Review: Teravail Cumberland Light & Supple TR 29x2.6 Tire

As I mentioned in the previous post, I was looking to move to a tire that was less ponderous and slow than the 29x3 Maxxis Chronicles.

I had concerns that the bottom bracket would be too low on the Krampus with the smaller tires, but the 60mm bottom bracket drop is exactly the same as my Kona Unit which runs 2.35 inch tires with no issues.

Also as mentioned before, the tires were super easy to set up tubeless. The beads were tight but not ridiculously so. I needed a tire lever for the last few inches, and I am totally OK with that in exchange for ease of seating.

Mounted up, the tires measure out at 2.69 inches at the casing on 39mm ID rims. It's not often that tires measure out larger than the listed size. (I'm looking at you, WTB.) I will say the Teravail website lists the optimum rim width at 29mm, so that's likely how they measure out at 2.6 inches. At the knobs, the diameter is 2.81 inches. Clearance was very tight on the rear end of the Krampus running the Chronicles, so I didn't save a lot of room there.

The profile is decidedly round in the middle but flattens out on the sides.

I felt faster with these tires, and the bike went from "meh" to fun immediately. I can't quite put my finger on the reason, though. The weight savings over the Chronicles is only 55 grams (listed), so it can't be the weight. The raised center section LOOKS like it would help, but at the pressure these tires run at the tread flattens out on the ground anyway.

The casing is definitely more supple than the Chronicles, so I feel like even at the decreased width the tires provide more absorption and comfort.

On the trail the tires roll extremely well. Cornering traction was excellent with the large side knobs and I noticed no weird transition when leaning over. This is often the case with tires that try to be fast and corner well.

One weird feature I noticed during measurements is every third side knob is ever so slightly smaller. The website confirms this "staggering" feature. I am not sure this has any performance benefit, but I am no tire designer.

When I first built the Krampus five years ago I wrote that overall I was disappointed in the 29 Plus platform and felt that the sweet spot would be a 2.7 inch tire. This tire confirms that I was right, because the bike is now, finally, fun to ride.

Later.