The tire is delayed for single puchases, but the few folks that have gotten the Knard as part of new bike build are reporting some very light tire and rim weights:
700g!? Holy poop that is light. Hopefully they aren’t too floppy on skinnyish 47mm rims.
It is going to be one of my first purchases when I get back.
The Racing Ralph 29x2.35 is 620gm, so 29 x 3.0 at 700gm is really light!
I’m riding a 26 x 3.8 120tpi Knard now and it is not super lightweight, more like a Larry 120tpi carcass, it weighs 1350gm.
I’m kinda hoping that the 700gm is wrong because in my experience that would make this tire very soft in the sidewalls and no particularly durable…
Even if it was made with something like the Surly 150tpi ultra light casing, that is still very light; 26" Surly UL tires are 1100-1250gm. I have not read any revies on how the UL tires hold up.
Based on how the 26" Knard rides, treadwise this will be a nice all around tire, not a mad tire by any stretch, but very cushy and fast, decent traction.
how does the tread do in the mud?
I’m going to have to buy a new frame if I get serious about running this tire. Someone mentioned that there will eventually be a wider Oracle frame to fit it… Any details on this?
Not wider, taller.
Josh said the revised frame could be here in the Spring.
I’m feeling a little lukewarm on the 29" Knard right now, the 26" Knard is not all that, and though I like the tread fine, it is a far cry from a Hans Damph. The Knard will be more a dry weather tire and depending on the casing, if it is as lit as they are saying, it might be fairly fragile as well.
Josh said the Knard was the best 29er tire he’s ridden, but he hasn’t riden the HD, so this would be in comparsion to tires like the Ardent, High Roller, RR, etc…
The volume is going to be the real plus for the 29" Knard, but how much more volume will we get for the extra half inch, assuming it is a true 3" tire.
The tire I want is a 29 x 3" Vee Rubber Devist8or, but it doesn’t exist 
Look what I just got in the mail 
Sweet! Mine arrives Friday 
So what frame and rim are using for the Knard?
Weigh it before you mount it up!!
BTW, I am still not able to find a bike shop in the States willing to sell a single Knard, they insist that the tires are sold in conjunction with a frame set and rims.
I got mine off Ebay, $120 plus $15 shipping, two day delivery, yeah baby 
And that Rabbit Hole rim, $150 smackeroos, what have they been smoking!
I got me a Nimbus Dominator 2 for half that, 42mm of beastly beastness, none of those holes to get in the way of going tubeless, yeah!
Review to follow…
Hey Ben
I just weighed mine and it is a bit heavier than the quoted weights from the thread above. Under 1kg though.
I will be using it with my Triton 36-29 frame and probably with a KH Freeride rim but Ill see how you go with it tubeless on the Nimbus as I might go that route when I get round to building a new wheel.
and now its mounted…
going out tonight so cant ride it properly till tomorrow but up and down the driveway it fells nice. getting the pressure right is going to be critical I think as it was soft when I started but put a bit more air in and feels great. Ill leave the full review to Ben
that looks sick! does it mesure out to a true 3in wide?
Wes, 3" tires never measure out to 3".
You can find plenty of specs on MTBR, folks have been riding the Knard for a few months over there.
http://forums.mtbr.com/29er-components/anyone-get-their-hands-surly-knard-29x3-823020-4.html
@Rawcyclist, try a much lower pressure than you’d ever think possible, then work your way up and down, you’ll probably end up around 12psi, less if you’re a lightweigh, more if you like super firm tires.
I rode the Knard to work this morning and took in as much (easy) single track, bumpy bike path and walking trail as I could (as well as rode off every bump I could find). I think I have the pressure dialed for me now but have not ridden any real singletrack yet. not sure what it is at as I was adjusting with a hand pump.
First impressions are of pure love. I have never ridden a fat tire uni before so did not know what to expect but this thing is like a comfy couch. Really felt like riding my full suspension MTB. Its a little slower to accelerate but the roots and bumps and rocks on the trail have just gone. Traction seems good in the dry too (if not a little too good on sharp twisty turns) but I can really compare to my Hans yet.
No noticeable crowning or self steering issues either. It can bounce a bit after a drop but again maybe that is me still having too much air in there.
Cant wait for some proper singletrack on the weekend.
