I’m not sure the OP was too concerned with a wider tire being harder to turn. Having just recently started to uni… I have a 24" Torker and built-up a 24" Conundrum with the LM rim and IRC Kujo 3.0 tire. I was actually scared of the uni because I was having trouble turning the torker. I have since learned that the Bigger, fatter, Muni wheel/tire combo isn’t harder for me to turn. It’s actually easier because I am more in control. I absolutely LOVE riding my conundrum around…even if it’s just around the block (on pavement).
Anyone else find bigger fatter tires easier all around?
I feel that thinner/more supple side-walls can be a benefit when you have the rim to properly support them.
In my experience a Gazz will outpreform a Duro on a wideish (46mm) rim while a Duro will outperform a Gazz on a narrower rim (32mm). I chock this up to differences in the side-wall.
The Gazzs sidewall may not be thinner but it is sure more supple which makes it unstable on the skinnier rims but gives it a faster more active feel on the wider rims. How “active” you want a tire really depends on what you are doing with it though. You wouldn’t want your tire to be too lively on a downhill but it would save you some energy on a cross country ride.
Over here I climb everything I ride down (usually not the same side of the hill) so I am looking for a setup more suitable for XC than bombing down a mountain while keeping the float and grip of a 3" tire, the cush is nice too. If this works like I think it should it may be the wheel for me.
For downhillers I would worry about this setup being too bouncy while also being susceptible to rim strikes.
I recently put a continental gravity 2.35 on my MUni wheel just to see what it is like. Rode it around indoors for a while, decided I needed to swap out my cranks for shorter ones and it is amazing how much resistance is in a DH tire when running on flat ground. The conti on my echo rim is way to skinny for the conditions right now but it might give me some insights as to how a lightweight tire feels on a wide rim, The sidewalls are almost perfectly strait down and it is pretty close to a scaled down version of what I have in mind.
I work morning shifts on the 9th and 10th and if the weather cooperates I think I am going to go for a couple rides with some different setups.
The fatness is not the only factor in determining how easy it is to turn. The profile and air pressure contribute greatly. The Duro has a rounder profile than the Gazz and therefore is much easier to turn. The Gazz works better on skinnies. (In both casses I am talking about 3" tires.) With lower air pressure it is harder to turn and pedal. For a beginner it is easier to ride a slimmer tire with higher air pressure. However it is not going to make it so much easier as to make it worth while to changer the tire. Especially if the rider wants to eventually ride MUni.
The weather had not cooperated until recently. The other times I was planning on going for a ride it was usually around -30 and dropping. Not the safest or most pleasant times to go for a ride.
Went for a 3 hour ride with the setup and it worked better than I anticipated. I will right up a full ride report later.