2.8 change to 2.6 Rear Tyre

Lee Dove

Well-known member
Oct 12, 2018
301
269
Scotland
Info for Decoy owners

I have just swapped the 2.8 DHR for a 2.6 Michelin Wild Enduro.

1. Better cornering grip in geasy conditions
2. Better rear braking grip.
3. Faster turning.
4. Better climbing grip.

I must say I have never been a fan of very wide tyres as they don't suit the type of riding and terrain I do.

Good change in my opinion. (no science here ;) )
 

roQer

Member
Jun 29, 2019
77
70
Ludwigshafen am Rhein
Rear tyre is to wide with 2.8, IMO. Maybe good for traction going up tricky trails moto style but terrible on downhills in chunky stuff. Bike gets bounced a lot and hang up on rocks. Hard to keep the line. I‘m considering going even DHR II 2.4 with the wide rim. Don’t like this rear wider than front concept.
 
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Lee Dove

Well-known member
Oct 12, 2018
301
269
Scotland
Rear tyre is to wide with 2.8, IMO. Maybe good for traction going up tricky trails moto style but terrible on downhills in chunky stuff. Bike gets bounced a lot and hang up on rocks. Hard to keep the line. I‘m considering going even DHR II 2.4 with the wide rim. Don’t like this rear wider than front concept.

I think a 2.4 might make the BB a bit low. Maxxis tyres do tend to blow up small as well.
 

roQer

Member
Jun 29, 2019
77
70
Ludwigshafen am Rhein
Rear tyre is to wide with 2.8, IMO. Maybe good for traction going up tricky trails moto style but terrible on downhills in chunky stuff. Bike gets bounced a lot and hang up on rocks. Hard to keep the line. I‘m considering going even DHR II 2.4 with the wide rim. Don’t like this rear wider than front concept.

I think a 2.4 might make the BB a bit low. Maxxis tyres do tend to blow up small as well.

Good point. Is your Michelin 2.6 much wider than 2.5 DHF at the front?
 

Peaky Rider

E*POWAH Master
Feb 9, 2019
821
520
Derbyshire Dales
Info for Decoy owners

I have just swapped the 2.8 DHR for a 2.6 Michelin Wild Enduro.

1. Better cornering grip in geasy conditions
2. Better rear braking grip.
3. Faster turning.
4. Better climbing grip.

I must say I have never been a fan of very wide tyres as they don't suit the type of riding and terrain I do.

Good change in my opinion. (no science here ;) )

Did exactly the same with my Focus Jam2 six months ago. Michelin W E is a tough tyre ( tried a 2.6 Nobby Nick but it couldn't cope) with more grip than I'll ever need.
 

Doomanic

🛠️Wrecker🛠️
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Founding Member
Jan 21, 2018
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I've been thinking about trying a narrower rear for a while, just had a few 2.8's to work through first. I dropped to a 2.6 on the front over a year ago and wouldn't go back. I'm getting a new wheelset under warranty this week so it seems like a good time to give it a go. The difficult question is free rolling or high grip...
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
13,792
20,481
Brittany, France
The difficult question is free rolling or high grip...
You need one of the new Ying Yang format tyres. Half the circumference is nearly a slick, the other half - aggressive. It's sounds awful, but in reality every half a turn of a wheel you find yourself with all the grip you need to get out of trouble and every other half a turn you have loads less resistance so can go fast ...
 
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Jk 123

Member
Jun 24, 2019
18
6
Scotland
Info for Decoy owners

I have just swapped the 2.8 DHR for a 2.6 Michelin Wild Enduro.

1. Better cornering grip in geasy conditions
2. Better rear braking grip.
3. Faster turning.
4. Better climbing grip.

I must say I have never been a fan of very wide tyres as they don't suit the type of riding and terrain I do.

Good change in my opinion. (no science here ;) )
Hi lee just wondering where you got your rear tyre and also how it was working out I need to change up my rear as I’ve had two punctures on two consecutive rides at inners thank in advance
 

Jamsxr

E*POWAH Master
Mar 30, 2019
518
632
Surrey
My local trail builders were moaning about eBikes with wide tyres eroding trails, I kind of get it to be fair.
 

steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
8,390
8,620
Lincolnshire, UK
You need one of the new Ying Yang format tyres. Half the circumference is nearly a slick, the other half - aggressive. It's sounds awful, but in reality every half a turn of a wheel you find yourself with all the grip you need to get out of trouble and every other half a turn you have loads less resistance so can go fast ...

Your 2nd sentence was selling me, but your third sentence lost me.
I was imagining the drive side was aggressive all the way around and the non drive side was slick. As long as you find a clockwise trail you'll be fine and then you ride home anticlockwise!
 

MattyB

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Jul 11, 2018
1,266
1,279
Herts, UK
My local trail builders were moaning about eBikes with wide tyres eroding trails, I kind of get it to be fair.
Sounds like FUD to me - wider tyres should spread the weight over their larger contact patch and have more grip which you would think would lessen erosion. Besides, what’s the difference between an ebike and a traditional MTB on plus tyres with an 8-10kg heavier rider - are they also moaning about those people?
 

