Fat Tire Trail Bike Questions

[Hellion]

...I have to keep in mind the difficulty of mounting tires on ridiculously wide wheels. Opinions? Suggestions?

Do you use a tire changing machine of any kind? Not powered but the kind you bolt the rim to and that has a long lever. You might have to build one of those but in "XXL Size".

Whats the reason for super widening the rims? Seems like a lot of work.

I don't think you're on-board with the whole spirit of the design here.
You're one of those static, status quo kind of people, never to push boundaries, right?

 

[vpd66]

Do you use a tire changing machine of any kind? Not powered but the kind you bolt the rim to and that has a long lever. You might have to build one of those but in "XXL Size".




I don't think you're on-board with the whole spirit of the design here.
You're one of those static, status quo kind of people, never to push boundaries, right?

Not really. I'll push the boundaries, until it doesn't seem worth my time or effort. I'm just saying the guy is already custom building the whole frame. It seems like a lot more labor added to an already labor intensive project.

 

[wardog]

I believe the super wide wheels help with the ride on a rigid frame. They allow the tires to deform over obstacles more like a beach ball instead of the sidewalls folding up against the rim. Also I like the idea of having tires as wide as the engine.... efficient use of space. And most importantly, a short, fat bike on balloon tires just looks cool.

 

[Hellion]

I've got the excessive labor expenditure problem myself with refurbishing throwaway Briggs engines...

Wait a minute. It's a labor of love and the personal satisfaction is the reward.


You're absolutely right about the way such a tire deforms over obstacles, especially sharp rocks and stumps instead of puncturing. Think of the enhanced tire life. . . . Firestone used to make a balloon tire that the old Honda ATC and the 6x6 amphib's used--it was like all tire and little rim.

 

[wardog]

Not really. I'll push the boundaries, until it doesn't seem worth my time or effort. I'm just saying the guy is already custom building the whole frame. It seems like a lot more labor added to an already labor intensive project.

Have you seen my other projects? This bike is a "quick and easy" build.

 

[wardog]

Do you use a tire changing machine of any kind? Not powered but the kind you bolt the rim to and that has a long lever. You might have to build one of those but in "XXL Size".




I don't think you're on-board with the whole spirit of the design here.
You're one of those static, status quo kind of people, never to push boundaries, right?

I don't have a tire machine, but I not worried about actually getting the tire over the rim. The issue will be getting the beads seated on the rim..... I'll probably have to resort to the lighter fliuid method. I hate doing that though, especially on a light 2 py tire.... I feel like it is a fine line between seating the tire and blowing it up.

 

[vpd66]

The starter fluid trick works good when mounting tires on wide rims. The trick is to know how much to spray in the rim. I once saw a 15" car tire and rim jump 3 feet off the ground!

 

[mckutzy]

YouTube is full of both pass and fail tire mounting explosions... Overall... I still shake my head...
But I'll take the fire method over those tire blaster tank inflators...

 

[Hellion]

...The issue will be getting the beads seated on the rim......

Ah yes. Some tires come crushed flat from shipping, others are just floppy but seating the bead is a big issue. I have no qualms using the flammable fluid trick but I used just a smidgen of starting fluid/ether on a 15" tire recently and had some glorious beginner's luck. I took out the tire valve core as a safety measure.

REMEMBER: Less is More.

Have you considered an inner tube?