Explain wide front tyre, narrow rear tyre setup
- Thread starter RockiMtn
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Little bit less rolling resistance (debatable), little lighter rear rotating assembly, maximise front end grip (not as necessary on the back), bit more 'bag' volume on the front with rigid or short travel forks.
Really not much different to running a shallow treaded rear, specific tread patterns etc just achieved through width.
Really not much different to running a shallow treaded rear, specific tread patterns etc just achieved through width.
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Smoke Lites are narrower than most tyres.
Clearence between the chainstays may have been a factor - my '91 Fire Mountain ran a fatter front tyre than rear (2.1 vs 2.0 from memory), though it looked more different than that. Still managed to "polish" the paint off the inside of the chain stays with mud etc. a much tyre would have just made the situation worse.
i sill do it. 2.35 beef on the front, 2.1 on the rear. why? the front wheel is the one that gets ridden. by that i mean all the cornering and braking. the rear just supplies the power and follows the front. i lean hard on my front in corners, the tracks i ride are dry dusty and loose singletack. i need a tyre that grips hard in that stuff,and i find my riding improves if i have a decent moto tyre up front.
(btw this is referring to my modern bike. my vintage bikes i ride not as agressively, they just have same 1.9s front and rear)
(btw this is referring to my modern bike. my vintage bikes i ride not as agressively, they just have same 1.9s front and rear)
As Ted C says above. My Cindercone came with 2.1 front and 2.0 rear. The rear had very little clearance from the chainstays when dry, and nothing when covered in Leicestershire clay. The Kona rear tyre (Propulsion) was useless in anything other than dry conditions so I changed to a Smoke Lite 1.9. Complete transformation, grip, clearance, better mud-shedding and therefore substantially lighter than a mud-packed bigger tyre. The larger front seems to give better damping and directional stability particularly in sand and gravel (the other Leicestershire component).
I've stuck with this tyre size combination over the years even with bikes where rear clearance isn't an issue. I suppose when you find something that works you tend to stick with it.
I've stuck with this tyre size combination over the years even with bikes where rear clearance isn't an issue. I suppose when you find something that works you tend to stick with it.
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