Knard 29 x 3" (120tpi) @20psi:
Casing 66mm x 58mm
Tread 72mm x 60mm
Weight 925gm
Radius 15.25"
Hans Dampf Pacestar 29 x 2.35 @20psi:
Casing 62mm x 50mm
Tread 62mm x 55mm
Weight 870gm
Duro 24 x 3" @15psi
Casing 65mm x 62mm
Tread 70mm x 67mm
First thoughts:
Ultralight casing on the 120 tpi may not be the best for hard core muni, 27tpi is heavier tire but probably more durable…
Tire bead is very small, it didn’t like staying on the Dominator 2 rim (42mm) when seating the bead, I don’t think I’d run this tire on a narrower rim, maybe the 27tpi wire bead has a beefier bead…
Thin center knobbies like an RR 2.4, casing is tall, didn’t round out that much on the 42mm rim, but the knobbies run past the edges, so it should have some nice bite when layed over…
It’s a deceivingly large casing, didn’t really seem all that much bigger than my HD until I set it beside a Duro 3" and the Knard was clearly fatter, so it really is a fat 29er tire!
Tire arrived late, ride review and pics to follow…
I mounted the Knard on a Nimbus Dominator 2, 42mm, using a Maxxis Freeride 26 x 2.2-2.5 tube.
The first time I set the bead the tire blew off the rim, so I took more care on round two and was rewarded with a nice seat, though it is still a very supple casing and it makes me wonder if it’s slightly oversized. It is also possible that the tire is designed for a wider rim. The Rabbit Hole rim is 50mm, so nearly 20% wider. I don’t think a 42mm rim is too narrow, but I also don’t think I’d mount the tire on anything narrower, maybe a P35.
Today I spent three hours at a local spot (Haw Ridge), rocks and roots, some mud, and a lot of very nice single track. Tread is unquestionably faster than my Hans Dampf, traction in mud suffers a bit for that extra speed, but it’s not really a mud tire with such shallow knobbies. It did fine in mud, not unlike the 26" version I rode a few weeks ago, a predictable slider.
I found the sweet pressure spot at 17psi, anything more got a little bouncy, much less and I had sidewall collapse. I think the tire needs some breaking in before the final pressure, but I wouldn’t be suprised to end up running 18-20psi in time. I weigh 200# plus kit.
The Knard is a true 3" tire, the big casing really floats the terrain, not quite as soft riding as a 4" tire, but easilly the softest riding 29er tire I have used. On my ride today I didn’t get tired nearly as quickly as I thought I would, so when I got near the parking area I decided to go back out, doubling the distance I had ridden.
I’d be curious if any other frames will fit this tire, I measured 15.25 radius measured from the spindle, width is slightly more than a Durp Wildlife 3", so add 1/2 at the crown and a little on either side. I’m sure a Conundrum will be fine, maybe some 36er frames, perhaps the Drak or Nimbus II?
I don’t know that the Oracle 29 has been adjusted to fit this tire, but I believe it is in the works, Roger at UDC UK had a Knard in hand last Summer/Fall, and there’s a container on the way…
If you always wanted a fat 29er, the Knard is the one you were waiting for
I am running about 20-21psi in mine now. I am a bit heavier than you Ben (about 220lb with gear). It can feel a bit bouncy over drops and repeated bumps but soaks up most roots and rocks and does not collapse when I hop which it does if I drop it too much more.
Just to reiterate, I am loving this tire. I agree with Bens comments about not getting as tired when riding single track with it. You sometimes need to put in some hard strokes when you hit an incline as it does not accelerate as fast (more noticeable than on the Hans) but for the most part it just eats terrain and is soooo fun.
Rode again on the Knard, rocks stuff, some decent drops, muddier on this side of the ridge than yesterday’s ride, so I got a good idea of how the Knard rides in slime.
I played with pressure again and I suppose it’s more my “princess and the pea” perceptions, but I find that I prefer 16-17 psi for everything but drops. At lower pressure the sidewall folds, not enough to ding the rim, but enough to toss me. I can ride at a higher pressure, 18-20psi, but the tire has more bounce and rides rougher.
It’ hard to say how it compares to the Hans Dampf as it rides so differently, the Knard is more of a fat tire/flotation tire than a carver; the HD is a carver. There’s a learning curve going from a skinny tire to a fat tire, I’m still getting the feel of the Knard, learnin how much is too much when it comes to putting “english” on the handle and pedals.
I still think it could use a little more sidewall, so I may buy yet another Knard, this time a 27tpi just to see how it’s different from the 120tpi; the additional 200gm can’t just be due to a steel bead…
I didn’t know they were selling a 27 TPI version. I call dibs on yours when you decide you like the 120 TPI better :p. I might have a few tires to trade but you have probably tired most of them.
Ben im now wating on a 29in downhill freeride video from you
It’ll be a long wait.
Well, since I could not find a single bike shop, Surly employee, or MTBR member who could tell me whether there’s a difference, I now have a 27tpi in the mail.
Review and comparison to follow, and yes, you got dibs, I think I still owe you for some cranks anyhow…