Lee Dove

Well-known member
Oct 12, 2018
301
269
Scotland
Hi lee just wondering where you got your rear tyre and also how it was working out I need to change up my rear as I’ve had two punctures on two consecutive rides at inners thank in advance
I got it at tredz online £40. It is working fine . I live at Inners so ride here all the time and no punctures (yet).
 

Jamsxr

E*POWAH Master
Mar 30, 2019
518
632
Surrey
Sounds like FUD to me - wider tyres should spread the weight over their larger contact patch and have more grip which you would think would lessen erosion. Besides, what’s the difference between an ebike and a traditional MTB on plus tyres with an 8-10kg heavier rider - are they also moaning about those people?

To be fair I see the tyre marks left by my eBike and they’re significantly worse than my trail bike, doesn’t bother me though ?

These guys come loaded with water and tools to tend a local jump line. They were not moaning at me but another rider with plus size tyres motoring up and down churning up the line...
 

Frazzer

Member
Sep 6, 2019
9
3
Londonish
Info for Decoy owners

I have just swapped the 2.8 DHR for a 2.6 Michelin Wild Enduro.

1. Better cornering grip in geasy conditions
2. Better rear braking grip.
3. Faster turning.
4. Better climbing grip.

I must say I have never been a fan of very wide tyres as they don't suit the type of riding and terrain I do.

Good change in my opinion. (no science here ;) )

Which compound did you go for? the Gum-X or Magic-X? Out on the Decoy this week and the back is getting knocked off line a lot on wet roots. Very sketch. Keen to go down to 2.6. DId you find the BB dropped any?
 

miPbiP

E*POWAH Master
Jul 8, 2019
754
805
Surrey Hills.
Sounds like FUD to me - wider tyres should spread the weight over their larger contact patch and have more grip which you would think would lessen erosion. Besides, what’s the difference between an ebike and a traditional MTB on plus tyres with an 8-10kg heavier rider - are they also moaning about those people?

the difference is acceleration and torque.
 

miPbiP

E*POWAH Master
Jul 8, 2019
754
805
Surrey Hills.
Info for Decoy owners

I have just swapped the 2.8 DHR for a 2.6 Michelin Wild Enduro.

1. Better cornering grip in geasy conditions
2. Better rear braking grip.
3. Faster turning.
4. Better climbing grip.

I must say I have never been a fan of very wide tyres as they don't suit the type of riding and terrain I do.

Good change in my opinion. (no science here ;) )

what kind of terrain Lee?

one reason I backed out of a Canyon Spectral:ON is I thought the rear was a little monster-truck.

I also put a Spesh Hillbilly on the front of my Levo, and took that off too. A bit balloony.

Wide enough is wide enough IMO.
 

Sapientiea

Active member
Jul 12, 2019
296
192
Netherlands
the difference is acceleration and torque.

Would rather think that it is tire realted. E-bikes come with heavy duty very nobby tires. And maybe E-bike riders make more miles on the trails. That all, beside the fact that this might be more of a feeling than actual fact......
 

Lee Dove

Well-known member
Oct 12, 2018
301
269
Scotland
Which compound did you go for? the Gum-X or Magic-X? Out on the Decoy this week and the back is getting knocked off line a lot on wet roots. Very sketch. Keen to go down to 2.6. DId you find the BB dropped any?
I have the Gum-X. Can you get Magic-X for rear, I have one on the front of my Jefsy. I switched the bike into the high chip setting but it is not a big difference anyway.
 

Lee Dove

Well-known member
Oct 12, 2018
301
269
Scotland
what kind of terrain Lee?

one reason I backed out of a Canyon Spectral:ON is I thought the rear was a little monster-truck.

I also put a Spesh Hillbilly on the front of my Levo, and took that off too. A bit balloony.

Wide enough is wide enough IMO.

All sorts of terrain.
Downhill tracks
Rocky and Rooty
Trail center stuff.
Steep natural trails.

Just think full Enduro ;)
 

MattyB

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Jul 11, 2018
1,266
1,279
Herts, UK
Last edited:

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
Author
Subscriber
Mar 29, 2018
10,496
10,688
the internet
The difficult question is free rolling or high grip...
You a pinner who rarely uses the rear brake more than the front and uses the tyre edge leant over properly or a rear brake dragging queen as soon as descending gradient increases?
you're probably somwhere in the middle. most folk are
Just be honest wiv yerself ;)

Minion SS in 2.3 are an awesome rear tyre if yousway towards the former riding style and like maximum rolling speed and support (lips/berms etc.). Don't make the mistake of runnin 'em at low pressures though. ;)
for absolute max rolling/acceleration properties go Exo Dual compound too. running higher pressures you shouldn't pinch 'em. smashing 'em straight into sharp things is another story tho.
 

miPbiP

E*POWAH Master
Jul 8, 2019
754
805
Surrey Hills.
Possibly, but that can only apply on the uphills right? If descending you are not generally using the motor therefore the only difference between an ebike and a plus sized bike with the same rider is the 8-10kg increase in weight. That didn't make a lot of difference in this study...

