I just became the proud new owner of a Surly Pugsley, set up with Dillingers for winter. That's great for me, but since I have no need for this bike in the summer I'm thinking of setting it up for my dad (age 70+). Expected riding terrain is mostly flat protected paved bike path with minimal gravel sections. I believe the relaxed geometry and ability to run wide tires for balance and comfort would be a better fit than his road bike, which he finds uncomfortable and harsh. That said, do you think I can mount 2.5 inch wide tires on this non-tubeless wheelset? Anyone have experience with a similar 'baby-fat' setup?
by BTVNNEguy
4 Comments
Bottom bracket will be far too low with 2.5. I think surly quotes 3.8 as the minimum
To run 2.5-3 inch tires you would probably need to move to 29+ rims to allow those narrow tires. The bike should retain its overall geometry and the 29+ tires will be roughly equivalent in diameter of the existing fat tires.
The real question is, is it worth a $1000 plus experiment to make these changes, why can’t he just try the fattie as built?
Looks like my last line got cut off in mobile – wanted to know if anyone had experience with similar ‘baby-fat’ setup
Nope. You’re going to need different wheels altogether to run a width that small.
Throw some 26×4 Kenda Juggernauts (or similar) on it and call it a day.