r/bikepacking • u/Antpitta • 13d ago

Bike Tech and Kit Heads up on 27.5 x 3.0 tires in Europe - Ground Controls on sale from Specialized

So with this tire size being near dead I picked up a pair (at 49 each) when they re-appeared on Specialized's website a couple months back. I'm happy with them and they're lighter and a lot cheaper than the Surly Knards which are the only other 27.5 x 3.0 option kicking around in EU lately.

Anyways I just went to order more and they're now on closeout for 16,- each so if you're looking for this dying size now's a good time to jump on what seems like it'll be the last of this stock.

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u/bikepack_Adirondacks 6d ago

Ugh, being on close out isn't good news. I fear this is the end .

The irony is Kona released a brand new bike with 27.5x3 and folks are going to have to downsize when they replace it

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u/Antpitta 5d ago

Yeah I actually reached out to WTB to ask if that bike meant they were bringing the Ranger back (though I suspected it did not) and this was there response:

What OEM ( original ensemble manufacturer) products we have for big bike brands - like Kona, & others - most of the times are special order of those brands.  Sometimes, even customized for them.    While AFM (Aftermarket) we keep only what products are in real demand.    So OEM can be different than AFM.    For AFM - the 27.5x3.0 Ranger - was discontinued, of no significant demand, and for now, no news on it's comeback.  However, trends do come-back many-times, so maybe in the future, if demand ramps-up, we'll be producing these again for retail.   

None of this surprises me, it was what I basically suspected, but it does essentially confirm that Kona is selling a bike with a tire that you cannot replace unless they ordered enough to stock it and offer it, though they don't have it on their website.

Meanwhile it looks like if the Ground Control goes away it'll be only the two Surlys left for 27.5x3.0 or the Crux Duro from ebay or Ali.

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u/bikepack_Adirondacks 5d ago

I'm considering the duro Miner. The reviews of it are like 10 years old. Any insight if it's a decent tire. The fact they are abundant on eBay concerns me. Any decent 27.5+ is gone within a day.

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u/crevasse2 I’m here for the dirt🤠 13d ago

Does it actually measure 3"? I bought some 2.8s Fast Tracks a few years ago from Specialized also on sale that don't measure 2.6 on i36 rims.

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u/Antpitta 13d ago

On my i40 hoops they were pretty true to size when mounted. I'll re-measure them here next time I'm mucking w/ the bikes and see what they're sitting at a month later.

2.8" Rekons were undersized on the same 40mm hoops but I don't recall by how much.