30mm vs 35mm I.W. rims... Pros/cons?

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30mm vs 35mm I.W. rims... Pros/cons?
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flag gullywasher
Posted: Nov 15, 2022 at 16:32 Quote
What are your opinions concerning 30 vs 35 mm rims?

My Ibis Ripmo shipped with 35mm internal width aluminum rims, and I've put enough nasty dents in the rear to justify replacing it. I'm using that as an excuse to try carbon wheels for the first time, and there a lot more options if I'm open to a smaller i.w.

While I've ridden many bikes with 29-30 mm i.w. rims, I've never ridden the same bike with the same tires on a 30 vs 35 rim comparison so don't know if there is a meaningful difference or not.

If it matters, I ride Colorado Front Range stuff, which is rocky, dry, mostly loose over hard, mostly flat turns. Intermediate rider.
flag jakalwil
Posted: Nov 15, 2022 at 16:47 Quote
gullywasher wrote:
What are your opinions concerning 30 vs 35 mm rims?

My Ibis Ripmo shipped with 35mm internal width aluminum rims, and I've put enough nasty dents in the rear to justify replacing it. I'm using that as an excuse to try carbon wheels for the first time, and there a lot more options if I'm open to a smaller i.w.

While I've ridden many bikes with 29-30 mm i.w. rims, I've never ridden the same bike with the same tires on a 30 vs 35 rim comparison so don't know if there is a meaningful difference or not.

If it matters, I ride Colorado Front Range stuff, which is rocky, dry, mostly loose over hard, mostly flat turns. Intermediate rider.

What’s your preferred tire width? Generally a ~30mm internal rim is optimum for 2.2 inch to 2.5 inch tires, though running up to 2.8 inch won’t be a problem. A 35mm internal rim will be better at squaring off a 2.6 inch to 3.0 inch tire. Running a 2.4 will also be fine, but you might find it a bit too squared off - the side knobs can drag more when rolling straight, and you can lose some edge bite when leaning way over.

So I would go 30mm or 31mm rim for 2.5 inch tires or less, 35mm rim for 2.6 inch tires or wider.
flag gullywasher
Posted: Nov 15, 2022 at 17:03 Quote
jakalwil wrote:
So I would go 30mm or 31mm rim for 2.5 inch tires or less, 35mm rim for 2.6 inch tires or wider.

Thanks for that. The Ibis shipped with Maxxis 2.5's front and rear. I won't be running anything wider than that.
flag Marcencinitas
O+
Posted: Nov 27, 2022 at 18:40 Quote
Maxxis says their WT casings are optimized for 35mm, so I’d stick with 35mm unless you’re changing tires.
flag justwan-naride
Posted: Nov 28, 2022 at 14:55 Quote
35mm is borderline too wide for most 2.4 tyres. Magic Mary works but is far from ideal. Michelin Wild enduro is already very square on a i30 rim. Assegai 2.5 is perfect on 35mm though and so is the 2.6 MM.

My current wheels are 35mm f, 30mm r for 2.6 & 2.4 respectively.
flag gullywasher
Posted: Dec 4, 2022 at 21:10 Quote
Marcencinitas wrote:
Maxxis says their WT casings are optimized for 35mm, so I’d stick with 35mm unless you’re changing tires.

Thanks, I actually didn't realize that. It surprises me, though, as I've seen Maxxis WTs on stock bikes that use 30mm rims. Maybe that's just a supply chain problem, though.
flag gullywasher
Posted: Dec 4, 2022 at 21:12 Quote
justwan-naride wrote:
35mm is borderline too wide for most 2.4 tyres. Magic Mary works but is far from ideal. Michelin Wild enduro is already very square on a i30 rim. Assegai 2.5 is perfect on 35mm though and so is the 2.6 MM.

My current wheels are 35mm f, 30mm r for 2.6 & 2.4 respectively.

I've thought about trying that as I tend to like a narrower tire outback but think I might like the wider front.
flag Explodo
Posted: Dec 8, 2022 at 7:35 Quote
gullywasher wrote:
justwan-naride wrote:
35mm is borderline too wide for most 2.4 tyres. Magic Mary works but is far from ideal. Michelin Wild enduro is already very square on a i30 rim. Assegai 2.5 is perfect on 35mm though and so is the 2.6 MM.

