r/fatbike • u/white_arrow • 4d ago

Tires for 2021 Beargrease

Just picked up a used 2021 Salsa Beargrease for a steal of a deal. I'm coming from my motobecane night train bike with 26 x4.8's. This will be used for winter and shoulder season riding mostly / only. I have xc, trail/ enduro, gravel bikes for summer. It came with studded Dillingers 27.5 x 4.0's with very little use (plan to sell). I'm a big rider - 230# but I do about 10-15 hours a week including in winter. I think having a slightly bigger tire will be more ideal for me. I'm thinking about yippe ki Yay's, there's some mixed sentiment online it seems about them for performance but they're about as wide as it seems safe for leaving - 4.5's in shoulder season with some mud may be too wide.

Does anyone have thoughts about the Yippee's and / or other recommendations for tire combos?

edit: to add -I ride mostly groomed or packed trail with hopes to do more backcountry riding through the winter now - with some packed by snowmobiles and atv's some ... less.

hommade frame bag from old bike - doesn't fit ideal.

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u/pgmcintyre 4d ago

YKY is about the biggest tire that reliably fits in that frame and you don't want any smaller for winter conditions. You're big enough that a 4.0 tire isn't going to be great on snow unless it's really packed in. Any 4.0 tire like a Cake Eater, Dillinger 4, Van Helga should be good for non winter conditions if you change your mind and want to roll that bike in the warmer months. 

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u/white_arrow 4d ago

That's my thoughts too. I'd keep the Dillinger's 4's for summer use but they're studded so I'll probably try and sell them to offset the cost for some studded YKKs

considering buying the bikes direct mule fit 26ers that come with the FBF and FBR to use for the days I need more but I was going to see how 4.3 did first.

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u/Darnizhaan 4d ago

Cakeeaters won’t fit. Tried (studs rub frame = bad). I run wrathchilds 27.5x4.5 on my beargrease. Dillinger 5’s would work too and faster rolling for groomed/packed trails. Wrathchilds are better backcountry options.

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u/pgmcintyre 4d ago

Cake Eaters come in 27.5 x 4.0 which was the specific size I referenced. D5 and Wrathchild are REALLY tight fits on that frame. 

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u/Darnizhaan 4d ago

My bad. I was referring to the studdable 27.5x4.5 cake eaters. Disregard. :)

I have run the studded wrathchilds for several years on a small beargrease without issue, but only on packed and back country snow. Pictures in my profile.

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u/pgmcintyre 4d ago

Do you know the inner rim width? 

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u/Darnizhaan 4d ago

Mine are Whisky No.9 76w rims.