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Why are 2.5" tires so dang hard to find?

3K views 44 replies 23 participants last post by  scrublover 
#1 ·
So why are 2.5" tires so hard to find? I have some Timberwolf 2.5's and I love them. I have used them in a 2.7" but they drag the chain when I am on the small ring which is not that often. WTB no longer makes the Timberwolf so I guess I am SOL. I have used the Wierwolf 2.5" which I don't think they make in 2.5" anymore. The Wierwolf was ok but the wore like crap and you had to turn the rear one backwards to get any traction out of it.

I ride on steep rocky wet technical trails where the extra grip and smoother rider are worth their weight in gold. I run 30-35psi in the rear and 20-25 psi in the front. They also last about a year on the back which is about three times as long as a Wierwolf. I ride for fun so slow don't bother me. I am more concerned that I don't break bones than I am being fast.

Perry
 
#3 ·
Well just looking on the Nashbar and Performance bike sights there does not appear to be much out there to choose from. I have even looked on Ebay. I am not going to pay $50 for a tire LOL. On the rare occasion I find some good tires I try to stock up on them.

Perry
 
#7 ·
B-kul is correct on the sizing - it's all over the place. There are 2.2's and 2.3's that actually measure 2.5 inches.

I have a Conti 2.5 that measures 2.4" and another Conti 2.3 that measures 2.1 inches. So even within the same manufacturer, the actual stated sizes are all over the place. I don't know how they do it. Maybe they just flip a coin or something? LOL
 
#8 ·
perryg114 said:
Well just looking on the Nashbar and Performance bike sights there does not appear to be much out there to choose from. I have even looked on Ebay. I am not going to pay $50 for a tire LOL. On the rare occasion I find some good tires I try to stock up on them.

Perry
neither of those sites are very good for selection, be it tires or any other component. JensonUSA, Pricepoint, Treefort Bikes and Universal Cycles are all online shops with both good reputations and a large variety of choices.
 
#13 ·
They're only hard to find if you don't know where to look. Most rookie MTB riders think that there are maybe 2 or 3 places to get bike parts.

Here's a useful suggestion.

1) Choose what tire you want to buy.

2) Go to Google or bing!

3) Enter that tire's name in the "search terms" box. Hit "enter."

4) You'll have all sorts of choices for finding tires.

A more important question might be, why do you think you need a 2.5 tire.
 
#17 ·
perryg114 said:
So why are 2.5" tires so hard to find? I have some Timberwolf 2.5's and I love them. I have used them in a 2.7" but they drag the chain when I am on the small ring which is not that often. WTB no longer makes the Timberwolf so I guess I am SOL. I have used the Wierwolf 2.5" which I don't think they make in 2.5" anymore. The Wierwolf was ok but the wore like crap and you had to turn the rear one backwards to get any traction out of it.

I ride on steep rocky wet technical trails where the extra grip and smoother rider are worth their weight in gold. I run 30-35psi in the rear and 20-25 psi in the front. They also last about a year on the back which is about three times as long as a Wierwolf. I ride for fun so slow don't bother me. I am more concerned that I don't break bones than I am being fast.

Perry
I have a muudy mary up for grabs on e bay right now,theres no better 2.5 tire than a muddy mary !!!!
 
#19 ·
bigbeck said:
That's an easy one. Better grip,more stability and faster rolling in rugged terrain. This is especially important in the front. Although fat tires are pretty much useless on smooth hardpack.
Though there are plenty of nominal 2.3-2.4" tires that also offer those qualities and nominal 2.5-2.6" tires that do not.

Do you want a DH or lightweight casing?
 
#21 ·
Ash T. Abula said:
So why stop at 2.5? Why not go 2.7 or 3.0? Why not get a snowbike tire? Is bigger always better? When does bigger get to be a hassle or an albatross?
If you don't experiment and don't try out anything different from the norm yourself, you'll never know what wide and narrow or big and small really is.
You'll be just humbly accepting "the best" standards informally imposed on you by the manufacturers magazines and your riding buddies.
 
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