Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

26x5.05 XXL

351K views 2K replies 224 participants last post by  mikesee 
#1 ·


Via Instagram from Taipei show.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
See less See more
1
#1,107 ·
The floatation from this tire is so noticeable that I'm planning to buy a KHS 1000 so I can have a 2XL as a rear tire. Right now my Lou rear tire will trench out causing me to stop. I need more float in the back!

In general I think fatbikes are way over priced so the KHS is the best, least expensive bike I've found that will fit the 2XL's front and rear. Plus it has better standover clearance than my Fatboy so that will be nice.

I'm not sure why some posters don't seem to want to accept that a better tire has come along from the bud/Lou but I feel that has happened. It's still a bit early for me to post that, but I've got almost two years experience with the bud/Lou and the fact that this tire is 1/2" wider and keeps getting bigger is proof enough it's going to float better. Right now I'm kinda thinking that the bud/Lou are too soft and balloonish and that is what causes the squirrelly handling at times. Maybe I'll find out I'm wrong but so far I think the 2XL works out as a lot better front tire over the bud.
 
#1,110 ·
I have a set of Bud and Lou that I want to mount for the fat bike races this winter. At the slow speeds in deep snow there is no way I can tell if the front is better than anything else as its all about flotation and grip.
But the races will be run on somewhat groomed and packed trails where these larger tires will have no real advantage. But since I live in the country I make my own trails, and the tires have so much more to offer in the snow then the Bontrager Barbegazi that came on my Farley or the Vee snowshoes on my Norco Bigfoot.
On the back these tires just wrinkle up and push me forward, letting me crawl along where I should be pushing.
 
#1,112 ·
I am riding in snow that I could not ride in the past years. Not that it isn't a lot of work. My HRM was going off and that's a sound I usually hear in cross or road racing.
The problem is the engine now, not the machine.
One thing that is very tough is restarting in deep snow. I stopped today in knee deep snow and it took a few tries and a lot of effort to get moving again.
Running 1.5psi rear and 1psi front today.
I am also not a fan of the color of these tires, but if they work this well in snow I guess I would buy them again knowing how well they work.
 

Attachments

#1,113 ·
I had similar issues today trying to get going again. It was really good practice to improve your bike balance. It never had an issue with the 2XL sinking in but my Lou did, over and over or trench out. We were riding on a snowmachine trail I made on Friday and because the snow is so dry you'd break through here and there. The snow was about 2.5' deep off the sides of the trail and you'd post hole all the way to the ground when you stepped off the trail. I can't wait to get a new bike that can run this tire on the back. I've noticed I don't have to run as low of air pressure in the 2XL as I did the Lou for floatation. Kinda nice to to have to mess with your tire pressure all the time. I can see this tire not being for everyone. If you don't need more floatation then it doesn't make since to run it because it slows you down on harder surfaces. I noticed it's a lot more tire to push than my wife's bike with 4.6 ground controls. We switched back and forth and she had to run lower pressure than me to float and I outweigh her by 70 pounds.
 
#1,114 ·
Oh it's a lot more work alright. I was soaked when I got home today, and it was -30 or so. My Farley is a 29 lb bike though.
But I think it has more to do with the pressures I'm running now. With the 4.8 Bontragers I never ran below 5 psi. But these tires have so much sidewall height I run 1-1.5 no problem. I absolutely love how tall these tires are. On an 80mm rim at 1.5 psi I am getting the entire contact patch on the snow and I still have great retention and a mile of sidewall to keep the rim off any rocks or stumps.
It may not measure 5 inches at the top but it sure does at the ground. And that is where it matters.
 
#1,124 ·
How that is weighted? Normal personal scale? Fish scale?

I have hard time believing that that's accurate if everything else is stock and it's with pedals.. Mine is size L though, it was ~15.5kg before tubeless. Weighted with calibrated industrial scale and checked it with 20kg calibrating weight so should be quite accurate. :)

Hopefully new weight and pictures in the end of next week, some parts haven't arrived..
 
