Best Rim Inner Width for XC

[EB]

Originally Posted by rothwem

I didn't realize inserts were that common in XC racing, I know the downhill scene has pretty much given up on them, but I guess they can run heavier casings that have similar benefits.

Some teams are running them:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/tire-s...l-di-sole.html

In that article, notably Liv and Cube are running them, but Scott is meh and BMC is vehemently opposed. The Schwalbe guy is also against inserts for XC, but Schwalbe generally (unlike, say, Vittoria) has taken the stance across all disciplines that casings should be designed for purpose and not need inserts to support them.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Schwalbe's newer casings are all heavier than the competitions. I use their Gravity tires on my enduro bike and they definitely don't need inserts - you have to run them 2 or 3 psi lower anyway just to get the right traction. Their newest tire designs use radial construction, which is a whole other thing that requires *higher* pressure to operate effectively.

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by EB

Some teams are running them:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/tire-s...l-di-sole.html

In that article, notably Liv and Cube are running them, but Scott is meh and BMC is vehemently opposed. The Schwalbe guy is also against inserts for XC, but Schwalbe generally (unlike, say, Vittoria) has taken the stance across all disciplines that casings should be designed for purpose and not need inserts to support them.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Schwalbe's newer casings are all heavier than the competitions. I use their Gravity tires on my enduro bike and they definitely don't need inserts - you have to run them 2 or 3 psi lower anyway just to get the right traction. Their newest tire designs use radial construction, which is a whole other thing that requires *higher* pressure to operate effectively.

Wow, interesting link. I do think its funny how minimally gear/tire focused the racers are:

Do you change those tires much? I mean, it might be quite muddy here. Are you thinking of making a change?

It's already dry, not dry, but it's drying fast. So I will use only dry tires.


I think he likes riding dry tires guys.

[catchourbreath]

I switch to Mezcal/Peyote Race from SWorks FastTrak, none of the xc races I've done seem to be groomed enough to really fret over tire choice.

[Grateful Rider]

In my experience, 30mm inner is perfect for 2.35-2.6. If I wanted to run 2.2-2.3 true XC tires, I think 27mm is where I would want to be to optimize tire shape and traction