As big as will fit (tires)

I'm also going with the assumption that the grifter and the path will be slightly narrower than the aitken. Is that a valid assumption do you think?

Grifter 2.3

Speaking of Grifters I just seen they have a 2.4 now. Jeez.

Out of curiosity, what frame do you have that won’t fit an aitken 2.25 in the back? I have that size aitkens on one of my bikes and grifters in 2.1 on another. Provided I remember, I’ll grab a measurement on both when I get in tomorrow morning. Even though the grifters I have are smaller than what you are looking at, we might be able to get a general idea how the width compares between the two.

upnsmoke wrote:

Out of curiosity, what frame do you have that won’t fit an aitken 2.25 in the back? I have that size aitkens on one of my bikes and grifters in 2.1 on another. Provided I remember, I’ll grab a measurement on both when I get in tomorrow morning. Even though the grifters I have are smaller than what you are looking at, we might be able to get a general idea how the width compares between the two.

That would be awesome. The frame is a 2018 Colony Oz-one. Retro looking but with modern materials and geo. A mate has a Colony Endeavour and we struggled to get the Aitkens to fit that as well but managed it in the end. I’m running Tuffs, so I put it down to the difficulty getting the bead to seat perfectly. I reckon they would have the same clearance (it’s the seat stay that’s the issue).

Probably leaning towards a 2.3 Odsy path for the rear end at this stage. And crossing my fingers they’ll fit.

Damn man, that frame is awesome. How did I not know that existed? I was eyeing this years Hoffman new retro frames. Need another frame like a hole in the head, but...

That twin tt is wild. You have to get us pics when this thing is assembled. I can’t speak on the size of the paths, but I’ll get a measurement on the aitkens vs the grifters.

Yeah, I think I got the last 21” TT they had.

Funny story. When I was ordering I was emailing the distribution guy back and forth, being a pain in the ass, double checking that it was the 21”. I mentioned that I was putting black Tuffs on it and hoped it wouldn’t be too weird and he mentioned he was building up two with Tuffs. You know, back and forth banter.

Anyway, I was listening to a podcast with Clint Millar talking about how he started Colony and had recently set up Family Distribution for Colony and Cult in Australia. I was like “hang on, wasn’t the guy I was emailing called Clint?”
I checked. It was him.

I’ll post up the bike check soon when I get a chance, but in the meantime here’s a sneak peek of it fresh done.

The 2.3 Grifters are quite narrow compared to other 2.3s on the market. No experience with the paths though. Bike looks rad!

^Grifters might be a safe bet, then. Bike is rad, indeed.

Guy in the bike shop suggested lopping off the side knobs with a Stanley knife. Kind of dismissed it at the time but it might be worth a try. It only just kisses the SS.

Unobscured shot

Love it. The black tuffs definitely work. That’s a thought on the tires. Perhaps you could find a way to spin the wheel and shave the tire a little at a time as it turns. Seems it would be awful tedious to do it one lug at a time.

Yeah, I just had a look. I doubt it's possible without it looking shit. And it would take ages.

I think I'll go with an odsy path 2.25 on the back. The tread pattern has some similarities to the aitkens and the side knobs are still there. I'll wear the tyres out before I hit any dirt big enough for lack of grip to matter. I'm tempted to get a pair of skinwall grifters - but luckily there are none of those to be had anywhere for the next few months.

The 2.1 Grifter measures about 2.04" wide. The Aitken is harder to measure because of the side knobs, but it looks like about 2.205 at its widest, and that is listed at 2.25. Funny, both are under their spec width by almost the same amount. Both at about 60 psi. I don't know. I wonder if the 2.3" Grifter might end up being the same size as the Aitken and give you the same trouble.

That’s weird. Thanks for doing that.

Maybe the 2.25 path is the best bet then. It certainly shouldn’t be any wider than the same spec Aitken.

Dr Sarcophagus wrote:

That’s weird. Thanks for doing that.

Maybe the 2.25 path is the best bet then. It certainly shouldn’t be any wider than the same spec Aitken.

No probs. Yeah, kind of surprised me too. I figured the Aitkens would be bigger compared to their spec, but doesn't really look like it. The bikes are in the basement right now and the light sucks down there. Otherwise I'd get a side by side pic to compare how the tires look next to each other. As far as how the path would measure up next to the others, I'd be guessing, but that'd be my guess as well. Hopefully someone else will chime in with some measurements or firsthand knowledge of how the path compares to the Aitkens/ Grifters.

Poking around the internet I found an oz-one bike check. Tyres are 2.2 on this.
https://www.snakebitebmx.com/jason-enns-colony-oz-one/

Maybe that’s as big as I can go.

Might just be. I searched an image of that Colony tire and it looks kind of small. I wonder if like a 2.1 Grifter would be a little closer match for the Aitken. I guess they don't make the Aitken any smaller than 2.25? I seem to remember that being the case, but I can't remember for sure. A took a pic while I was measuring. Like I say, not a good pic, but I'll upload it anyway. Gives at least sort of a side by side for reference.

They do do a grifter in 2.1.

There’s also maxxis DTH and holy rollers that come in 2.2 which could be an option as well.

Man choosing tyres is hard. I’ll sleep on it.

Ended up taking the safe route and got some grifter 2.1s. Still curious whether the 2.3s would fit, but not willing to risk adding to my unused tire pile.

I think you'll be happy with the grifter. Having had the two next to each other I think the 2.1 Grifter is a pretty good match for the Aitken as far as looks and size. They also ride nice at that. Both worked well for me on dirt as well as pavement.