The 27.5x3.25 Duro Crux fits the 2016 KH27.5 frame, but the 2016 KH29 frame is not quite tall enough. However, the KH29 fits the 3.0" version of the tire.
I also widened the KH27.5 and KH29 frames very slightly for 2017 (only by 2 mm), to make absolutely sure that there was no rubbing when cranking hard side to side up climbs and slightly increased the vertical clearance.
Here is the vertical clearance from hub centerline to underside of crown, and horizontal clearance at the position of the widest part of the tire:
2016 KH27.5: 380.5 mm (vertical) and 94 mm (horizontal)
2017 KH27.5: 383.5 mm (vertical) and 96 mm (horizontal)
2016 KH29: 391.5 mm (vertical) and 94 mm (horizontal)
2017 KH29: 401.5 mm (vertical) and 96 mm (horizontal)
I’ve been on only two 7 mile rides and initial impression is this is a good/great tire. I experienced no negative aspects like auto-steer on off-camber terrain.
Positive aspect is the very beefy tread resulting in great traction. Some may perceive this as a negative as it makes it more difficult to initiate a rapid twisting turn at slow speed. For me, the traction is confidence inspiring.
Oh, and I should mention the tire I was riding previously was a Gravity Vidar which I also like a lot.
I’d echo that with the Crux - was really surprised at how well it corners, even on pavement, given the deep tread and volume. No feeling of auto steer at all, in my experience.
Yes I did get it, a little over a year ago. I have ridden it quite a bit when I just had it: training for the standard marathon at Unicon in Spain, and the actual race in early August last year. Since then I haven’t used it though.
I found a note to myself from the first time riding: “first impression: runs nicely”. No later notes. That’s also what I remember: it rolls very light at the high pressure I kept it at. I don’t remember anything about road crown sensitivity (an issue I’m quite sensitive too), so probably it wasn’t too bad, but no definite statement here. I can add that in the race, I improved my PR on the standard marathon from 2:12 to 2:08, which I attribute partly to the bigger diameter compared to the Schwalbe Marathon 2.0 that I used before.
All in all, I would certainly recommend the tyre for road use. Within the 29" league it’s the fastest tyre I know of.
There is also this thread with recommendations for 29 inch pavement tyres.
My own preference is for lightweight tyres and I have a Maxxis Torch 29 x 2.10 on a 38 mm rim. Exceptionally low rolling resistance, good ride, handling and traction. I reviewed it in that thread.
My 26 came with a Hookworm and it left me cold. Riders who like extra the rotating mass might like them I guess. However they are badly affected by camber (apparently unless they are at maximum pressure). Not good in the wet. The tread grooves are more decorative than hydrodynamic.
However I do have a Hookworm on my 20 and love it. The extra mass is good on a small wheel and the circular profile is good for tight turning. No camber problems at all regardless of how low the pressure goes.
Both Unidreamer and myself tried the Hookworm in 29" and we both… disliked it. Mainly for the road camber, and the weight.
UniD went for the Knard 3.0, choosing the knobby way, and I went for the Schwalbe Big One which I like a lot. It’s good on road camber (as long as it’s not on a wide rim, important detail), and the best part is how light it is.
That should allow about 3.00 but the rolling resistance at that width would work against the gains in diameter.
The Torch 2.10 is about 740mm diameter on a 38 mm rim. It is very light and I highly recommend it as a race tyre but I wouldn’t expect really high mileage.
So it is a lot better than the Schwalbe Big Apple then? I had a Big Apple 2.35 and the road camber sensitivity was much too high for my taste. High pressure did not help enough. The Hookworm is definitely better on road camber, in my experience. Both on a medium wide rim, don’t remember which. Perhaps the Big Apple on the KH XC, and the current Hookworm on the Dominator II.
I’m in the market for a few 29er road tyre I think - I’m running a Dominator 2 rim so don’t want anything too skinny, but with it being a road machine I don’t want a bit fat treaded MTB tyre
I’ve been browsing the Schwalbe website and come across the G-One Speed, which seems to be what I’m after. It’s a bit expensive but if it lasts a while I’ll be happy to pay it
Anyone given this tyre a spin? It’s apparently 560g for a 29x2.35 which sounds crazy!
On their website, it says ‘new for 2017’, so clearly… it’s a new tire!
It looks like a beefier version of the Big One which is mentioned on this thread, and which is on my uni, and makes me happy since I put a narrower rim.
Schwalbe rate its Service Life at 2/6 on their own site. The tread looks very superficial. Worn right off at 1500 miles on the rear of a road bike according to this review.
Definitely crazy. Reviews also say it is easily punctured but that is to be expected on such a light tyre.
Maximum pressure 50 psi could be an issue on a uni under heavy torque. I weigh 80kg and I found I needed 55 psi on the Torch 29x2.10 or the sidewalls felt like they buckled on steep hills. I imagine the larger profile could be even more prone to this.
Yeah I reckon leaving it for race day is a good plan… 2/5 service life and being a pincushion doesn’t sound brilliant. My dreams say I want a lightweight racing tyre, but the ‘you commute on this thing every day, don’t be stupid’ side of my brain says maybe look for something more burly
I suppose I could set it up tubeless to stop the punctures but that still leaves the service life. I reckon I’ll shop around a bit more
Further to the above - I went out and bought a nice new shiny Schwalbe Marathon Supreme! It’s a hell of a lot lighter than my Halo tyre, and bald as a baby, so should be plenty fast. Initial impressions are good but I only gave it a quick spin up and down my street in both gears. Very squirmy (expected for a tyre of only 2" and such low rolling resistance) but I’m sure I’ll learn my way out of that
I’m slightly apprehensive given other people’s experiences riding 2" Schwalbe tyres on the Dominator rim, but it feels solid and doesn’t need that much pressure in it to feel stiff enough anyway. I’ll give a better review tomorrow after I commute to/from work on it!
WOW, had a ride to work and back on the Marathon Supreme, what a beast that is! The weight and (lack of) rolling resistance is VERY noticable in high gear, it pretty much feels as easy to pedal as my 36" unGuni now
As I mentioned above it is a little squirrely presumably due to the extremely pointy profile (so there is very little actual tyre on the road) which was a problem for about half a mile until my legs got used to it. It sits well in the Dominator2 rim and doesn’t seem to want to explode, which is always nice, and mounted without levers. I’ve only put 40psi in it and it feels absolutely solid, which I like because I HATE having any squish in my tyres (I run the TA 36er at 50psi!).
So yeah, well happy with this one (albeit only after 10 miles of riding) - only thing left to see is how well it lasts, and how well it takes punctures which is something I’ve heard the tyre is great for
