Most appropriate rim width

[Victor911]

Hi

 

I am currently using a Racing Ralph 29x2.25 on my front wheel and Maxxis Ikon 29x2.35 on the back. The bike feels like it doesn't have much grip when going round corners. My mates suggest switching the tyres around. I will give this a try but I was wondering whether it won't help getting wider rims. The internal width of my rims is 20mm.

 

Will getting wider rims help and if so, what width should I go for?

[M L]

I don’t think it’s your rim width - no matter how hip wider rims are nowadays.

 

Ikons have less grip than Racing Ralphs, so I would stick to the current config.

 

Maybe watch some youtube videos on cornering - it’s something I still need to work on quite a bit but have come to realize the value thereof. Tire grip will unfortunately only help us as far as it can.

 

Edited April 7, 2021 by M L

[vanniri]

At the risk of being corrected, I think tyre pressure and tyre choice has a greater impact. Having said that the benefit of a wider rim is the ability to run lower tyre pressures with less risk of squirming and a flatter profile tyre. The latter might also be negative on grip if the tyre was not designed with a flat profile in mind. 

 

In my experinece a wide (ID) is a sensible upgrade. I would look for at least 25mm, prefereably more. 

 

Your current ID of 20mm is very narrow even by historical standards.

 

Of course technique and skill can overcome most things. However, upgrades are fun and your significant other probably knows as much about wheelset/rim prices as ID choice on rims.

Edited April 7, 2021 by vanniri

[PappaWatTrap]

It sounds like your Tyres are to wide for the width of your rims. For your rim width you should be looking at tyres between 2.1 and 2.25.

 

Look at the recommended Tyre and rim width from maxxis.

 

https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-278-140-ikon#

 

Here you can read up on the effect of riding too wide tyres with a narrow rim

 

https://www.notubes.com/stans-tech/wide-right

[100Tours]

I love my Wide Lightning rims at 29.3mm wide internal. They really make the tyre sit nice and square + supports the sidewall better, and that is great for trail riding. Also I have always gone wider on tyres where I can because they corner with such confidence.

 

I would definitely try the 2.35 on the front - it costs nothing to do the switch, and it makes more sense (for me) to have a wider tire on the front for bike handling reasons. Does width trump tread stickiness.. maybe. For aerodynamics - e.g. on a road bike - the smaller tyre forward is better if you have different widths.

 

Your 20mm rim is on the narrow end of the range, and if you can do just a rebuild with new rims you'll probably spend about R4000-R6000 getting wider. Probably better to buy a set on the hub and sell your current pair if you want to make the switch. the rolling resistance website did a study on (road) rim widths and concluded that just for rolling resistance your rim should be 80% of the advertised tyre width. 80% of 2.35" = 48mm  . That's much too big I think to be practical, but something around 30mm will feel a lot more supportive.

 

edit - 2.1" doesn't belong on the front of a mtb. just my 2c

Edited April 8, 2021 by 100Tours

[Victor911]

Hi

Does anyone have any views on the quaxar 29er GT5 rim? This apparently has a 23mm internal width

Edited June 15, 2021 by Victor911

[Eddy Gordo]

https://forum.bikehub.co.za/topic/188222-25mm-or-30mm-rims-with-235-tires/?tab=comments#comment-3771501

[MudLark]

Start with the basics. Are you sure your pressures aren't too high?