#1,127 ·
I don't know? I just found the video and could see that the tire fit on the back. Right now there aren't a lot of options for a lowered priced bike that fits the 2XL. That's kind of interesting to me as the tire has been out for a year. Price wise it looks like everything else where the tire fits without having questionable clearance or other issues is over $2000 (Farley 7) or pushing $3000 (Blackborow).
 
#1,129 ·
That's the impression I'm getting from what I've read and what a couple of Alaska LBS's have have told me. I'm guessing true 4.8" wide tires work adequately for a large number of bikers in most areas of the USA? I thought I read somewhere that the USA was the largest market for fatbikes.
 
#1,144 ·
Well, I know there are a decent enough number of riders in Lapland, but fat bikes are not nearly as big in Sweden as a whole as the other two. A lot of the 'niche' companies like 907, Ithaqua, Borealis, Salsa, etc. have dealers all over Finland and Norway but none in Sweden. I also have to ship from the UK and Germany to get fat-bike specific parts because nobody around here carries anything.

I mean, I can get a Specialized or Trek. Maybe even a Cannondale special order. And XXL has a house brand on the level of a Charge. But almost nobody carries fat cranks, hubs, bikepacking gear, or stuff like that.
 
#1,132 ·
Mayor wears em well enough for a reasonable budget!
Colorado USA high country and I ride my 5.05's half flat in the powder and not more than 3.5 psi otherwise. I use 4.8's when I'm not riding 5.05's and have no desire to run 4.0 cause they just don't feel as good.
 
#1,133 ·
Even in -35 these tires grip well. I think the cold weather grip is more useful than the flotation, but it may go hand in hand. I rode out on a frozen slough today. Ice is a least 1m thick. Sounds like a monster truck on the ice. I would never buy another fat bike that can't accommodate 5 inch tires.
I can't wear a helmet in these conditions though. What are you other cold weather guys wearing for protection?
 

Attachments

#1,143 ·
It's a bit off thread topic, but since you asked...

Have you tried a ski helmet? I used to use a regular bike helmet with a fleece liner with ear flaps, but I'm loving the Giro Nine Ski Helmet...the lining is thick and covers the entire ears, plus it has a nice vent feature where you can open/close vents with gloves on. I've used it down to 0F (windchill around -15F) and it was still more than enough. I can fit a full-head balaclava on underneath if needed.
 
#1,134 ·
Is that in Fahrenheit or Celsius? Either way that's really f-ing cold! I'm on the coast of AK so I never get that kind of cold thank goodness. 

I never wear a helmet on my fatbike. The riding is generally so slow and dealing with the cold, wind and changing conditions is much easier without fighting with what fits under a helmet. I just wear a thin, fleece toque that's easy to take off and put back on one handed so I can do it while riding. If it's really windy and cold I'll wear a face mask but that's really rare. I just use the same balaclavas I use under my helmets when snowmachining. I recently got a Carhartt combination stocking hat with a built in balaclava you can pull down. I've not yet used it but think it will be handy when it's really cold and windy. I just keep it on the bike all the time. Goggles would also be my choice but I've never ridden my bike in conditions where I need them.
 
#1,135 ·
Is that in Fahrenheit or Celsius? Either way that's really f-ing cold! I'm on the coast of AK so I never get that kind of cold thank goodness. 

I never wear a helmet on my fatbike. The riding is generally so slow and dealing with the cold, wind and changing conditions is much easier without fighting with what fits under a helmet. I just wear a thin, fleece toque that's easy to take off and put back on one handed so I can do it while riding. If it's really windy and cold I'll wear a face mask but that's really rare. I just use the same balaclavas I use under my helmets when snowmachining. I recently got a Carhartt combination stocking hat with a built in balaclava you can pull down. I've not yet used it but think it will be handy when it's really cold and windy. I just keep it on the bike all the time. Goggles would also be my choice but I've never ridden my bike in conditions where I need them.
-35 it doesn't matter if it's Fahrenheit or Celsius.
 
