not a bad idea, the M4O I bought is nice, they have a few cheaper options that are 100mm pitch so it’s easy to swap out the wheels or reuse as opposed to a hatchet that’s 125mm. Only downside is my 3.8" on paper tire measures in at 3.3" due to using a narrow rim. I mostly bought it ride the fat bike trails is my area, give me a few months and I can report back to you on it. If you do want a true fat uni, hatchet may be the way to go.
Most of the guys I ride with use a 2.6-2.8 on 27.5 as well, from they’re riding experience they find it to be a good mix of light weight and fat enough to give you grip when you need it. That being said it’s all a matter of personal preference and N+1 is life.
I recently got a 27.5 Quax RGB and bought it with a 2.8 tire. i’m thinking about buying the popular 3.25 tire too, or try the 3.8. but that is risky, as you have already written. I’m more than satisfied with the 2.8 tires on roads and light terrain. But on downhill and slippery surfaces, I definitely want more profile and a wider tire! but is it worth buying 4.5 inches more? is the tire noticeably more grip and has more profile for rougher trails?
Could you find a tire of similar size but just a more aggressive tread/more knobby and larger knobs? There are some good MTB tires that are the same size but rated for riding through mid and slipery stuff up to loose snow and sand
Wider does not automatically mean more grip - and sometimes it even means the opposite. The two most important ways to get more grip is thread pattern (which determines how the tire digs into soft ground) and tire compound (which determines how good it will stick onto stones etc. There are even some conditions where a wider tire offers less grip, because it can’t dig into the ground as much.
The reason to choose wider tires is to run lower pressures, so that you can have a softer ride - which comes with the downside of the uni becoming less responsive.
I’m not sure which 2.8 tire you have, but if you really only want more grip, you might find something more grippy in a similar width - there tends to be more choice of compounds and thread patterns there.
I’m not sure where you’re located, but blue sky cycling has the Duro Crux for $50. It seems to have pretty favorable reviews and is 3.25” so it will fit your rgb.
The more I read, the more I suspect the FBR 3.8 would fit too. Ive read reviews where people report it measuring 3.75” on an 80mm rim, but an rgb has a smaller rim than that. One thing I do wonder about though is whether frame flex might cause it to rub. IMO, it’s not worth the risk to find out.
Some love the Duro Crux, but for me I found it too sensitive to road camber. I’m much happier with the Maxxis Minion DHR, although I’m strongly thinking of turning it around - it seems like it would give better forward traction if I go with the opposite of its recommended rotation direction. Of course the Duro might be fine for you. Maybe I need to adjust the tire pressure on it.
I’ve never tried it myself. I’ve been riding on a Maxxis High Roller 2 and I’m not sure if it’s the tire or the unicycle, but the camber really annoys me.
When I first started it really bothered me, so I pumped the tire up to 35psi which eliminated most of it. Later, I just got used to it. I didn’t know any better.
Then I got a 24” and I rode that almost exclusively for about a month and a half and then got back on the 27.5” and thought, “man, this thing sucks!”
So now I’m pondering how to make it less sucky and thought the tire might be a good start since I’ve wanted to try a fatty anyway.
I am from Germany, but my unicycle shop has this type too. But I will wait a bit because the prize have risen. Thank you for the website, the German one hasn’t hit any info about the tyre. have you already decided on a tire?
you can use the ETRTO measure as a guide. It’s never quite true. The Maxxis Minion FBR has an ETRTO dimension of 97-584. So you can count on a width of 97mm (it is never exactly correct and is usually a little less, probably also depends on the rim width used). You still have to have reserve left and right, as the tire moves in the frame under load (climbing a mountain). I suspect that the RGB frame is too small. You can ask qu-ax how the dimensions are inside. I guess it’s around 95mm
