Tire testing! The big 2.6 has plenty of grip!

BIG tires VS little bike: new shoes on the Mojo 3!

Now that I’ve got the geometry and suspension more dialed in on the little Mojo 3, it’s time to get into some of the finer details, and set this bike up to shred!

I had been rocking a simple WTB Frequency i25 wheelset (only $240 here at Jenson USA: https://bit.ly/IndustryNine2022JKW) and it was working just fine.  For the price, the performance of the Frequency series of rims is really, really good!  Back when I was racing I LOVED these because they weren’t too heavy and could take a really big hit without issue.  But it’s time to get this bike really riding how I want.  While the WTB rims are just fine, the Ibis wide rims, at an inner width of 35mm, mean I can have more tire support and run lower pressures, all with far less burping.  Since I’m not racing, I’m not riding at the speeds that will more likely result in flat tires or broken rims.

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I went ahead and swapped some Ibis 742 wheels on the bike (check these out at Jenson USA here: http://bit.ly/2EsZTuw) and the improvement in stability and stiffness was noticeable on the first ride.  Before going to try the 2.6 tires, I got a few rides in with my long time favorite tire combo, a WTB Vigilante 2.3 Tough High Grip front with a WTB Trailboss 2.4 Tough Fast Rolling rear.  This set up rocks!!!  So fast and nimble, and man, the way that Trailboss breaks loose is SO predictable!  Not to mention, super fast rolling.  I was actually quite tempted to leave this tires on and call it good.

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On to the tires.  With 2.6 tires being all the rage, I figured this was the perfect bike to use for a trial.  The bike only has 130mm of travel, so the extra squish from the big meats would be really helpful to sort of make the bike feel as though it’s bigger and more bomber.  Now, this ties into the whole idea of “build the bike to accentuate its strengths or hide its weaknesses” idea that we discussed on our Kendall Vs Kendall podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/kendall-vs-kendall/id1386409671?mt=2).  I was hesitant to really run plus size tires on such a nimble, little bike.  But the 2.6 size was much more manageable than a true plus size rubber.  That said, I noticed the biggest benefits when riding out in Colorado on the dry and rocky terrain.  Here in the PNW, I had moments where I liked the 2.6, and plenty of moments where I honestly would like less squish for better pumping and predictability.

Perhaps on the next update I try a 2.5 front and a 2.4 rear?

General Affiliate Links:

Jenson USA: https://bit.ly/JensonUSA2022JKW

Industry Nine: https://bit.ly/IndustryNine2022JKW

PNW Components: https://bit.ly/PNWComponents2022JKW

Shimano: https://bit.ly/Shimano2022JKW

Here’s a full list of the stuff I went through on this episode:

Wanna learn to ride like me?  Check out my riding tutorials at https://www.patreon.com/jeffkendallweed

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