#1,136 ·
I really like the way the RSD Mayor looks and that it is made in Canada. l don't care for the 80mm wheels though. There website shows $1700 but I don't know what shipping would run? I'm assuming around $150 so the bike is then $1850. That's over what I'm wanting to spend. Does anyone know if 2XL fit on the Mayor with 100mm wheels? I'm not sure if there would be enough clearance? The tires look kind of tight with 80mm wheels in the Facebook photo. https://www.facebook.com/fatbikedotcom/posts/985980224797944:0
 
#1,137 ·
It seems a few of the Canadian built fatbikes have an 80mm rim rather than the 100mm. When I was shopping I called around and was told the reasoning was the low psi needed for snow. The tires are easier to keep on a 80mm rim at low psi and the sidewall height keeps the tires off the rim. Makes sense to me as I run 37x12.5 tires on an 8 inch rim on my FJ40 rock crawler for the same reason.
And once at low pressures the contact patch is pretty much the same. There are benefits to a 100mm rim but they don't come into play at low pressures. Makes some sense. I would like to get a set of 100mm clownshoes for my Bud and Lou combo for the summer with higher pressures. I bet it would handle quite well. But the price of a set of rims is crazy. I wonder if a 90mm rim would be a good in between choice?
This link has a ton of info.
F A Q - rideFATbikes.ca

As far as the facemask and googles go in my pic above, they are needed as skin freezes in about 5 minutes at -35. With the wind its about -46 today.
 
#1,155 ·
Tubeless ready wheels are like bead locks,mother don't like to break down no matter what the pressure.

And the pattern is not to the same, it's wider on the wider rim.
For sure. But comparing the footprint of an 80mm to a 100mm rim with the 2XL's at 1-2 psi the contact patch is pretty much the same.
Now, at 4 or 5 psi the 100mm is going to give a wider footprint and the 80mm rim is going to crown the tire more.
I'm not bashing 100mm rims. I'd like to get a set for my Bud and Lou for some badlands and sandhills trips this summer.
 
#1,165 ·
Mikesee & AKcheesehead,
Interesting, I didn't know there were automotive type tubeless tires & wheels available. I'm not that familiar with tubeless but I've read so many threads about guys futzing with tape, foam, sealant, ghetto split tubes, squirting sealant at low PSI, messy tire changes, etc that I've often wondered how it could be worth the hassle?

Just today I had to air way down to make it through a 3/4 mile long section of inconsistent, wind blowN snow that only supported you some of the time. Once I got back on the main trail it felt like my brake was dragging or I was towing a kid in a trailer. The amount of resistance from very low PSI tires was amazing. I wouldn't have wanted to deal with a tubeless set up that might have lost air at low psi. Are their any 100mm wide fat tire wheels that are set up like automotive tubeless?
 
#1,166 ·
I ride jumbo jim LS tubeless with out sealant. That is on 80 mm carbon rim. And soon on 100 mm carbon rim. And I going to do the same on 2xl. Just have waiting for det bike and the 100 mm carbon wheelset. This is singel wall carbon rims. Air up great. And holds air well at 1 psi.
 
#1,168 ·
I like the sounds of that. Do you tape the wheel to make the spokes air tight? What do you do for a valve stem?

Pole Taiga Snow, Clown Shoes, tubeless and 11Psi test pressure.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Dang, I'm a bit surprised by the how close the tire is to the chainstay. I'd have no problem running it, just would have thought it'd have a bit more clearance. I'd love to tryout one of those bikes to see how their unique geometry handles and feels.
 
#1,170 ·
5-6mm works! I've got 5mm clearance between the chain and the Lou on my Fatboy and that's been fine. Actually I think that's all the clearance I have at one of my chainstays as well.

130mm wide tire... nice!
 
Top