A Comparison of Environmental Impacts from Mountain Bicycles, Class 1 Electric Mountain Bicycles, and Motorcycles

anywhere the rider is pedalling. so boosts out of corners and so on too. depends on trail of course.
 

Frazzer

Member
Sep 6, 2019
9
3
Londonish
I have the Gum-X. Can you get Magic-X for rear, I have one on the front of my Jefsy. I switched the bike into the high chip setting but it is not a big difference anyway.
The new Michelin E-Wild Rear tire also looks interesting (av. in 2.6 and 2.8), similar to the Wild Enduro with more aggressive centre knobs and cheap at £36 on some sites
 
Last edited:

squeegee

Well-known member
Aug 19, 2019
360
267
USA
On my Decoy I've burned off about 50% of the knob height after a ride packed 2 months. I'm going to need a new rear fairly soon so have been looking at all sorts of tires.

Suddenly it occurred to me tonight that the Decoy's geometry is partially reliant on a 2.8 Maxxis DHR tire height. I'd like to find a tire that is knobby/grippy but not as slow as the DHR but don't want to lower BB height or change geo.

On my regular bike (Intense Tracer) I run Nobby Nics/Aggressor in rear depending on what trails I'm riding most. Both are definitely faster rolling compared to DHR.

So I put my Intense's rear standing next to the Decoy, my rims are 36 mil internal on the Intense and very similar to the rear on the Decoy. The tire is 2.6 Nobby Nic on the Intense and is at least a quarter inch shorter than the 2.8 DHR on decoy. Aggressor 2.5 WT even shorter than 2.6 NN.

I'm reading through these posts on using 2.6's as a rear and thinking man, I'm gonna get even more pedal strikes?? 2.6 Wild Enduro's I've seen mounted on a friend's bike with 30 mil inner rims looked narrow and small vs a Schwalbe 2.6 tire.

Just wondering what anyone else has seen as far as slacking the head tube angle and lowering the already very low BB height on Decoy by running a 2.6 rear? I would think if you're going to run a 2.6 rear that you'd have to either run the flip chip on high (which I don't like because it puts center of gravity a bit off to me, reach feels off) and/or run a shorter front tire (what??) or lower fork travel to compensate for the lowering in the rear.

I love riding the decoy in low but don't want it any slacker or more pedal strikes either.
 

Lee Dove

Well-known member
Oct 12, 2018
301
269
Scotland
On my Decoy I've burned off about 50% of the knob height after a ride packed 2 months. I'm going to need a new rear fairly soon so have been looking at all sorts of tires.

Suddenly it occurred to me tonight that the Decoy's geometry is partially reliant on a 2.8 Maxxis DHR tire height. I'd like to find a tire that is knobby/grippy but not as slow as the DHR but don't want to lower BB height or change geo.

On my regular bike (Intense Tracer) I run Nobby Nics/Aggressor in rear depending on what trails I'm riding most. Both are definitely faster rolling compared to DHR.

So I put my Intense's rear standing next to the Decoy, my rims are 36 mil internal on the Intense and very similar to the rear on the Decoy. The tire is 2.6 Nobby Nic on the Intense and is at least a quarter inch shorter than the 2.8 DHR on decoy. Aggressor 2.5 WT even shorter than 2.6 NN.

I'm reading through these posts on using 2.6's as a rear and thinking man, I'm gonna get even more pedal strikes?? 2.6 Wild Enduro's I've seen mounted on a friend's bike with 30 mil inner rims looked narrow and small vs a Schwalbe 2.6 tire.

Just wondering what anyone else has seen as far as slacking the head tube angle and lowering the already very low BB height on Decoy by running a 2.6 rear? I would think if you're going to run a 2.6 rear that you'd have to either run the flip chip on high (which I don't like because it puts center of gravity a bit off to me, reach feels off) and/or run a shorter front tire (what??) or lower fork travel to compensate for the lowering in the rear.

I love riding the decoy in low but don't want it any slacker or more pedal strikes either.
2.6 is fine. If you set the chip to high with a 2.6 it is the same as low with a 2.8 as far as geometry is concerned.
 

Dirtnvert

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Sep 25, 2018
1,352
1,600
BC Canada
Michelin measure a bit big, similar to how schwalbe measure theirs. The 2.6 ewild is almost as wide as the 2.8 dhr2. Maybe somewhere between 2.7/2.75. Better rubber , more supportive sidewall , better puncture protection than exo+ by a fair margin and rolls faster. Wish they made the rockr2 in a 2.6. Id run those front and back. I have an ewild 2.6 rear and a rockr2 2.35 front(its the same width as a 2.5 minion dhf). Rockr2 isnt the fastest roller but nothing hooks up in the corners as well. If tgey had a 2.6 id run it on tge rear and probably snip a ramp on the leading edge of the center knobs to give it a bit faster roll
 

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