Plus size tyres info

[Earthskyouch20]

Who has experience of 650b + tyres? Not tried them, they seem like a good thing and I like the principle but instinct tells me they'd not work well on wet roots and in mud, ie UK conditions! Also do they have to run tubeless due to low pressures? I'm tubelessphobic.
Lastly, can't you just fit massive downhill tyres to ordinary wheels and achieve the same benefits?
TIA

 

[Eckythump]

I have run 3" Nobby Nik's & 2.8" Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR.
Didn't really get on with the 3" tyres either on demoed bikes or my own Jam2.
Been very pleased with the performance of the 2.8" Minions particularly on wet roots & rock both climbing & descending.
I have run 2.35" Magic Mary's front with Hans Dampf or Rock Razor on the rear with success on my analogue bike but more aggressive Schwalbe tyres in plus sizes were not available when I purchased the Minions, however they are available now including 2.6" width which may offer an appealing halfway house between standard & plus sizes. If I find the 2.8" become a liability in the thick winter mud I may give those a whirl.
The + tyres do create a plush ride over terrain normal tyres tend to shake your teeth loose. They also give great levels of traction when climbing steep gnarly single track.
Looks like the next generation of trail/enduro eMTB's are being pushed with 650B+ on the rear with a standard 29" wheel on the front. Makes a bit of sense having a plus tyre for traction on the back and a big dia thinner one on the front to roll over bigger features & cut through any mud. I guess only time will tell how it works out.....

 

[Eckythump]

And yes, I run tubeless. I do find I change tyre pressures to suit the sort of trails I am riding. If its muddy & slippy on natural hand cut loamy trails I will run as low as 11psi front 14psi rear for traction, mixed trails I will up it to 16/19psi to reduce tyre squirm in faster corners & berms and then 21/25psi for trail centres with bigger jumps & prepped surfaces where grip is less of an issue but burping a tyre or bashing a rim is more likely. (I'm a fair old lump so those pressures are on the high side).
I hit the trails with a buddy who has a Haibike Nduro. It has traditional 650B wheels and runs Magic Mary's & Rock Razors in 2.35". The traditional tyres do not slow him down in any way, he has however dented his funky Crank Bros wheels a number of times now where I have had no issue. He is probably a good 25kg lighter than me to boot......

 

[Earthskyouch20]

And yes, I run tubeless. I do find I change tyre pressures to suit the sort of trails I am riding. If its muddy & slippy on natural hand cut loamy trails I will run as low as 11psi front 14psi rear for traction, mixed trails I will up it to 16/19psi to reduce tyre squirm in faster corners & berms and then 21/25psi for trail centres with bigger jumps & prepped surfaces where grip is less of an issue but burping a tyre or bashing a rim is more likely. (I'm a fair old lump so those pressures are on the high side).
I hit the trails with a buddy who has a Haibike Nduro. It has traditional 650B wheels and runs Magic Mary's & Rock Razors in 2.35". The traditional tyres do not slow him down in any way, he has however dented his funky Crank Bros wheels a number of times now where I have had no issue. He is probably a good 25kg lighter than me to boot......

Great replies, thanks! I guess with tubeless changing type of tyres depending on where you're riding has to be more of a long term decision though?
I also found maxxis tyres to be excellent have used minions and swamp things in winter, loved those. What's the thinnest/smallest you can run on a + rim then?
I'm looking for at an e bike hardtail with + tyres so can see the benefit of the volume but having ridden a full on fat bike I was unimpressed with that.

 

[Eckythump]

My rims are 40mm external I think 35mm internal width. You see folk running 2.35" on 35mm rims.
I would think the Minion 2.5" WT would be about as narrow as I'd want to go.

 

[Earthskyouch20]

Are the + tyres harder or easier to get onto rims also? Will I need to get tougher tyre levers?! Also how are you finding battery life on your Jam2? Looking at Bold2 and Mondraker Vantage

 

[Eckythump]

No different to any other tyres. Trail tyres are easier than thicker walled gravity versions. The wider rims certainly make it easier than traditional ones as there is plenty of room for both of the beads in the central channel.
Only tyres I have had trouble getting on in the past were Magic Mary's in super gravity casing on narrow Mavic UST rims.
The wide DT Swiss Spline rims on the Jam2 are an absolute doddle. Seat with a track pump with no issues at all.

My Jam and my buddies Nduro with 400wh battery run out virtually at the same time. As with all ebikes range all depends on hills and how much assistance you use.
We can burn up the batteries in a 2 or 3 hours hammering up the steep local hills to get in as many downhill runs as we can in about 12-14 miles. On other occasions I have nursed it in eco for 30miles with about 3k ft of climbing. I'm 110kg so someone of more reasonable weight will get significantly more.
There is always the piggy back battery as an option to double the capacity, it is pricey though and I am still waiting for mine. Told August now....

Not seen the Vantage but have ridden the eCrafty a little bit. I wasn't taken by the Bosch motor as there seemed to be quite a bit of lag and then it slammed in the assistance. I personally prefer the power delivery of the Brose & Shimano motors. The new Bosch software update is supposed to have addressed this though.

Best advice is to demo as many bikes with all the different motors before deciding.

 

[Earthskyouch20]

That's what I always advise people but not easy to find a mondraker demo and the dealers with demo bikes aren't neccesarily anywhere near me or the ones with the best prices! I'm also on a low budget. I looked at specialized but I've heard too much negative stuff about the brose motor, shame as otherwise it seems very well designed and put together.

 

[Eckythump]

Don't dismiss the Levo as it has just been updated with a new more powerful version of the Brose motor. Brose are also releasing a software update for the original ones that should take care of the early gremlins along with the cooling fix. There will probably be bargains to be had.
The new carbon frames are at a similar price point to the original Alu frames and the Alu ones are a chunk cheaper but still have the new motor.
We are quite well served here in the NE for demos, I guess it depends where about you are. I'm sure folk on here would be able to point you in the right direction of demos near your location.