Offset or not to offset

Triple-B

Member
Tryin to decide if I should offset my front or rear tires. I have a set of 2.2 and 2.4, what is better for traction wider in the front or back or not offsetting at all ?
I don't know the advantages for doing it either way, any tips ?

On a side note I got my RaceFace Next carbon riser bar and a Thompson elite X4 stem today, I thought the box was empty, some real lite stuff :D
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TimWarchol

Scum Sucker
on my 9er ss i run a 2.4 up front and a 2.2 on back

but then on my race bike which happens to be a 26er, i run a 2.0 on front and a 2.2 on rear.

That being said, I find a wider front allows for a much more confident turn but with drag. the rear dosent seem to gain or loose anything on both. as for the 2.0 on front, its very fast and i run low pressure which allows it to grip well but on loose pack i do tend to loos a very small amount of confidence.

In all honesty, it all comes down to the ride and his or her comfort. test out different ways of riding with either wider on front or rear, or same on both wheels. you will know in the end which you like best.
 

Triple-B

Member
I rode it with the Conti mountain kings 2.2 front & rear was fast but lil loose, then today I rode it with Schwalbe Nobby Nic HS411 29x2.35 today and it gripped more for sure. Guess I'll stick the new 2.4 up front and leave the 2.2 out back and see how it goes thru the turns.
 

jayres6

Member
General rule IMO

If you run different tire sizes at all, I think the narrower tire generally goes in the back.

The narrow tire gives a little less rolling resistance due to a smaller contact patch. It also offers less traction, but since most of your stearing carve comes from the front it's not really an issue.

The wider tire up front offers more stearing traction to dive into turns. The rear pretty much just follows. Going straight usually doesn't require much traction. climing and turning do.



of course, this all depends on your tire selection. Like most tire questions, I think everyone will have a slightly different take on this and different reasons why.

it also depends on where you are riding and the purpose of the ride (race, training, fun, recovery, etc). I'm not suggesting you change tires for every ride, but for certain courses/conditions I will change tires specificially for that event. I generally try to use a combination that I really like and this versitlile enough for most of my "common" circumstances. Sometimes you need something special, though.
 

blackburn1973

Well-Known Member
I ran the Conti Mtn Kings on my AM bike for a couple years w/2.4 front, 2.2 rear, and I really liked the feel, esp with wider up front when cornering. In general, I've usually seen wider front or equal width front/back, but does depend on conditions, style, etc.
 
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