I finally upgraded my Ripmo AF to a well reviewed, faster rolling rear tire – the Maxxis Forekaster 2.4 WT – and after some discussion with a buddy of mine realized I may have not read the fine print about wheel compatibility. I’m not sure it matters, and need to actually take the bike for a ride (got injured right before the tire arrived), but I already have mounted the tire tubeless no problem on my alloy wheels with 35mm internal width rims. Did notice the inflated tire was substantially narrower than I expected for 2.4.
Apparently, according to a page deep on the Maxxis site, WT means “25-30mm internal rim width” for Maxxis XC tires (https://www.maxxis.com/int/technology/bike-technology/wide-trail-xc/) – with warnings to not run them on wider rims – while it means “35mm” for Maxxis trail tires (https://www.maxxis.com/us/technology/bike-technology/). The language on the packaging (“optimized for 30mm”) is unclear, no designation for which kind of WT anywhere.
Adding it all up, I’m kinda peeved. Is my tire/rim combo unsafe? Is the Forekaster 2.4WT unequivocally an XC-WT tire? Is the Forekaster 2.6 an xc or trail tire, then? Wtf Maxxis? Why is none of this clearly stated on the product descriptions? Ugh.
by forest_fire
1 Comment
First off, you’re not going to die by running a 2.4WT on an i35 rim. The profile might get a bit squared off but it’s not going to be a deal breaker.
Second, Maxxis sizing is all over the map but you shouldn’t judge any tire by its size immediately after mounting. Tires typically stretch a bit after use. You can speed the stretching process by inflating to the max PSI (of the tire or your rim, whichever is lower) for 24 hours…. Otherwise just ride your bike and measure after a couple rides.
Enjoy the tire and don’t stress about it