My current wheels are 35mm f, 30mm r for 2.6 & 2.4 respectively.

I've thought about trying that as I tend to like a narrower tire outback but think I might like the wider front.


I frequently see people running a smaller rear tire. Why is that? I always just assumed it was because for ages frames didn't actually have as much clearance as forks and you were forced to run a smaller tire than you actually wanted.
flag Venturebikes
FL
Posted: Dec 8, 2022 at 12:25 Quote
Explodo wrote:
gullywasher wrote:
justwan-naride wrote:
35mm is borderline too wide for most 2.4 tyres. Magic Mary works but is far from ideal. Michelin Wild enduro is already very square on a i30 rim. Assegai 2.5 is perfect on 35mm though and so is the 2.6 MM.

My current wheels are 35mm f, 30mm r for 2.6 & 2.4 respectively.

I've thought about trying that as I tend to like a narrower tire outback but think I might like the wider front.


I frequently see people running a smaller rear tire. Why is that? I always just assumed it was because for ages frames didn't actually have as much clearance as forks and you were forced to run a smaller tire than you actually wanted.

Better cornering and the same reason people like to run a smaller tread in the back/heavier up front. When you're leaning on it and losing grip, the rear will break first and be controllable, whereas if the front breaks traction first you're either crashing or slowing down big time
flag Explodo
Posted: Dec 8, 2022 at 12:32 Quote
Venturebikes wrote:
Explodo wrote:
gullywasher wrote:


I've thought about trying that as I tend to like a narrower tire outback but think I might like the wider front.


I frequently see people running a smaller rear tire. Why is that? I always just assumed it was because for ages frames didn't actually have as much clearance as forks and you were forced to run a smaller tire than you actually wanted.

Better cornering and the same reason people like to run a smaller tread in the back/heavier up front. When you're leaning on it and losing grip, the rear will break first and be controllable, whereas if the front breaks traction first you're either crashing or slowing down big time

You're saying a 2.3 corners better than a 2.5?
flag DJ-24
Posted: Dec 8, 2022 at 15:41 Quote
Maxxis is full of shit. Every single tire I've used from them has been undersize.
flag Venturebikes
FL
Posted: Dec 8, 2022 at 18:03 Quote
Explodo wrote:
Venturebikes wrote:
Explodo wrote:



I frequently see people running a smaller rear tire. Why is that? I always just assumed it was because for ages frames didn't actually have as much clearance as forks and you were forced to run a smaller tire than you actually wanted.

Better cornering and the same reason people like to run a smaller tread in the back/heavier up front. When you're leaning on it and losing grip, the rear will break first and be controllable, whereas if the front breaks traction first you're either crashing or slowing down big time

You're saying a 2.3 corners better than a 2.5?

Not saying anything about specific size, but generally I prefer a wider tire in the front yes
flag BenLow2019
Posted: Dec 9, 2022 at 7:18 Quote
Explodo wrote:
gullywasher wrote:
justwan-naride wrote:
35mm is borderline too wide for most 2.4 tyres. Magic Mary works but is far from ideal. Michelin Wild enduro is already very square on a i30 rim. Assegai 2.5 is perfect on 35mm though and so is the 2.6 MM.

My current wheels are 35mm f, 30mm r for 2.6 & 2.4 respectively.

I've thought about trying that as I tend to like a narrower tire outback but think I might like the wider front.


I frequently see people running a smaller rear tire. Why is that? I always just assumed it was because for ages frames didn't actually have as much clearance as forks and you were forced to run a smaller tire than you actually wanted.

As Venturebikes already mentioned running a wider, grippy tire up front should provide better cornering characteristics. Also, the narrow tire in the rear, being a bit smaller, will have the added benefit of shaving some weight.
It's pretty popular nowadays. You'll see brands set up their new bikes with two different styles of tire and two different sizes of tires on the bike - maybe a 2.5 in front and a 2.4 in the rear.
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